Looking for new to me boat next year… Ideas?

Hey folks,

I’m looking to upgrade a boat I inherited from my father years ago. It’s just a simple 16′ Lund with a 50hp Merc tiller on back. Mainly I troll with bottom bouncers and occasionally crank baits, very seldom (in fact its an absolute last resort) will I bobber fish or drift. I live up on Minnesota’s Iron Range so I hit Vermillion pretty often, and I’d like to do more trips on Rainy Lake and Kabetogama, as well as some Sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River. Some smaller lakes but not too much. I’m currently in a very promising relationship with no kids, but I’d expect to see some Littles in the next 3 to 5 years so I’d like to go bigger than I currently need. Ideally I’d like to be able to fish with 4 people comfortably, with the option of having one or two extra pleasure riders.
Some of the options I absolutely require: The center rod locker. Thats an absolute must-have. Side console with a strong preference for a full windshield, rear seat bases that can face rear. Ideally I’d like to be at 150hp or better, with a minimum of 115. At least an 1800/185, but the bigger the better. Strong preference toward aluminum but I could probably be persuaded either way. It would be awful nice to have a kicker motor, but not absolutely necessary. I wouldn’t be able to complain about fore and aft livewells. I built Lund boats for a touch under a year so I have a bit of a deference towards them and riveted hulls, but I’m open to any brand. I’d like to stay under $30k.
The models I’ve been looking at online are the Alumacraft Trophy, Tournament Sport and Competitor. The only Lunds I’ve really looked at are the Pro-V and Impact, but those are also the only ones I’ve had experience with on the water.

So, anyone have any recommendations on models to look for? As I said in the title I won’t really be looking hard until next winter/spring/summer when I’m really ready to buy. Unfortunately I have to pay for my youth stupidity first. I’m just trying to get an idea for what models have the features I’m looking for and what people have experience with and have enjoyed.
Thanks all!

18′ with few fellas I’d highly recommend at least 150hp.

Fished alot of 17′ impact and fishhawk. Give me the fishhawk anyday w my style of fishing.

If you’re trolling alot cockpit space will be key, unless you have a passenger who sits up front alot.

Hop in as many boats as ya can.

Fwiw 17’s r great, buddy has a 18′ ranger that really blows those out the water. Big waters I’d look used glass

Given your budget I’d look at something in the 17.5’ – 18.5 range and deal with future riders/kids and whatnot when the time comes. There’s a lot of “ifs” and time involved in your scenario. It’s also tough to stay under 30k when factoring in electronics, a trolling motor, possibly a kicker, and other accessories. There are some real fishable 17.5’ Alumacraft Competitors out there that with a 150 scoot pretty good for a cruise with a few people or on longer large body of water trips. If it’s just you and the lady friend or occasional buddies I’m betting it’d fit your needs. In 10 years if you have multiple kids who are wanting to spend a lot of time in the boat, you could easily upgrade.

For years I fished on a Lake Michigan trip with a buddy in a 2001 Alumacraft 17.5’ with a 115 on it and can’t remember that many times when we had to change our plans if we were smart.

****The IDO answer is that you need a 19+ ‘ glass boat with at least a 250, kicker, 4 graphs, tandem axle trailer, and wave pro seats all around if you want to fish comfortably with more than a lady friend. When you find that rig relatively new for under $30k, please PM me so I can nab it ahead of you and flip it for a $20k profit

buckybadger wrote:

****The IDO answer is that you need a 19+ ‘ glass boat with at least a 250, kicker, 4 graphs, tandem axle trailer, and wave pro seats all around if you want to fish comfortably with more than a lady friend. When you find that rig relatively new for under $30k, please PM me so I can nab it ahead of you and flip it for a $20k profit

This is true and please let me know so I can nab it and keep it!

What the guys said is solid advise so far. I have a 17.5 with a 115. Fishing 4 people in my opinion other than bobber fishing is almost out of the question but I like my room and get pissed if I’m fouling lines with someone else. I would if at all possible go with a glass boat for the ride in big water. I would go 18.5 or larger for what you asked for. New at your budget is not possible so hope that the og owner maxed out the HP.

