Guys,
I’ll be test driving a 2009 Lund Pro Guide 1675 tiller this week. It has a 2009 Mercury 75 hp 4-stroke on it. And a 12 volt gen 3 Terrova trolling motor.
To any of you who have this boat, or have fished in that year or close, any observations/thoughts? I fish mainly Pool 4. I was ideally hoping for a bit bigger boat, but I fish mainly by myself, or maybe one other person. And….just can’t afford the 17 or 18 foot versions. Hoping the 1675 would handle Pool 4 rollers ok. I have a “light” older model 16-foot Crestliner tiller now, so figure it’s at least as good as that.
Anything I should look for as I’m driving it? Thoughts on the 2009 Merc 4 stroke (75 hp). Can you slow down enough with this set up to pull cranks? Any “quirks” on that year (2009) I should look at etc.?
I’m thinking I’d probably upgrade the trolling motor to a 24 volt.
Unfortunately it’s on a roller trailer (Lund). Not ideal, but hoping not a big deal.
Thanks for any advice/thoughts.
You shouldn’t have any issues trolling down slow enough to pull cranks. I’d think you could get down to 1.5mph or so without a drift sock. I get down to 2.0 with a 115hp Optimax without any drift sock or anything. P4 is notorious for a relatively “fast” trolling bite anyways down on the lake in Summer months. We’ve caught fish well north of 3.0mph quite regularly.
As far as “what to look for” in a test drive, I’m no mechanic. Be sure to back troll a bit and get a feel for it. Does it have wave wackers of some sort? I’d ask to see any maintenance records available and ask who does the maintenance. I’d look for any signs of lower unit/skeg damage. If the hours are unknown, take a close look at the leading edge of the skeg. A great local marine mechanic told me that if the leading edge is seemingly worn back a clear amount with no other visible damage, you’re talking over 200-300 hours at on-plane speeds.
As far as the boat handling P4, I’d say you won’t have an issue if you know how to correctly take on big waves and if you stay away from the busy pleasure boat areas on weekends/holidays. Play the weather and wind to your advantage. In a 17′ console boat, I still draw my line for the Lake at about 15mph wind unless I’m targeting the side that isn’t wind swept. Could the boat handle it, sure. Is it enjoyable to fight 3’ers all day in a 16-17′ boat?… not for me.
Each type of trailer has their pro’s and con’s. The big thing is to understand how deep to back it in and to gain experience loading in current “if necessary”. I now have a bunk trailer and will not go back to rollers if given the choice, but to each their own.
Enjoy the new ride if you pull the trigger.
