New to the Lund family

Hi everyone. My name is Bryan Mellon, from Dayton, OH. I just bought (in process still actually) my 1st Lund. It’s not much more than an entry level Lund though; 2018 Rebel SS 1600 console w/ 2018 Merc 25 HP ELPT and 2018 Shoreland trailer.

My father always wanted a Lund but didn’t have the financial resources to purchase one. I remember how happy he was when he purchased his 1999 Tracker Super Guide 14. That boat was handed down to me then I bought a Tracker Targa 17WT several years back. After some financial family setbacks I sold my Targa last year. To be honest, it was also a pain in the rear to get into my garage and also a pain to load/unload by myself. This year would have been the first in just over 20 years that I had hadn’t had a boat. Our financial situation improved and the itch of buying a boat was getting more and more unignorable. Figuring again I’d have to settle for a Tracker I decided to compare the Super Guides to the Rebel then I went to the Lund website. After a few emails and phone calls with my dealer as well as a saleswoman from the Lund HQ, my new Rebel 1600 should arrive in 3 weeks or so.

Even though this is much less of a boat than most of you guys on here have, I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to be part of/soon be part of the Lund family. For 25+ years (since I was a teenager) I’ve heard such great things about Lunds.

I mostly troll for muskie which is why I went with the smaller 25HP. I consider myself a more practical than most muskie fisherman. I don’t use $400 reels or $300 rods and use strictly $100 muskie baits. I use quality rod and reels and fish baits I have confidence in and know catch baits. I may not be able to beat many folks to the hot muskie hole but I plan on picking up a couple fish as I troll there.

Since I’m going down in size with this Rebel (something I’m looking forward to doing) I have some questions for you experienced Lund guys:

-The gas tank is going to take some time getting used to. I’m used to just pulling up to a gas pump and sticking the hose in the back of the boat and knowing how full I am by reading my gauges. My dealer told me the tank to my Rebel is in the floor. I know this isn’t the case, at least I’m 99.9% sure that’s not the case. (I’m holding out on the .1% I’m wrong). How hard is it to get used to trying to figure out how far you can go on a 6 gal tank of gas? I’m obviously going way down in motor size so I’m guessing it will take quite a bit of trolling at 3.5-5 MPH to run through 6 gallons of gas.

-I’m used to having a folding trailer tongue. My storable length is 21’3 with the Shoreland trailer. Does anyone have complaints about this trailer? I have a fear of trailers. I was about 3 hours from home a few years back and had a hub problem. Let me tell you, it’s an amazingly terrifying sight to see a trailer tire come off and run down the highway in the other lane at about 50 MPH! To this day I can only assume the good Lord was watching out for me when that happened!

-I decided to go against the sportrack rod holders for the time being. This is something I might end up getting though- I’m unsure of how well they would hold up while muskie trolling. I’m not worried about fish but am worried about snagging at 4MPH or so. What do you guys think of the Fish-On holders and their durability?

-I’m undecided about electronics. I’ve always been a Humminbird guy but I’m not into all the techy stuff. Give me something that is easy to use, tells me my depth, structure, speed and maps my courses and I’m good. If the console space allows me I’ll prob go with something in the 8 inch range. I think something like a 9 series would be too large unless i went with some sort of Ram mount

-My Targa had a 36V Terrova…. way way way overkill but I got it for a good price. I can’t wait to get back to a 12 volt, 55# trolling motor. It’s prob not a popular choice but my favorit tm was a Motorguide wireless that I had 7 or 8 years ago. Sadly, it met it’s demise after running into a tree. Long story but 100% operator error. I troll way more than I cast so I’m going to be looking to save some money on this trolling motor and may even try to find a new-old stock Motorguide wireless somewhere but would love to hear suggestions. I’m assuming a 54 inch shaft would be sufficient.

I’m open to hearing comments from you guys. Again, I’m excited to be part of the Lund family and can’t wait to get fishing from my Rebel.

Also, thanks for such a great site. I’ll be hanging around reading and commenting in other areas. Be safe and good fishing to all of you.

Nice boat, welcome to the family. I looked up the specs for your boat, 50 hp max. You should really try and stay within 70 percent of max hp for a number of reasons. Getting up on plane, safety, boat control. The Shorelander trailers are great. A 12 volt trolling motor will work but in windy conditions you will blow around a lot. Also short run time on the battery. Make sure you remove the fuel tank before filling. It should run a long time with a 25 hp motor. Depending on how you fish this setup may be fine. If you fish big lakes and stay out all day you will probably wish you had a 50 hp motor and 24 volt trolling motor. Congratulations on the new boat, enjoy.

Welcome to In-Depth!!

Sounds like you zeroed in on a great rig for what you do! Just pick-up a 2 gallon gas can to carry on the days you might be fishing a long time. The weight won’t matter and the peace of mind knowing you have extra gas will be worth the few bucks. I agree get all the motor you can afford, also with what you do I would lean towards a 4 stroke, but thats just me.

You may not have noticed but as part of signing up here you are required to post a photo of that new rig when you get it.

Congrats on the rig.

