Lund vs. Alumacraft might as well be the Pepsi vs. Coke of the multispecies boat world. Just about everyone who has ever thought of buying one of these vessels has researched these two brands, and probably wavered over which one to buy. That’s why you’re here reading this, right? In this article, I’m going to dance with the devil and answer a question that might just split my readership in two: Lund vs. Alumacraft: Who Makes the Better Boat?
Well, to cut to the chase, if you’re in the market for an entry-level family boat, Alumacraft makes much more sense. If you want a top-of-the-line tournament fishing boat, Lund is best. Finally, if you’re trying to buy a mid-tier boat, you’re going to spend many nights tossing and turning trying to figure out if you made the right call, because it’s very close! Want to know why? Read on!
I need to be completely up front that I own a Lund Impact. I have never owned the other Lund boats that I’m going to discuss. Likewise, I have also never owned an Alumacraft. I’m just a guy who, much like you, has spent a lot of time sifting through the internet and visiting boat dealerships researching both brands. I am going to analyze this research through the lens of someone who has been fishing from an Impact for close to a decade, but at the end of the day, this article is just one more piece of research for you to consider.
I’ll try and stay objective (not being sponsored by either brand or working for a dealership should help). This article is meant to put all of my research into one easy-to-find place to help others (and myself, when it’s time to buy a new boat). With that said, after reading this article, you should also go to walleyecentral.com and visit their boating forums for firsthand accounts from actual owners.
Because I do not own all of the boats I will discuss, this article is a little text-heavy. If anyone reading this owns one of these boats and would grant me permission to use their photos in this article, please send them to johnpaxton@fishingfather.com and I will include them to make the article easier on the eyes. Until then, buckle up and get ready for a Big Walleye Boat of Text (and who wouldn’t after that Dad Joke)?
Why Just These Two Brands?
I suppose a fair question is why I would focus on these two brands. After all, there are dozens of high-quality boat manufacturers out there, and it would be brazen of me to declare these two “the best” without so much as acknowledging the others, right? Well, yes. But… If you’re researching your next boat and have it narrowed down to Lund vs. Alumacraft, you’ve probably landed on those two brands because they’re both riveted aluminum boats with high name recognition and a tradition of value. That, and I suspect I’ll catch enough flak in the comments as is without annoying all other brand guys.
Rivets vs. Welds
One of the first things that people argue about when discussing best aluminum boats is their construction. Some people prefer welds, with a popular phrase being that the U.S. Navy does too (I have no idea how accurate that is, but it is a saying for sure). On the other hand, some people prefer rivets, noting that this is what those giant chunks of metal hurtling through the skies at hundreds of miles of hours known as “airplanes” use.
This article isn’t really meant to delve into this debate. I prefer rivets because I figure if one fails, I can either fix it myself the right way, or, if I’m being lazy, slop some J-B Weld on it and call it a day. I don’t have the tools or skillset to fix a busted weld on the fly. If you’re landing on either a Lund or Alumacraft, you’ve probably decided you want a riveted boat too, as both of these brands use them.
Name Recognition & Tradition of Value
People know all about Lund. They know that it is a vaunted brand, much like Harley-Davidson is to motorcycles. They hold their resale value extremely well and when you see a used one put up for a fair price, it is snatched almost instantly. Much like a house in a highly-desired neighborhood, you’d better show up cash in hand and close the deal that day or else it is good as gone.
Alumacraft isn’t quite there on name recognition or resale value, but it’s close. It’s certainly a well-recognized brand and pops up in almost all the same discussions as Lund. There have to be a few dozen different boat manufacturers, yet these two are almost always in the same sentence. If Lund is the traditional “gold standard,” then Alumacraft being the boat that’s constantly pitted up against it says something.
All the same, there must be a winner, and Lund gets the title when it comes to name recognition.
Other Considerations in the Lund vs. Alumacraft Debate
There are a few other things you need to consider before landing on a Lund or Alumacraft boat, such as their respective customizability, dealership networks and also what outboard motors they each offer. Let’s review both in some detail as this will help you narrow your focus between the brands.
Customizability
If this was a contest about which brand can be customized with more options, Alumacraft wins hands down, or at least when it comes to the important choices of motors, and aft flip-up seating options.
Motor Options
Look, if you want to buy a Lund, you are buying one with a Mercury or Honda outboard. Any guy who buys one with anything else bought the boat and motor separate and had the dealer rig it. While possible, that’s a real pain.
