I bought my first boat two years ago. I had recently retired, COVID lockdowns hit, the Canada border closed, and I wanted to go fishing.
Happened into a $1200 Lund; 14' with 30 HP Johnson, Motorguide troller, Lowrance finder, all on a trailer.
The hull was built in 1979 but was, and still is, watertight. Absolutely no leakage. The only time the bilge pump has run is when I tested it.
The Johnson (1990 model) was pull-start and was problematic, though it would start. I sold it for $400 and replaced it with a new Merc 20HP with electric start.
I am in the process of replacing the troller with a new Minn Kota and adding spot lock and GPS nav capability. I'll have the ability to add a nicer fish finder in the future at lower cost.
I can't really speak to the boats you linked. I do like Lund aluminum boats; the resorts I fish at use Lund boats and they've always seemed to do well.
What I can say is that one of the reasons my 14' Lund is good for me is because I can launch and easily handle the boat on my own. I had never launched a boat prior to the first day I put my boat in the water. I was alone and nobody was around to watch the boat ramp follies when I recovered the boat and put it on the trailer. I've gotten better since then, but I still feel like amateur.
One thing worth mentioning is that a flat deck in a fishing boat is a big deal to me. I've fished V-bottom boats that just had the V-shaped interior of the bare aluminum hull as the deck. For me, it gets tiring after a few hours. My boat already had flat decks throughout when I got it, and I improved them this past winter. Good decks are evident in some of the pics you posted, and that's worthy of consideration in my book.
The anchor setup on that Lund would be handy. I live in a windy area, and working shallow or obstructed areas can be problematic. Manually lowering and raising the anchor gets tiresome when I'm fishing alone, especially as the weeds thicken as the summer wears on. Spot lock on the new troller is the biggest reason I'm upgrading that capability.
Good luck and have fun!
