How Tough and Durable are Lunds? Or how do you drive ur boat in rough waters:?

[TSCTSC]

If you are going over 2-3 swells at 30-36mph and the boat is hitting the waves hard like falling from 1-2 feet, is this ok for the boat or not?

Question is, in rough water, short of making sure that we dun capsize, how do you guys drive the boat? Thanks

[Willy]

I agree with what all of you guys said. People always overestimate the size of the waves. If you are out in honest 4-5 footers, you're not going to be running wide open. Even in a glass boat it'd be hard to do without beating something up. A 3 footer is plenty big and when they are out, I still don't think I go wide open. My cousin has a pass me down boat that was beat on Mille Lacs for years by my uncle and him. The bottom is pounded in from the big waves hitting them too hard.

As far as Lunds, they are plenty durable, but you have to be smart about how you run them, just like anything else.

[Gus]

We took a housboat vacation last year on Lake of the woods. The owners had a boat that they used to get supplies out to the houseboats and to get to emergency calls etc. I had never seen a boat like it and asked them what kind it was. Turns out it was a custom made boat. Diamond plate aluminum decking, THICK hull, all welded alum boat. The thing looked like a tank on water. Their comments were that "even the lund's didn't hold up after a couple of years service" (quote was to the best of my memory.) I found that interesting because I would never have thought you could trash a Lund hull. I don't know what kind of abuse they put it through but it made me think twice about how I treat my boat on a rough day.

[Gissert]

Were you at Floating Lodges Housboats? That boat you described sounds like thier diesel powered work boats. Man, those things are really built to the hilt.

[Gus]

I do not think that was the place, For the life of me I can't remember exactly the name. It was out of Siox narrows and may have been just called "lake of the woods houseboats". The boat had a big ole 200+ HP outboard on it.

[eyepatrol]

I've seen a lot of posts on here from the aluminum boat owners, so, speaking from the fiberglass side, I'd say that what others are writing about fiberglass boats is pretty well right on. I've got a Warrior that I've owned now for 7 years. I don't believe I've been in 4' waves, but certainly 3'ers. As for strength of the hull...aluminum is a metal, and metal dents. Fiberglass is solid, and will crack. Manufacturers can shape the fiberglass to their desired curves, etc., thus the constructability of fiberglass makes them better for handling (either rough or calm water), manuverability (basically the same as handling) and durability. The way Warrior shapes their hulls makes the water from waves shoot outward and downward. Aluminum splashes outward and upward, making for a wetter ride if you don't have a dual counsol (and at times even if you have a dual counsol).

As for riding rough waves, I've done WFO, quartering, and slower head-on or with waves. The WFO option is NOT the best option in my opinion. Sure, you can skip across the tops of waves, but as said by others, you'll hurt your equipment and yourself (back and GROIN!). Quartering works well, although it can be a wetter ride. I prefer to either go head on against the waves or with the waves keeping the nose of my boat pointed upwards. Trimming the motor can be an option and will put the point of the boat higher up in the air, but I prefer to use the throttle and run about 1/4 open to keep the point of the boat in the air. It's a much slower ride this way, but it keeps the waves hitting the bottom of the boat instead of risking the torpedo affect. My main goal in big waves is to get to calm waters, and so whatever boat manuevers it requires to get there, that's what I'll use (quartering or against the waves). Once in calm water, then obviously one can speed up.

Speaking from experience though, I've done the WFO thing and the end result was a SORE back and my 9.9 kicker that nearly ripped off the back end. It was hanging by one tightening bolt by the time I reached dock. Plus, the bouncing made the shaft fall back down into the water, which is never a good thing.

Anyway, that's my opinions and experiences. Unless there is lightening or extremely severe weather heading your way, it's best to slow down and quarter or go head on, not fast.

[danfall]

My favorite way to head in under weather is to either quarter the waves or take them head on. I prefer to try to get the boat on plane and keep the throttle open just enough to stay on top. If the seas get too rough, its a slower trip.

The notion of WOT in rough seas is foolish. Just because a boat can handle it here and there, doesn't mean they are designed for that type of consistent abuse. The human body is even more important in all of this. Especially in tiller boats, the captain has the best ride, it is all rougher from there.

There are a whole bunch of people that have been thrown from boats that don't get a voice here. If they did, the one thing they'd tell everyone is slow down and always wear a lifejacket under power.