6 gallons should get you a full day fishing. I agree with Dutch, carry a lil extra. That motor when you are driving around will be at 3/4 to full throttle so it’ll be sucking gas. Ran a 25 hp for years and don’t think I ever ran out for one day, but that was on 14′.

Welcome. It is a great feeling to work towards something you have always wanted. The only advice I can offer from your talking points are these:

-I started with a 12v 55# on my 16′ Mr. Pike. In calm water it was fine, in the wind it was horrible. Stepped up to a 24v 80# Terrova. My only complaint with this unit is the Spotlock. Otherwise works great. I also highly suggest and onboard charger. It has made quite a difference in battery life for me.

-I have always been a humminbird guy myself. I am currently looking to purchase a Garmin Echomap Plus 93sv. Aside from the price point, I like the touch screen and the quick draw feature is huge for me since most of my time is spent on a private lake.

-Regular bearing maintenance for the trailer.

Enjoy!

Congrats on the new ride. Enjoy. As far as hub/bearing maintenance. If the hubs are not oil bath style you take them apart every fall and clean, pack with new grease, and install new grease seals when you store it for winter. It is the last thing you do before storing. Come spring you are good to go. If it has bearing buddies you still need to dismantle and clean yearly. You should never have a bearing problem if you do this.

Congrats on the new Rebel, your going to love that fishing machine. I’ve since replaced this Rebel with another Lund but it served me well. I had the 40 4 stroke on mine and it would run for days on 6 gallons, really unbelievable. I can see staying in your budget and getting the 25 but after having it I would at least have the 40 it’s not that much more from the start. Trailering was a snap, didn’t even know it was there, took it south 2 years and fished all over with it. I ran a 12 volt Motorguide Xi3 60′ shaft and wouldn’t be with anything shorter. The single battery (29) would last 6 to 7 hours of constant use but needed a charge for the next day.If I were to do it over I’d set up another tray just forward of the battery box and run 24 volt.It would easily pull your rig around with 80 lbs of thrust and very low speed and be good for the weekend.
It has quite a bit of storage for a 1600, no matter what boat you have there’s never enough. Like I mentioned get the most motor you can afford, with 2 people there was a difference but the 40 was good. Here it is before I sold it.

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Thanks for all the replies everyone. I appreciate the advice.

Dutchboy wrote:

Just pick-up a 2 gallon gas can to carry on the days you might be fishing a long time.

I’m glad someone mentioned this. Since it’s been a very long time for me without having a built in tank so I’m concerned about how to carry/store fuel. (I fish in Ohio though and won’t be out on huge lakes nor will I be far away from fuel. On camping trips I’ll have extra fuel with me.) With that said though, I like the idea of having an extra gallon or two on hand.
In the attached pic, I’ve highlighted with arrows of where I could store extra fuel. I could purchase an extra boat tank and store it next to the main tank but I’m wondering if just storing and carrying 2 gallons or a gallon and half plastic tank in my regular storage is okay. To me this is prob not a good idea but I think I’m only talking myself out of it because it’s something I’ve never had to do.

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If your going to carry extra fuel buy an extra tank with the same fittings as your main tank. Then all you have to do is switch the hose between tanks. The last thing you want to do is pour gas out in the boat. It’s not so much the liquid fuel its the fumes. Those tanks get hot. Also do you really want that smell all over your hands and baits. I’m sure the fish would love it. They make smaller tanks but they are not much cheaper. They also make fuel gauge caps that you can replace your with. With a 25 hp. you should be able to run a long time.

As a side note I spent a few years in the Unites States Coast Guard. We did search and rescue, also boat inspections.Boat fires are a scary thing. If your boat didn’t come with a fire extinguisher which it should, get one. You have to have one anyways it’s the law.

edited: double posting- sorry about that!

You have forgotten 2 spots to store fuel, the 2 that I use on longer trips. The splash well works well depending on size of can to not interfere with the steering dampener rod or multiple 1 gallon cans will fit up in the tip under where you would mount a trolling motor. I have no reservations about using the plastic cans, it can help to keep them shaded on warm days rather than in direct sunlight.

I think you will be surprised how long a 6gal tank will last with a 25hp 4 stroke.

If I were you I would just buy another fuel tank, just like the one your boat will come with, and move the hose to the second tank when needed and then on shorter trips you don’t need to take that second tank. I have the same 25 hp merc on a Lund WC deluxe river/winter boat that is smaller and lighter and it does really well on gas, but I often don’t have to travel terribly far to fish but I can easily do 30 miles a day on half a tank. But again that varies a lot on type of use, trolling all day vs just running to spots and using the bow mount. I will say I do wish I had the 30 hp merc on my boat as the 25 is ok but if I were you I would sure consider the cost of going to a 30 or 40.

Again, thanks for the info and advice guys.
One reason (a big one) is I got a $2600 discount for getting the 25ELPT motor due to some national advertised pricing deal. I actually was shocked when this discount was mentioned so I called a saleswoman at Lund HQ and had her verify it. After this discount the Rebel 1600 was less expensive than a Rebel with a 9.9 Prokicker which I was considering (here in Ohio we have some 10HP and under only lakes) or even the Fury 1400.

I’m going to be in Wyoming, MN in October. If any of you are in that area perhaps I could buy dinner and say thanks for the tips.