Alumacraft, on the other hand, lets you use darn near any motor you’d like. Just looking at their boat builder, they offer Mercury, Evinrude, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha. It’s no contest. If choice of motor is important to you, Alumacraft wins.
Aft Seating
At first glance, it would appear that some of the Alumacraft boats discussed below don’t doesn’t offer any kind of aft-seating option, however when you go into the boat builder, there is an option for a flip-up bench seat in the back on all of the models I discuss. I assume this is like the one on my Impact, which probably doubles the size of the rear casting deck, and allows for bench seating when necessary. This is a great option.
As you can see, its just a matter of installing some hinges and having a bench seat that fits, but Lund doesn’t offer this on some of their entry level boats, and other ones have individual flip-up seats that don’t extend the all important rear casting/”wife & girlfriend tanning” deck. Since you can get this on all the Alumacraft boats I’ll discuss here, they get the nod for this category.
Fiberglass Option
The only place Lund pulls ahead in customizability is the choice between fiberglass and aluminum hulls. Alumacraft stays true to their name and lacks any fiberglass hulls while Lund offers a few models with a fiberglass option. Perhaps some day I’ll write an article researching the comparative value of Lund Fiberglass vs. some fiberglass competitors like Ranger.
Dealership Network
Not every boat brand has a dealer near you. I know some of you reading this from out west are saying, “Story of my life” and you’re used to long drives for anything, but it’s something to consider. While I’ve read about plenty of folks driving 20 hours for a boat or even having them shipped, I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that.
Warranty and Repair Concerns
The main reason I’d be more than a bit uncomfortable buying from a dealer more than about 4-6 hours away is I’d be concerned what would happen if something went wrong with my boat.
Think of it this way: there are four main ways something can go wrong with a boat:
- You messed something up;
- Your dealer messed something up;
- The factory messed something up;
- A gremlin messed something up.
Now, if you messed something up, I suppose any old boat repair shop near you would do. There’d be no need to repeat that 20-hour hike to bring it back to the dealer you bought it from.
On the other hand, if the dealer made a mistake, they’d be the right entity to fix it, no? Certainly they’d be the one most likely to fix it free of charge.
Likewise, if the factory had an off day, you’d want to partner with their dealer – not some closer, other brand’s – to resolve the issue. With modern technology (especially after this crash course in virtual everything given COVID-19), this might be possible from home with a smart phone, but then again, it might not.
Gremlins are the worst, because they tend to only manifest for you and magically are fine when you bring it to the shop. While this “could” be one of those situations where any mechanic will do, you also might be better off with the folks who service oodles of these boats and may have met this gremlin before to, you know?
Lack of Leverage
I know you might have your heart set on that Lund, but if you have three Alumacraft dealers near you and only one Lund dealer, which brand do you think you can get the better deal with, honestly? Forget the sticker price. Which dealer is going to work with you more? The one who has fierce competition, or the only game in town?
I own a Gheenoe LT-10. It’s an awesome little flats boat/canoe that is a dime a dozen in Florida where it is manufactured. My options were to drive 4 hours to one dealer, or 10 hours to the next. My dealer was well aware I had these options. I paid sticker price.
Granted, a Gheenoe is far more unique than an aluminum fishing boat so you could always tell the dealer you’re considering different brands, but you get my point.
Other Thoughts – Or, “Please Don’t Hate Me for Copping Out”
I have to tell you, I had these grandiose plans for what I was going to do here. I even got going with about an hour worth of research to help you out as to what states had how many boat dealers and what not, but what I found was that neither Lund, Alumacraft, or even Google do that great of a job of telling you all your options. Lund’s website, for example, only gives you the 4 closest dealers to the city you input. Alumacraft provides the closest 3 to a zip code. Google, on the other hand, seems to crawl for any type of “Lund” or “Alumacraft” reference, or maybe even just uses boats for sale even if they’re used – it’s hard to tell exactly what is going on, but I found a ton of false signals.
What I will tell you is that Lund and Alumacraft are, primarily, known for multi-species boats. Given this, it should come as no surprise to you that regions where walleye, lake trout, and northern pike are popular and prevalent also tend to have more of these dealers. Once you move to more “bassy” areas, the numbers plummet.
