Lund vs. Crestliner

[lots of luck]

Here area the questions:

Lund owners, why did you not buy a Crestliner?

Crestliner owners, why did you not buy a Lund?

Feel free to explain why you may have bought another either one and opted for a Smokercraft, Alumacraft, Starcraft, etc...

Examples: Craftsmanship, Resale, Price, Options, Service, etc...

No bashing, but there must be reasons, let's hear them.

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

NOW THIS POST WILL CAUSE SOME HARD FEELINGS

[Hillbiehle]

Great Question!! Everytime I ask a Lund owner, "Why Lund?" and their reply is, "It's the best!" Ask a Crestliner the same thing and get the same reply! Both answers don't help when shopping around; it's impossible to test drive each make and model, and only relying on a biased opinion can really mislead a potential buyer.

[gspman]

I bought a Crestliner because I couldn't afford the equivalent sized Lund and have the extra things I wanted on it. I have a 1750 Fishhawk that is fairly loaded. I think Lund's are built a bit nicer and the fit and finish is better. In other words I think the Lund is an overall better boat but you can get alot of boat in a Crestliner for less money and the quality is good enough for me.

gspman

[Northlander]

OK Ill dive in. I see this thread going in the same direction a Vex and Marcum thread goes though.

I bought a Lund because I had the chance to buy a boat used that I had looked at when it was new about a year earlier. I wanted a Lund because they seemed to be more sound and the IPS hull is a dryer, softer ride.

I was lucky I got to ride in a lot of different kinds of boats before I made my choice.

I also like that around this parts Lund holds its resale value better.

There is always the rivet VS welded hull arguement. Every boat hull has its strengths and weaknesses. Rivets loosen and welds crack. Planes are riveted so thats good enough for me.

After riding in several 17' boats I chose the Lund Explorer because it was the softest, dryer, best handling and fastest boat I drove in that size. (Same Motor size)

My only regret is that I didnt get a dual console in a bit bigger boat. Its like a garage though. You never seem to have enough room no matter how big you buy or make it.

All 3 major tin boat makers are good. Lund, Chrestliner and Alumacraft all make great boats. Go look at as many as you can and ride in as many as you can. Make sure you compare apples to apples and decide what qualities you need in a boat.

1 other thing is make sure you spend the $ and get a good travel cover.

[nthomps66]

I bought the Crestliner Fishhawk simply because I got more boat for my money than with a Lund or Alumacraft. I couldn't be happier either. No complaints yet on the Crestliner product at all.

No worries on the welded hull either. It comes with a lifetime warranty.

All three companies make great boats and I would take any one of them. Go play around in all of them and you can decide which is better for you.

[WaveWacker]

When I bought my Lund, it was set up more to my liking. If price comes into play, I would take a real hard look at Alumacraft. They are very comparable to Lund.

[island guy]

I've had both. 6 of one half dozen of the other.

[T-ProGuy]

I had always had my mind set on buying a Lund...when it came right down to it, I felt that Alumacraft had as much or more boat to offer for the money I was willing to spend. Both are really nice boats, but for what I was looking for (17+ foot, tiller, deep-v, etc.), Alumacraft gave me more. What I mean is this...I was looking to spend 17,000 or less, to get a Pro-V equipped the way I wanted it, it would have cost closer to 20,000. For the 17,000 I wanted to spend, I would have had to get a Lund Angler, or something of the sort. Nothing wrong with this boat, but not exactly what I was looking for. I ended up getting a new 2003 Alumacraft Tournament Pro 175 tiller with a Yamaha 90hp 4 stroke, roller trailer w/brakes, cover, an electronics and trolling motor upgrade, wave whackers, TONS of storage and more for almost exactly 17,000. Like I said earlier, both Lund and Alumacraft (I am sure Crestliner too)make great boats, but for me, this decision was almost a no-brainer.

[buzzsaw]

I bought a brand new 2002 Crestliner Sportfish (1850) back in '02 and loved it, I just didn't like the two stroke cold blooded stinky Mercury they put on it so this spring I traded it in on a 2005 Crestliner Sportfish 1850 loaded w/70 lb thrust Minnkota, LMS 332c on dash, LMS 330 on bow, and had them put a Yamaha 150 HP four stroke on it! I love it, I'm a huge Crestliner fan... I have friends with Lunds and Crestliners and I think it just comes down to the same discussion Chevy and Ford owners have.... They are both very good.... with that being said, I almost went with the Ranger Reatta! I don't want to offend anybody, but in my very humble opinion I thought the Alumacrafts interior was by far the cheapest of the three with Crestliner being the nicest. ohhhh the debate roars on............

[cjac]

I have the Lund and my bro in law has the Crestliner. We both get together every time out and point out design flaws in each. Wouldn't it make sense to bring together a bunch of guys that own different baots and work out all these design kinks? Stupid things like why would my motor hit the rear seat when it's in the back pedestal on my Lund? Why can't he access his rod locker when the floor deck in the 1850 Sportfish is dropped down? So many little things that seem so easy to design around!

Hey, I'm just happy to have a nice ride to get me around the lake!

[Long Gray Line]

When I was looking a couple of years ago, I liked the layout of the comparable Lund a little better but ended up with a Crestliner 1850 because of the money. I've been happy though with the decision. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either. Figure out what you have to have and what you want to have, prioritize and get it the way you need. Just watch for the deals and get the best one you can!

[Shorelunch]

Oh boy. Bennelli vs. Beretta, Chevy vs. Ford, etc.

Lund, Crestliner and Alumacraft all make nice aluminum boats. I sat in a 1850 Sportfish, 1800 Fisherman and a 190 Trophy. I really liked the Sportfish but liked the feel of the Fisherman slightly better. It's all a personal fit and feel as they're all quality boats.

