Alumacraft Competitor vs. Lund Impact

Howdy. I’m helping my dad pick out a new boat. We are thinking an 18ft+ aluminum with 150-200hp motor that will primarily be used for fishing but is comfortable enough for my mom, wife, and daughter to hang out in.
After doing some research, I think a Lund Impact 1875 xs or Alumacraft Competitor FSX 185 would fit our desires well.
We typically fish Sakakawea, the Missouri River, and some of the Brainerd lakes while visiting MN, but probably have some Rainy Lake / Canada trips in the future as well.

Any opinions on these two? Thanks!

I have owned both the Lund Explorer and now an Alumacraft Competitor 185. Both were good boats, and I don’t think you can go wrong with either. The reason I went with another Alumacraft (2nd Alumacraft) was at the time Lund would only accept a 140HP motor and Alumacraft was rated for a 150 HP. I think now the Alumacraft Competitor will accept a 175HP and Lund may only be rated for a 150HP if the motor HP is a main deciding factor.

I dont think you can go wrong with either, one thing to think about is dealer reputation and initial cost

I have a 2022 alumacraft comp 185 fsx with a Yamaha 150sho. It is a nice boat and sits a little lower to the water which is what I wanted since I mostly bass fish. Even thought it sits lower it is a pretty dry ride except the rear jump seats can get a little wet. I think either would be a good choice and agree about dealer service being a deciding factor. I ordered mine right before prices went crazy and at that time the alumacraft was about 10k cheaper than the Lund.

How do you suppose a Trophy compares to these models?

The trophy sits higher in the water than the comp and is a deeper cockpit. For me it came down to my fishing style and what layout worked best. My boat before my comp was like the trophy in hull design and I just didn’t like it for my fishing style. Some people prefer that though and feel safer in them on big water.

In my reviews of these 2 boats they both had similar layouts. You may find some minor difference that you desire but I did not find enough of a difference for this to weigh in my decision making.

The Lund most likely would come with a Mercury and the Impact has a 150 hp rating. The Alumacraft is rated for 175 hp and Yamaha most likely would be the most common. If you go with the Yamaha Vmax SHO the 175 hp is not much more than the 150 hp (less than I expected). I prefer Yamaha and the 175 was more desirable.

The Impact has higher sides (freeboard) than the Competitor. I owned a Lund Tyee before and with my recent purchase I preferred the Competitor freeboard.

And then there is the significant price difference. Being a previous Lund owner I just do not see the extra value to warrant this price difference.

I’d be all over the Alumacraft with the Yamaha SHO.

I like that outboard combination more, and the cheaper cost for a very very similar boat

I have priced out similar boats and the MSRP price difference was only a few thousand cheaper for the Alumacraft. It looks like they are partnered with Mercury based on their corporate website, but I am guessing many dealers still put Yamahas on them. That 185 FSX with a 175SHO would be tough to beat in my opinion, but would be worth talking to dealers and seeing what type of incentives/discounts they are offering.

I looked at both 2 years ago before I bought my Lund Impact XS, I was coming from a Alumacraft Trophy. I like the lunds interior and looks better. The Lund rides smother planes faster because the Hull design. The alumacraft has the full V bottom where the Lund flattens out towards the back. Seen some late model Lunds going for $49k on line now is a good time to snatch up a good deal.

Yes, you need to see dealers for any pricing reality. The only way you see a few thousand difference is if you are comparing stripped down bench seat boats by both of these manufactures not the 2 in question…

I was in your “boat” two years ago and went with the Alumacraft 185 FSX. Here were my reasons in order of importance to me:

1. I didn’t want a Mercury motor (I went with the 150 Suzuki and have been very happy).
2. Alumacraft was less expensive
3. I prefered the layout of the Alumacraft, especially the livewell setup (I thought the baitwell on the Lund would get almost no use.)
4. Very minor, but I prefered the graphics (very minimal) on the Alumacraft.
5. And super minor, but it did still influence me, I didn’t like the location of the gas filler on the Lund (mid-ship vs stern).

With all that said, I would get my same boat over again. I have really loved the hull and the motor. The fit and finish have not been an issue, and I use the heck out of it. I’m not anti-Lund, I am just more pro Alumacraft.

Final note, many have mentioned dealerships. I bought from LaCannes in Fairbult , and I would absolutley do so again. They were great to work with during the crazy build delays and they have stood behind their sale since.

Dan

I have a 2020 Lund Impact 1875 XS with a Honda 150. A couple things I think warrant mentioning…

1) I’ve reached a WOT speed of 50 MPH (GSP sped over ground). I can’t imagine wanting to go any faster than that in an aluminum boat.

2) The Impact is a relatively light boat for its size and it has a lot of freeboard…this can cause two issues: 1) the wind can get ahold of it pretty easily. As a finesse walleye guy, that can be frustrating. 2) the weight of the 150 engine makes the bow ride rather high…even more so if the rear livewell is full. I put as much ballast as possible in the bow but it is common for my 60” Terrova to come out of the water if I’m trying to spot lock in any wave bigger than 18”. If you plan to fish any sizable lakes, I strongly recommend a 72” trolling motor shaft.

That said, the Impact has been a great “family fishing” boat. Lots of storage and very open layout.

If you take fishing seriously and can swing the cost, I recommend making the jump up to the Pro V model.

Dan Baker wrote:

I was in your “boat” two years ago and went with the Alumacraft 185 FSX. Here were my reasons in order of importance to me:

1. I didn’t want a Mercury motor (I went with the 150 Suzuki and have been very happy).

Thanks Dan. What made you want to avoid Mercury? And why Suzuki?

Greenhorn wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dan Baker wrote:</div>
I was in your “boat” two years ago and went with the Alumacraft 185 FSX. Here were my reasons in order of importance to me:

1. I didn’t want a Mercury motor (I went with the 150 Suzuki and have been very happy).

Thanks Dan. What made you want to avoid Mercury? And why Suzuki?

I wanted to avoid Mercury because I had heard a handful of rumors about people having bad luck with the newer Mercury and I didn’t want to risk it. I kinda wanted to go Yamaha because they are so reliable, but they are also really spendy. So when I was researching, I saw a lot of people talking about how reliable, quite, and efficient the Suzuki’s were, plus they are quite a bit less expensive. So that sold me. And I have been very happy. I can top out at 45MPH solo, but I can get 42MPH with any load.
Dan