For example, I was able to locate 7 Lund dealers in New York (which features Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, Lake George, and other popular “trolling” lakes). In contrast, despite the immense popularity of fishing in Texas, I could locate only 2 Lund dealers in that entire state.
Likewise, just the greater Minneapolis metropolitan area has at least 4 Lund Dealerships while the entire state of Florida has only 2. Again, Florida is not exactly bereft of fishermen.
So, if you’re concerned about the maintenance and warranty issues I described earlier, you might want to pick the brand that has a dealership somewhat near you.
Grandiose plans dashed, I hope at least the knowledge that you need to dig a little deeper with these searches will help you avoid missing your next great dealer. If anyone from Lund or Alumacraft should ever read this, it’d be great if you allowed one to search within certain miles, and listed more than 4 and 3 dealers respectively.
Anyway, with that aside, let’s dive into some of the boats.
How to Compare a Lund vs. Alumacraft Boat?
I’ve wanted to write this article for awhile now given how great these boats are for families, but I’ve struggled with how to approach it. This isn’t as simple as comparing a family sedan. An apples to oranges comparison is very challenging to find in many categories. For example, Lund really doesn’t have a “Better than midrange, but not quite top-of-the-line Pro-V” type boat, such as the Alumacraft Tournament Pro. On the other hand, Alumacraft doesn’t have a high-end aluminum bass boat, such as the Pro-V Bass, or an aircraft carrier…er “very large trolling boat” like the Lund Baron. Likewise, Lund’s midrange boat, the Impact, doesn’t have half as many layout or size options as Alumacraft’s Competitor.
Because of this, it’s extremely hard to just take two boats of “Class A” and stack them up next to each other, list their stats, and make a decision based on that. It wouldn’t do justice to the brands, or help you much. Instead, what I am going to do is to break this article into three categories:
- Entry level boats (for those who just want to get started).
- All Around Value boats (for the families that fish a lot, but not competitively).
- Tournament Series boats (for the competitive angler).
Note that both brands build other types of boats, but this is a family website and these are the most family-friendly types of fishing vessels.
A Note on Pricing
Note that (when available) I will give the MSRP price directly from the manufacturer website. The ONLY thing I will add is the cost of the MOTOR when necessary, and I will let you know what motor I chose. I will not select any other options from the brands’ various “boat builders.”
Even though Alumacraft offers more outboard options than Lund, I’m going to use Mercury Outboards, when possible, as an apples to apples comparison. Pricing may change significantly depending on what outboard you had in mind.
Again (I’m stressing this!), these prices are with absolutely no options other than a basic trailer and motor. They are all subject to change at any time, and are all based on MSRP sourced directly from the manufacturer websites in March of 2021. The manufacturers could decide to change these (probably higher, at the rate things are going) at any moment!!! Use these as a “GUIDELINE.” I cannot be held liable for what happens if you use these prices to sell your wife on the idea of buying one of these, and then she finds out what they really cost fully rigged! I can’t help you, fellas! You are on your own – I can’t stress it enough!
Unfortunately, Alumacraft does not show as many prices as Lund, so I have to do a little detective work in some cases. I’ll note when this happens. I’ll let you be the judge as to how good a sleuth I am.
Perhaps we can all look back on this post ten years from now, when at the rate it’s going, boats are probably a few hundred grand, and have a little group hug over “the good ol’ days.” This disclaimer goes for the entirety of this article!
Having said all that, let’s get to the fun part and start talking about boats!
Entry Level Boats for Families
Both Lund and Alumacraft offer very basic boats that come with no frills and are basically meant for fishing camps. This is not what I’m talking about when I say “entry level boat.” Instead, we’re going to discuss the entry level offerings of each brand that get you the following specifications:
- An outboard motor of at least 50 horsepower.
- A walkthrough windshield option.
- A passenger capacity of at least 5 people.
- A rod locker of some sort.
These four options are what I would consider the bare-minimum for a fun day fishing with your family. Granted, not everyone wants a walkthrough windshield, but you ought to have the option. I grew up fishing on a boat that didn’t have one, and it could be miserable!
Lund Angler & Rebel XL
Lund offers two boat models that I’d consider “entry level” and which check all the boxes above: the Angler and the Rebel XL.
The Angler is less expensive but also smaller than the Rebel XL. While both are about the same length (16’5″ for the Angler vs. 16’7″ for the Rebel XL), the Rebel XL has a 5″ wider beam. The Rebel can take a 90-hp motor as opposed to a 60-hp for the Angler. Finally, the Rebel has a 19-gallon fuel tank as opposed to the piddly 6.5-gallon tank on the Angler.