All quotes were also very close in price (apples to apples). As long as you follow the 80% of max hp rule of thumb with your outboard selection and get a heavy enough trailer, you can't go wrong. My $.02.

[Eastwind]

I have owned a Lowe an Alumicraft, a Tracker and a Crestliner. In addition, I have strongly cosidered buying a Lund (or two)and a Monark in the past. Lund, hands down sets up their interiors the strongest and the most practical for a fisherman. The Alumicraft that I owned was the boat that I kept the longest, ten years, and it did not owe me a dime when I traded it in. This was only a 16' Alumicraft with a 25 H.P. and when I wanted to go to a much bigger boat with a full walk-thru to suit how I fish these days, they did not make a model as wide as I wanted. The Tracker was okay in regards to quality of workmanship and if you buy them used they hold a fair resale value. I fish only big water during the past ten years, Lake Michigan, Mille Lacs, LOW etc., and if you bounce a rivetted boat through the waves enough, the rivets will loosen up and the boat will leak. Well made welded boats tend to only crack if you impact something. This is information straight from a well regarded boat repair shop that repairs both welded and rivetted aluminum boats and also fiberglass boats. Yes, planes are rivetted, but they do not slam through waves ever unless they are an amphibious belly plane and, even then, it is limited compared to my boat's going 100 to 150 miles over the water during a fishing trip three to five times per year. And many planes do need to be rivetted over again every so many years. I have had a Crestliner 1850 Tournament for five years and I love the way it performs and handles the big water I fish. It would be great if I could have the Crestliner hull with an interior built by Lund but that's not gonna happen. As long as you by a good quality boat you will be happy with it. Are you likely to envy some of the features of some other boat manufacturer? Probably. Will most of us admit it? Probably not. I say, if you buy a quality boat and you are happy with it when you use it, it is the best boat.

[Eastwind]

And one more thing. Whichever boat you buy, DO NOT SKIMP ON THE TRAILER!

[lots of luck]

I am very pleased with the responses, way to keep it professional guys. At this time I am not in the market for any of these boats, some day hopefully. I have been browsing (dreaming) at a few dealers and was wanting some input.

Anyone else care to chime in?

[mudman]

I have a 2002 crestliner if I had the $ I would buy a lund. they seem to be a bit deeper and handle the rough water better. I also like the storage on the lunds better, but I do like crestliners livewells, minnow wells.

Quote:

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Stupid things like why would my motor hit the rear seat when it's in the back pedestal on my Lund?

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crestliners do the same

[fishing-addict]

I have had lund, crestliner, alumacraft,starcraft and a smoker. If you research thickness of the aluminum on these boats you will find the alumacraft is 30% thicker than its closest competitor. The last two boats I have had have been alumcrafts and I will never own anything but again.

[troutchaser]

You must not be considering Lund in the same class because if you did the research you would find that your claim is false.

My advise to anyone looking for a new boat would be find one that fits your needs and has what YOU are looking for in a boat. If you are the type that like to get into the specifics, check them out for yourself and get the answers straight. And if you are into doing comparisions make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Different series of boats from the same manufacturer can be built very differently to accomodate what they are built for. Just get what you want and i will second or third or whatever time it is....don't skimp on the trailer!!

[MT Net]

I had a Smokercraft, and liked the layout of it over the others, plus both livewells were aerated. Crestliner and Lund, depending on the model, only aerate one livewell.

Both are good boats; it came down to the layout of the boat that would work best for me and how we fish and just cruise around.

We now have the Crestliner Superhawk. I was looking at the Lund Fisherman, but decided on the Crestliner Superhawk.

The Superhawk has a bigger back deck set up better for casting than the Fisherman. And the Crestliner has 1 large livewell in the center of the rear deck and one larege livewell up front. The seat pedestals are on the sides of the rear livewell, which can be a drawback. The Lund has 2 smaller livewells under the jumpseats and a pedestal mount in the center of the back deck and a medium sized livewell up front.

The Lund has the suntop folds nicely onto the floor. The Crestliner's suntop does not, it must be removed. Both Crestliner's and Lund's portside rod lockers suck IMHO. My old Smokercraft's portside rod locker was much better. Also, there is more storage in the bow section of the Superhawk vs the Fisherman. And it seemed wider, longer, more spacious than the Lund.

Many pros and cons to each brand and comparative models. I really don't believe there is one perfect boat out there, unless maybe combining all the better features of each brand into one boat. Go to the Boatshow this winter and sit in all the brands/models you're thinking about to get a feel for the layout that works best for you.

[fishnhooks]

I have a sylvan, but I like because (so far)it gets me to where I want to go and back again "knock on wood"

"hooks"

[FOOT]

Back in 1968 I was just out of the US Military and I got a heck of a deal on a 14 foot Lund, trailer and 25hp Evinrude so I bought it. Time was September and I'm sure they wanted to clear stock.

I was happy with the Lund and saw no reason to change. I'm on my 4th Lund fishing boat (Tyee 5.5 w/ 140hp and 9.9 kicker) and my 2nd Lund duck boat. Total I've owned 6.

[FishinBill]

What are people's opinions of tracker boats? they seem to be made well and a good price

[TonkaBass]

I knew a guy that had one and his gas tank leaked into the lake. Brought it back multiple times and they took forever tosolve the problem. Eventually it ended up getting sent back to the Marine Group.

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

I OWN A 2025 PRO-V AND I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A LUND GUY.......BUT MAN I LIKE THE LOOKS/IDEA OF THE NEW TRACKER TUNDRA 21. ONE PIECE ALUM. HULL SURE WOULD LIKE TO TRY ONE OUT SOMETIME!