I have a 2012 Lund Tyee 1850/175 Verado that sounds like a very close fit to what you are looking for. I spend most of my time either on Superior trolling, or up on Kab/Namakan and Rainy camping and fishing. When I used to pretty much stay on Kab and Namakan only, I ran a Lund Pro Sport 1700/90 Honda which was fine for 12 years. But when I started heading to the East end of Rainy on a regular basis, it took only 1 trip to know we needed to go a bit bigger (and some days on Rainy nothing is big enough).
One thing not on your list that I’d suggest for family comfort is a full topset (side curtains and front and rear tarps).
The Tyee is a deep boat, making it safe for kids, and it’s big enough to fish 4.
Performance wise, the 175 with stock aluminum prop has hit 50.7 GPS with just me in it, and it will pull skiers/tubes all day long. Been a great fit for us over the years.
When we bought, we also looked at the Crestliner 1850 Sportfish, which was very similar so that might be on your radar also. We just got lucky with the Tyee and got a great deal on an end of season package the dealer wanted off the lot.
Good luck in the search!

Pretty unfamiliar with the new boat market but Crestliner sportfish comes to mind . The super hawk line I believe also has bow cushions and jump seats but more fishing oriented . My 18 foot with a 150 with hit 45mph with 2 adults

^I always liked the 1850 Sportfish. Another great option, but any one rigged that’s relatively new will push that $30k budget in a hurry. The same goes for a Lund Tyee maybe even moreso.

Just poking around Walleye Central and Facebook seems to confirm that point. I’ve got a well-kept 1750 Fishhawk pulled up that’s 10 years old and it is listed at $33k. I doubt it sells for that, but I’d bet it sells for $25-30k.

I just went from an 1850 Crestliner Sportfish to an 1850 Ranger Reata. Both are awesome boats for family plus serious fishing.

I have a 185 Competitor and my buddy has a 175 trophy. If you are planning on mostly walleye fishing, the trophy would probably be better. It has a bigger aft section. The competitor has a bigger front deck. More set up for casting up front. Both are great boats.

buckybadger wrote:

Given your budget I’d look at something in the 17.5’ – 18.5 range and deal with future riders/kids and whatnot when the time comes. There’s a lot of “ifs” and time involved in your scenario. It’s also tough to stay under 30k when factoring in electronics, a trolling motor, possibly a kicker, and other accessories. There are some real fishable 17.5’ Alumacraft Competitors out there that with a 150 scoot pretty good for a cruise with a few people or on longer large body of water trips. If it’s just you and the lady friend or occasional buddies I’m betting it’d fit your needs. In 10 years if you have multiple kids who are wanting to spend a lot of time in the boat, you could easily upgrade.

For years I fished on a Lake Michigan trip with a buddy in a 2001 Alumacraft 17.5’ with a 115 on it and can’t remember that many times when we had to change our plans if we were smart.

****The IDO answer is that you need a 19+ ‘ glass boat with at least a 250, kicker, 4 graphs, tandem axle trailer, and wave pro seats all around if you want to fish comfortably with more than a lady friend. When you find that rig relatively new for under $30k, please PM me so I can nab it ahead of you and flip it for a $20k profit

This is spot on for advice.

With your budget stated I would skip fiberglass unless you want something fairly old. In the world of aluminum you will get more bang for your buck looking at Alumacraft. I personally would skip the Trophy for the Competitor. There are several differences but the main difference is the height of the freeboard.

If we want to discuss the why’s of every boat scenario and what it takes to troll as you desire it will require some long posts. You just need to get out and start looking at what is available.

My suggestion is to look at and price out a brand new Alumacraft Competitor 185. A 150 hp motor is very common but with Yamaha the 175 was not much more. Brand new is out of the price you stated but it would give you a good referencing point when looking at used.

One thing no ones noted is Id try to find a model w/o a wooden transom. Not sure what year lund and crestliner and alumacraft changed the transoms to composite but I think it would be worth the extra coin to avoid the problem . Mines wood and no issues yet… but its a matter of time.