While the layout is fairly similar between the two, the Rebel XL comes with some very handy features. First and foremost being the flip up seating option in the back. This turns the rear casting deck into extra seating for your kids, which is handy because it means you only need to use two of the four seat bases behind the windshield. With the Angler, if you want your kids to have a backrest, they’re either sitting on the floor, or you need to use all the seat bases. This is NOT something you want to do on a 16′ boat where space is limited to begin with.
Both are lightweight to tow, with the entire packing coming in at less than a ton. Assuming you don’t drive like a maniac, you should be able to tow these safely with vehicles that have around 2,500 – 3,000lb towing capacities, though given the weight of gear I’d be more comfortable on the higher end of that with a Rebel XL. In any event, there is no need to buy a truck or giant SUV to haul these boats around.
The Lund Angler can safely carry 5 passengers while the Rebel XL carries 6. This is an important consideration considering the size of your family and if you want to bring any friends along.
Potential Pricing (Rough Estimate)
To rig an Angler up with a maxed-out 60-hp motor, you’d be set back $24,196 according to the MSRP sourced in March of 2021 (and this is before you rig it). In contrast, a Rebel XL with a 90-hp Mecury has an MSRP of $29,116 (also before rigging). Note that this is more than I paid for my fully-rigged 2012 Lund Impact 1875 Sport with a 115-hp motor in 2012. Yes, these prices are getting ridiculous.
Alumacraft Classic & Voyageur
Our friends at Alumacraft also offer two “entry level” boats that have an option for a walkthrough windshield, can have at least a 50-hp motor, can carry at least 5 people, and have a rod locker of some sort: the Classic and the Voyager.
Alumacraft Classic
While Alumacraft offers several less expensive boats that could be called “entry level,” the Classic series is the first one with the walkthrough windshield. As stated above in the customizability section, it also allows an aft flip-up seat. When you go down a bit and see what their likely price is, this is a fantastic combo of options that many families can afford. You get a heck of a lot of boat for your money with these.
Look at all these things you get for the price:
- A 16’4″ boat with a windshield
- Two lockable 7′ rod lockers
- A 17 gallon fuel tank
- A max hull thickness of 0.145”
- A max horsepower of 90
These are all better than the Lund Angler (their most entry level boat with a windshield). Additionally, the Alumacraft Classic has a winder beam by an inch and a half. Remember those old Pontiac commercials “Wider is better?” Well, in boating it often is.
Potential Pricing
Unfortunately, the boat builder on Alumacraft is not giving me pricing for the Classic 165 Sport with a 90-hp motor. I’m not sure if that is just a bug or what as they let you see the MSRP pricing on other models. What I can tell you is that they’re advertising it as “starting at $18,799 MSRP.” This almost certainly means with a 50-hp motor, which is the smallest option. Going on Lund’s website (I know, I know, “Lund, Lund, Lund…” But their website is better with showing prices – what do you want from me?), the 90-hp Mercury goes for about $2,500 more than the 50-hp. So, we’re probably looking at around $21,299. Again, don’t quote me on this and ask your dealer. I’m doing the best I can and making a reasonable guess with the information at hand.
Regardless, I think it’s at least safe to say that even if I’m off a bit, an Alumacraft Classic is going to cost significantly less than a Lund Rebel XL.
Alumacraft Voyageur
The Voyageur on the other hand is the first boat we’ve looked at so far that goes up to the 17′ class. I’d still put it in this entry level class however given its pricing, which I’ll explain further down.
The Voyageur is the first boat we’ve discussed that has a center rod box. This is handy because it’s more out of the way than the port or starboard rod boxes on the other models (kids tend to like to sit on these). Like the Classic, it too apparently can be fitted with a flip-up bench seat. Thus, the Voyageur is the first boat that basically looks like its bigger rivals. Indeed, its motto is “It’ll make bigger boats out there jealous!” Yeah – that pretty much sums it up!
From what I can tell, the Alumacraft Voyageur weighs in at 1,070 which is only 105lb heavier than the Rebel XL. While the larger motor will also have some increased weight, you should–for the most part–be able to tow a Voyageur with most vehicles that could also tow the Rebel XL.
