Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

Hello everyone,

Name is Adam, grew up in Northern Ontario, and always operated a 22 ft Nor-West freighter canoe.. I'm no beginner to boating, but i am a beginner to aluminum boats. Where i am, there are only 3 boat dealerships, and i'll list my options i've narrowed the selection down to. I've settled for a 16 ft, with a 20hp 4-Stroke Merc.. The boats are as follows;

-Legend 16ft Widebody
-Lund WC16
-Princecraft Springbok 20
-if the option is there a Crestliner 1650 sportsman

I'm not looking to start a war with who's choice is better, i'd just like everybody's personal opinion on if they've owned them, or had friends who've had them, etc. Hope to hear from everybody, thank you

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

After owning a couple utility type rigs like this in the past, a few must have features I personally would insist upon...
- splash tray across the back
- long shaft setup
Just my opinions, especially if buying new...

RG

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

Only consider the Lund or the Lund or the Lund.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

As for build quality, Legend is the bottom line, with Princecraft in the middle and both Crestliner and Lund above. Can't say if there's a difference for the bare hulls like the ones you're looking for but with 17-18 ft. side consoles fishing boats, Crestliner were renowned for their quality of fit & finish while Lund were known as being bullet-proof.

For the kind of boat you mentionned, I'd take the Lund.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

Lund's also have particularly good resale.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

Here's a comparison for 3 of your choices.
Crestliner 1650 Sportsman | Aluminum Utility Boats for Fishing, Hunting and Work | Deep V Boat

Crestliner has the highest over-all capacity, judging by the max hp and amount of people. Crestliner has a welded hull whereas Lunds are riveted. I would stick with either of those two. Giving the nod to Crestliner. But, I've been and will always be a Crestliner fan......

You may also want to consider an e-tec over the 4 stroke. Should be lighter and perform better...... Just a thought...

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

+1 for the E-TEC

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

I'm a Lund guy, I have a etec and love it too.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

I happen to like alumacraft but since that's not an option here I also suggest Lund. Don't know if Crestliner has gotten over its weld cracking issues of some years ago but it was an issue on some models and the boats had to go back to Crestliner for repair. Two acquaintences had them and both had the issue. I happened to be in a dealership one day when a DNR officer was discussing a problem with the departments new Crestliner. This was also an issue my friends boat and involved severe ventilation on hard turns. It seems the wide stern combined with a relative tapered hull going back to front causes the ventilation as the engine is rotated on the fore-aft centerline of the boat. The pendulum effect brings the prop up significantly. No fix for the issue except searching for prop with better bite. I nearly bought a Crestliner two boats ago because they appear to be nice boats so I'm not bashing here. Just reporting what I have observed and been told by friends who own them.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

Here on the notoriously rough waters of Lake Winnebago, I know many Lund owners and they love them. They take the choppy waters well and have never heard anyone have any major issues with them. I see many of them out there, with a few of the Crestliners mixed in. Never seen any of the others mentioned.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

My only personal experience way back when was with Crestliner and Sea Nymph. AFAIK, Legend hulls are made by Starcraft and finished in Canada.

In 2009 when I bought my last tinny the 2 choices were Starcraft and Lund (local dealers and models that suited me). I could have also gone over the border and bought a Legend, actually for a lower price than the Starcraft, even with all the duty and such.

I passed on the Lund, only because I didn't like the layout, storage space, etc. Surely was a well built boat, but the ergos were just not me!

My local Starcraft dealer met the Legend price (same exact model) so that's the way I went. I must say this boat impresses me evey time I take her out. The ride, handling and soundness of the hull is first class.

Re: Need help picking aluminum boat, please help?

Did I mention, none of the others are comparable to the Lund. The only tin boat I felt safe with 25 miles out was a Lund Baron. Probably the most expensive tin boat made, but in Lake Erie 6'ers you will feel confident in your boat.