Any restrictions for the new boat based on what you have for a tow vehicle? I have a 2015 Trophy 175 with a 115 Suzuki. I was fortunate to buy it just before COVID caused prices of used boats to go through the roof. I paid 25K 3 or 4 years ago. A year after I bought it you would have been lucky to find one for under 30K. Mine had 2 graphs, Terova TM, down riggers and other accessories included. The 115 won’t win any races but gets me where I want to go. I have a Honda Pilot that I pull it with and it does fine. It would probably pull the 185 ok too. But I wouldn’t want to go any bigger than that without going with a bigger tow vehicle. Have fun shopping.

Deuces wrote:

18′ with few fellas I’d highly recommend at least 150hp.

Fished alot of 17′ impact and fishhawk. Give me the fishhawk anyday w my style of fishing.

If you’re trolling alot cockpit space will be key, unless you have a passenger who sits up front alot.

Hop in as many boats as ya can.

Fwiw 17’s r great, buddy has a 18′ ranger that really blows those out the water. Big waters I’d look used glass

Admittedly despite building Lunds right next door to Crestliner, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at one of their boats. Never had anything against them, just don’t know much about them.

I haven’t looked nor ridden in a glass boat, any truth behind the whole “fiberglass boats take way more upkeep!” Thing I’ve come across and heard?

Matthew Craig wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Deuces wrote:</div>
18′ with few fellas I’d highly recommend at least 150hp.

Fished alot of 17′ impact and fishhawk. Give me the fishhawk anyday w my style of fishing.

If you’re trolling alot cockpit space will be key, unless you have a passenger who sits up front alot.

Hop in as many boats as ya can.

Fwiw 17’s r great, buddy has a 18′ ranger that really blows those out the water. Big waters I’d look used glass

Admittedly despite building Lunds right next door to Crestliner, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at one of their boats. Never had anything against them, just don’t know much about them.

I haven’t looked nor ridden in a glass boat, any truth behind the whole “fiberglass boats take way more upkeep!” Thing I’ve come across and heard?

Usually the more upkeep is more payments and more time wiping down your ride at the end of the day they do ride nice though .

Matthew Craig wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Deuces wrote:</div>
18′ with few fellas I’d highly recommend at least 150hp.

Fished alot of 17′ impact and fishhawk. Give me the fishhawk anyday w my style of fishing.

If you’re trolling alot cockpit space will be key, unless you have a passenger who sits up front alot.

Hop in as many boats as ya can.

Fwiw 17’s r great, buddy has a 18′ ranger that really blows those out the water. Big waters I’d look used glass

Admittedly despite building Lunds right next door to Crestliner, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at one of their boats. Never had anything against them, just don’t know much about them.

I haven’t looked nor ridden in a glass boat, any truth behind the whole “fiberglass boats take way more upkeep!” Thing I’ve come across and heard?

Depends….have you ever changed oil in your vehicles? Washed it? You don’t HAVE to do anything to either a glass or tin boat. You can run the hell out of it and not care what it looks like. It’ll be your payment, your boat, nobody here will care how you treat your stuff. We will however have a opinion if you kick your dog or drive 55 in a 55 MPH zone.

I like the idea of no rivets personally. I also like the deadrise on the liners better than lund, lund just smacks the crap out of the bow in waves where I feel the liner cuts thru. My style of fishing is far different than yours so my preference may not be best advice, fishhawk sits closer to water, but even with that said if I had big waves I’d prefer the crest. Superhawks r great too although not much experience with em, when I did wasn’t a real test. Fished out of trophy as well, meh. Not a fan of alumacrafts, sit too high w too much windshield, might as well be a sailboat

The 1880 angler just fishes, nuff said. Can cruise at 30 going over bigger waves where tin would be slow. Interior isn’t anything special, rod lockers, cup holders like any other boat but the hull tracks amazingly well too when trolling around.

Plenty of river guys who fish glass. The tin vs glass toughness is overblown for average anglers imo. Unless you’re running shallow water and need 3 layers of tin to bounce off rocks and stumps you’ll be just fine. Heck tuma on here dual hull tuffy glass has been moored on enough stumps and logs fishing with 2 3 guys bouncing around to get er off and thing still floats AFAIK lol

I’ve been in your shoes and in a lot of boats.