Potential Pricing
As with the Classic, it’s hard to tell exactly what a Voyageur is going to go for without asking a dealer for a quote. It’s nationally advertised price is $23,899, but that is probably with the bare-bones 70-hp motor. As it goes to 125-hp, you can expect to pay several thousand more if you were to go that route. I can’t even find a Merc 70 or 125 for sale on Lund’s site, so the best comparison I can use is a 115. The price difference between the 75-hp and 115-hp is about $1,800. Given this, I’d expect that you could get into a Voyageur with a 115-hp Mercury motor at an MSRP of under $26,000. Note that this is several less thousand dollars than a Lund Rebel XL despite being a longer boat.
The Verdict: Alumacraft
Look, I’m a Lund guy through and through, but I have to give Alumacraft the nod here. They offer a better value for an entry level boat. Remember, much of the reason you’re buying a Lund is because of the name, for better or worse. You need to ask yourself, if you’re just in this for an entry level boat, what does that name really mean? At some point, is an entry level Lexus really better than a top of the line Toyota?
It seems that you can save a lot of money getting a bigger boat (Voyageur) from Alumacraft. It will come with a bigger motor, aft flip-up seating, and center rod box. You’ll likely get all this for less price than a Lund Rebel XL, and can even pick which motor you want (and your mechanic services).
If you went with the most base of base models, the Classic vs. the Angler, it’s really not much of a comparison. It’s almost not fair, and the Angler’s just here because of the windshield. All the same, that’s the guidelines I set out, and sticking to them, if you want an entry level boat, Alumacraft is going to be your better option.
All Around Value Boat
Who makes the best “all around value” multispecies boat between Alumucraft and Lund is, perhaps, the greatest can of worms in this thread. If you weren’t furiously typing an email or comment just yet, I trust you will shortly. I will say one thing right up front: Alumacraft has way more options here than Lund. Indeed, as we’ll see in the top-tier boat segment, Alumacraft seems to have a much different business model. Whereas Lund basically has “a mid-level boat” class, Alumacraft has “type of boat that has everything from entry level to high level.”
What do I mean by that? It’s clunky, I know… Well, look at the Alumacraft Competitor. This is ostensibly the main competition to the Lund Impact (which is Lund’s “best value” brand), yet it has boats strong enough to be included in the premium discussion (and indeed is probably one of the better premium boats Alumacraft offers). There’s a world of difference between an Alumacraft Competitor 205 and 165, for example. That’s a range that you just don’t really see with the Impact, unless you go up to the Impact 2025 XS, which has some pretty distinct variations that make it, in my mind, an Impact in name only.
Let’s take a closer look at what each manufacturer offers.
Lund Impact
This is the boat I own, the boat I love, and the boat I potty trained my son on. It has taken me on many great adventures across New England, and opened up Lake Champlain in ways my old man’s boat, “Sinky,” never could. I’m completely enamored by it, as you can tell from my full-length review.
The Lund Impact, in my mind, is probably the best value boat that Lund offers. I have never felt like my boat was “too small” on Lake Champlain. Indeed, it has even gotten me through a microburst once, which sucked, but I made it. I’ve had no issues taking my whole family out for a spin as well as bringing some friends with the 7 person rating.
The Impact has nice options like aft flip up seating, sliding drawers under each console, and recessed gunnel storage that acts as another place to fish (I love this).
Sizing Them Up
The Impact comes in three sizes:
- 1675 – 16’10” long with a 90″ beam, max hp of 90, and max speed of 42 mph.
- 1775 – 17’11” long with a 96″ beam, max hp of 125, and max speed of 45mph.
- 1875 – 18’11” long with a 96″ beam, max hp of 150, and max speed of 52 mph.
I’ve noticed that most guys go with the 1775. This does seem to be a good choice given that you get the wider beam. From what I’ve seen, not many have gone with a 125 hp motor and instead seem content with a 115. This seems to be the “sweet spot” for this combo, as far as I can tell.
Potential Pricing
As of writing, Lund is listing the Impacts with a starting price range of $27,087 – $32,649. You’ll get the 1675 with its recommended 90hp motor for this, but the others have smaller motors. Even so, my 1875 has the 115 you’ll get for that $32,649, and I’ll tell you – I don’t miss the 150.
Alumacraft Competitor
Again, it’s hard to judge what a comparable Alumacraft is because they simply offer their boats in a much wider range of options than Lund. The Competitor series is a great example of that. Competitors come in a variety of lengths and options, but their higher-end ones are really starting to look like Pro-V competition, so I discuss those a bit further. For the purposes of this mid-range boat discussion, I’m going to do the best I can to compare apples to apples by focusing on three models: the 165, 175, and 185. First, some stats (Alumacraft doesn’t list top speeds). Note that these are for Sport models that have a dual windshield.
- 165 – 16’7″ long with a 87″ beam, max hp of 90
- 175 – 17’8″ long with a 95″ beam, max hp of 150
- 185 – 18’8″ long, 95″ beam, max hp of 175
So, compared to the Impacts, you will get a shorter, narrower boat, but you’re also going to get 25 more horses on both the 175 and 185. Alumacraft doesn’t list top speeds, but one would expect that they would edge out the Impact slightly.
Note that most if not all of the features you’re going to see on an Impact you’ll also see in the Competitor (albeit in their own licensed version). The Competitor has the same recessed gunnel storage as the Impact that I think is so valuable, for example.
The storage in general looks pretty similar between the two boats with Alumacraft having a slightly different layout up front.
Customizability
As with all Alumacraft boats, where they really pull ahead over Lund is their customizability. Not only can you get far more types engines on an Alumacraft straight from the dealer, but every level of their competitor series comes in three trims: sport with a walk through windshield, a CS model that has one windscreen for the driver, and–excitingly–a tiller option. This is something Lund simply doesn’t allow for on their Impact line, and is huge in my opinion.
Potential Pricing
As of March 2021, and with the usual disclaimers, Alumacraft has an MSRP on their site of anywhere from $21,899 (165 Sport) to $44,460 (185 Sport, presumably with a maxed hp engine, given there is a range). I’d mentioned above that Lund offers the 1875 Impact at $32,649 but this was with the 115. If you play around with their boat builder, the MSRP jumps to $42,988 with a 150 hp. Given the Alumacraft’s top price reflects a 175hp, it’s probably fair to say that the price of a 150 is comparable or perhaps slightly less expensive than the Impact.
The Verdict: Very Slight Edge to Alumacraft
This is much closer than the entry level section, but in my completely subjective analysis from researching both boats, I think I have to give the Competitor the slight edge, at least for value wise. I love my Lund Impact, and frankly probably would go with another one over the Competitor again, but I have to face facts. All of the following edges belong to Alumacraft:
- I could get any motor I want, and a larger one (at least in the 175 and 185).
- The features I love on the Impact, such as recessed gunnel storage, are also available on the Competitor.
- I could have a tiller layout if I wanted (and I’m seriously considering this).
- I could probably save money on the boat and use that to upgrade my electronics.
Lund does have a few things going for it:
- The Impact is longer and wider.
- A Lund most likely is going to have better resale value.
I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with either and perhaps the resale value associated with the brand will make up for the slightly higher cost
Tournament Series Boat
While the mid-tier section was challenging because of how convoluted it is between Lund and Alumacraft boats, once you move up to true top-of-the-line, premium, tournament series boats, the challenge becomes how to discuss something that is so unfair. Lund simply has horses in its stable that Alumacraft lacks.
Top-Tier Alumacraft Boats
This time we’ll start with Alumacraft. If you go to their website, it’s hard to even tell what they think their best boat is (a running theme of this article is, after all, that Alumacraft’s website is inferior to Lund’s — that’s a hill I’ll die on). It seems that the options boil down to three: the Tournament Pro, the Trophy, or the Competitor 205.
The Tournament Pro
The Tournament Pro comes in two lengths:
- The 185 is 18’3″ long with a 97″ beam, max hp of 175, and no listed top speed.
- The 195 is 19’3″ long with a 97″ beam, max hp of 200, and no listed top speed.
I mean, these are better than the Lund Impact offerings but they aren’t really “top-tier” numbers either. Honestly, the only reason it’s written here is because of its name and position on Alumacraft’s website, but this is basically just a nicer Impact, or an Impact 2025 competitor, in my opinion.
The Alumacraft Trophy
The Trophy comes in four lengths:
- Though we’ll ignore it given its tiny size, the Trophy 175.
- The Trophy 185 is 18’8″ long with a 98″ beam, max hp of 175, and no listed top speed.
- Trophy 195 is 19’8″ long with a 98″ beam, max hp of 200, and no listed top speed
- Trophy 205 is 20’8″ long with a 98″ beam, max hp of 300 and no listed top speed.