There are a lot of boats out there that would work, but if I were you I’d keep my eyes out for a used 18′ glass boat with jump seats.

Lund 186
Skeeter 1850/1880
Reata 1850
Triton 186 Allure
Yarcraft 186

These boats can be found in your budget range depending on what goodies are bolted onto it.

Seems like the 2010-16 glass 18 footers are the same price as 23-24 aluminums of the same size . I always wonder if that’s worth it to go with the used glass boat .. Quite frankly probably won’t have that worry for another 10 years . My turd liner keeps catching and floating so that’s all that I worry about for now.

I have had a 1775 pro v and a 385 stratos. I beat the crap out of both and both were well built boats. Ride quality there was no comparison in similar sized boats. The stratos was about 8″ longer than the Lund. Lund you get beat up and wet on a windy days. The stratos was much drier and smoother ride. You could still get spray but nothing like the Lund. Honestly I preferred the 385’s ride over the 2025 pro v I had too. The only crestliner I have been in was a 1996 1850 sportfish. Fished well rode similar to the pro v but I am sure they must have improved the hull in 25 years. I think they all make good boats. Crestliner I think are more reasonably priced over the lunds with similar performance.

B-man wrote:

I’ve been in your shoes and in a lot of boats.

There are a lot of boats out there that would work, but if I were you I’d keep my eyes out for a used 18′ glass boat with jump seats.

Lund 186
Skeeter 1850/1880
Reata 1850
Triton 186 Allure
Yarcraft 186

These boats can be found in your budget range depending on what goodies are bolted onto it.

Yup…
I would suggest going to a boat show and crawling around to find what you like.
Everyone is going to love what they have and hate what they have never been in.

My neighbor has a 2021 Crestliner. I’ve been watching him battle them for 2 years about broken welds. Really bad leaks and 2 different half of seasons missed. He finally has a lawsuit filed against them for the crap quality boat he received. They fixed his boat under warranty the first time took 6 months, recieved it back only to have a ton of hard wear stripped out and wires for his lights pinched and broke. He fixed that himself and took the boat back out. 10 outings later, the welds broke again on a different seam, taking water on bad once again. Took the rest of summer number 2 to get it fixed again, only to get it back and it still leaks. Now they won’t work with him. So he lawyered up.
Hopefully his problems are a bad boat build and not a known thing, but the way crestliner won’t work with him, I wouldn’t even be kind of interested in a new one. Which stinks because looking at his boat it’s beautiful

I would be looking for a 17.5 – 18.5 aluminum boat, anything glass in the same price range will be older and/or have an undesirable motor on it. 115-140hp is fine on a 17.5, you will want a 150+ on anything over 18′. You can save money by sticking with the Fishhawk/Competitor style boat as opposed to something deeper like the sportfish/trophy, along with getting by running a smaller motor. It would depend on where your fishing and what is most important to you.

Many boats in the year range you will be looking at will have outdated electronics, I would be looking to spend around $24-28K and plan on outfitting it with a new TM and depthfinder.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I would suggest going to a boat show and crawling around to find what you like.

Haha. That’s exactly what I do every January at the boat show and I’m not even in the market for one.

isu22andy wrote:

One thing no ones noted is Id try to find a model w/o a wooden transom. Not sure what year lund and crestliner and alumacraft changed the transoms to composite but I think it would be worth the extra coin to avoid the problem . Mines wood and no issues yet… but its a matter of time.

While I love the idea of that, it looks like Lund didn’t switch over until ’16 for some models, with a full switch on all other models in ’17. The only used model years I’ve seen under 30, or even 35k have been the Rebel’s, Fury’s etc. Definitely would’ve been on the wish list though.

Matthew, what I heard is that planning for a future of raising kids and all their needs as they grow up is important to you. I’d suggest looking at Deck Boats. They’re laid out like a pontoon boat on a V hull, very family friendly. As long as you have enough life jackets, nobody has to stay on the dock and wait till next trip. You can have a boat load of people and still pull a couple of skiers. A deck boat would have plenty of room for caring for little ones. Plus in school, a deck boat would make them very popular.

You could keep your dad’s boat as your fishing machine and have a family boat.