Clearly the 195 approaches “top tier” and the 205 is in it, though I will note as you look below you’ll find it is shorter and has a narrower beam than the Pro-V. Does this, in turn, mean that it is also faster? Perhaps, but on these boats I’m looking for maximum stability and would trade 1-2 mph for 3-4″ of width, personally.
There’s nothing “wrong” with the Trophy. It comes iwth
Well What about the Competitor?
The Competitor Series that we examined in the mid-range section is back, this time with the 205. It really seems like Alumacraft’s business model is to offer multiple types of boats that have different tiers associated with them, rather than building multiple tiers of boats like Lund. So here we are with the Competitor 205.
- The Competitor 205 is 20’6″ long with a 96″ beam, max hp of 250, and no listed top speed.
Of these three options, frankly, the Competitor is probably the one I’d go with because it’s the only one of the three that offers something clearly “better” in some way than the Lund Pro-V: an enormous front casting deck. Seriously, go take a peek at the way this boat is laid out. If you fish alone frequently and like to fish from the front of the boat, you might legitimately like the layout of the Competitor better than the other boats. It certainly gives me pause.
Another great option with the Competitor is that the 205 comes in a tiller, which isn’t an option with any of the Lund’s we’ve discussed (though it is with the Pro Guide).
A Note on (Potential) Pricing
No offense to Alumacraft, but their other models don’t have the same size as Lund’s, nor the options that I’ll get into further down. There price is absolutely better, however, as the Tournament Pro 195 has an MSRP of $52,500, Competitor 205 has an MSRP of $55,840, and the Trophy 205 has an MSRP of $61,400. The Lund Pro-V 2075, on the other hand, has an MSRP of $71,539 – and that’s with a motor that’s 2/3 as powerful as the boat is rated for.
That in and of itself says something, but again, a theme of this article has been “You can get a lot of boat from Alumacraft for less price than a Lund.”
However, now let’s flip the script a bit and look at why I claim Lund makes the better top-of-the-line boat.
The Lund Pro-V Bass
First off, let’s just get this straight right off the bat: Lund makes a viable bass boat for professional bass tournament fishermen. Alumacraft doesn’t. It’s really that simple. Alumacraft makes “bass style” boats, like the Pro Series, Prowler Series, and Crappie Deluxe Series, sure, but these are all for the weekend angler. Lund’s 2075 Pro V Bass Boat is a legitimate contender on the professional bass tournament trail, and they have an Elite Series win to prove it.
The Pro-V Bass Series comes in two lengths (18’9″ and 20’10”) and four models (each has a standard bench seat bass boat style option, and then an “XS” line which stands for ‘Extra Seating’ and has some flip seats, making it the better family craft).
While 60mph is pretty slow for a bass boat, that’s balanced by the IPS2 hull design that is shared with its deep-v cousin, the “true” Pro-V. By researching some fishing forums of guys who have used these, the consensus seems to be that the Lund is typically going to do better in heavy water given the IPS2, though the “true” bass boats of course have better top-end speed. That didn’t seem to matter much to Jeff Gustafson when he took home that Elite Series win.
Anyway, if you’re looking for an aluminum bass boat that can clearly hang with the best the world has to offer, you’re options between these two brands are limited to one.
The Lund Pro-V
The Lund Pro-V is one of the most beautiful inventions anyone has ever thought of or built. There is nothing not to like about this boat (except for its extreme price). It comes in four sizes:
- The 1875 is 18’10” long with a 97″ beam, max hp of 200, and a top speed of 56 mph.
- The 1975 is 19’10” long with a 100″ beam, max hp of 225, and a top speed of 56 mph.
- The 2075 is 20’10” long with a 102″ beam, max hp of 300, and a top speed of 61 mph.
- The 2175 is 21’10” long with a 102″ beam, max hp of 400, and a top speed of 61 mph.
Frankly, I don’t see much point in getting the 1875. I don’t think it’s that much better of a boat than the Lund Impact, all things considered, and I greatly prefer the extra interior space that the Impact provides. Space is at a premium on any boat but becomes all the more important as overall length decreases. If you’re going to buy a Pro-V, I’d start your research at the 1975 where you get a wider beam, you get an extra foot of length, and you really start getting the value of the true premium line.
The Best Feature of Any Boat Known to Man
There’s plenty of websites with exact specifications of these boats and every little detail (including photos), but for the purposes of this article (a.k.a. why you should buy the Lund Pro-V instead of an Alumacraft boat), here’s what I love — and I mean love — about this boat is the fact that you can easily have a kicker motor, shallow water anchor, and a rescue ladder, all in one. This is because of what I think is one of the most ingenious parts of this boat – on their port side, in the gunnel, there is a recessed rescue ladder. Now, is it perfect? No. Will you probably swear a bit while you’re climbing up it? Sure. Does it allow you to safely and legally have all of these cool toys on the back of your boat, allowing you to handle literally any condition? You bet your butt it does!
If I’m buying a premium boat, I don’t want to compromise, and without this option, I’d have to. This option allows you to put a Talon where it’s designed to go, put a kicker where it’s designed to go, put your electronic transducers where they’re designed to go, and still have a boarding ladder if something goes wrong. This little option is so incredible and game changing that I can’t believe other manufacturers haven’t all adopted the idea, yet they haven’t.
Other Options
In addition to this one little feature that I’m raving about, you get literally the best of everything that Lund has to offer, thrown into this boat. There’s an IPS2 hull, composite transom (in recent model years), thick aluminum, their best livewell system, and more storage than some apartments. Additionally, it has a multi-part aft flip-up seating option that allows you to just flip the part you need to, when you need to (so you can access your livewell, for example. There is literally no compromise whatsoever with this boat.
For an in-depth video tour of this amazing boat, check out Waconda Boat’s YouTube video. You should subscribe to their channel too, as they come out with new ones each year. I know I hit like and subscribe so I could keep in touch with their videos, as they’re informative and really give you a great idea of what the boat can offer. Not all of us live near a Lund dealer, period, much less one that carries so many different brands, so definitely check their website out.
The Verdict: Lund
Remember at the beginning of this article where I said I was a Lund guy, and how if you are too, you were all expecting this to be a Lund parade the whole way through? Well, sorry to disappoint on the earlier boats, but when it comes to a true tournament series, top-of-the-line offering, Lund wins, hands down.
Look, I’m not saying that there aren’t plenty of professional walleye guys out there fishing from Alumacrafts. There certainly are, and they’re holding their own just like the Lund guys are. I’m just saying two things: (1) Alumacraft doesn’t even have a legitimate top-end bass boat to fish a tournament with (yet), and (2) the Lund Pro-V is probably the single sweetest aluminum multispecies boat that ever graced the water.
If you all start buying my book (which I really hope you will, since this website doesn’t pay for itself!) and I suddenly find myself with the cash to part with my dear, sweet Lund Impact (affectionately known as, “Penelope”) then I am buying a Lund Pro-V, and the only question is if I go with the more affordable 1975, or the true world-class 2075. There is nothing in Alumacraft’s lineup that excites me as much as these two boats, and while I’m sure that the Alumacraft’s boats are fine boats, in this case, the Premium brand pulls far ahead on the Premium, tournament series boat category.
Conclusions
Look, if you already own one of these boats, there’s no need for buyer’s remorse. Frankly, any boat that you already own is a steal at this point with the way boat prices are running through the roof. So, no need for tears if I was “mean” to your favorite boat or brand. If you’re sitting in it already, you got a good deal. Also, what the heck do I know, anyway? Again, this is a research project – me looking at different boats on the internet. Don’t be afraid to ask actual owners what they like and don’t like.
If, however, you’re trying to figure out what brand of boat you want to buy, you need to be discerning. As I’ve said right from the start, I’m a Lund guy. That could wind up costing me a lot of money if I’m not careful. Alumacraft offers high-quality boats, that are much more customizable, at a better price point than Lund. However, Lund offers better top-end models with features Alumacraft’s best can’t compete with. Which one you purchase is going to depend on your circumstances.
- If you’re a family guy who likes to take his kids fishing, then, all things being equal, Alumacraft is probably the better value. You’ll get a boat that will do everything you need it to do without an expensive surcharge for a name.
- If you’re a professional fisherman, Lund seems to be the best choice. On the other hand, how many tournaments do you have to win, or clients do you have to take, before you make up the price difference?
- If you have a really specific need such
Wrapping Up
Well, folks, that’s it for this time. I hope you enjoyed this article and found it insightful. I know I tried to provide some value here to help you determine the best boat for you and your famil.y
Thanks and have a great day for fishing,
John Paxton
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