Thoughts on Lund Mr. Pike 17

Hi all,

Considering purchasing a 2000 Lund Mr. Pike 17. We have been looking for a wide, stable, fish n’ ski in the 17-19′ range. Will mostly be used for fishing but have three young children and we’d ideally be able to spend a full day on the boat fishing, swimming, and pulling tubes. I fish LMB, panfish, and occasionally for catfish in my area. With a bigger boat I’ll be able to fish for walleye and SMB on the Mississippi, and trailer it to WI, MN, Dakotas, and Ontario for more serious walleye fishing. The gunwales on this boat are wide and sturdy enough that I would be comfortable adding downriggers for an annual week or two salmon and lake trout fishing on Lake Michigan.

We have passed on several older walk-through models because they weren’t quite big or wide enough for all-day comfort. I know Lund typically makes very good boat, and I could really see us using this boat quite a bit. The only catch is that the one side console on the Mr. Pike seems odd to me. I’m coming from a Tracker TX17 so I’m used to the single side console, but my concern is mostly regarding a stable and comfortable ride for my wife and kids, as if they aren’t comfortable in the boat we won’t get to spend as much time on the water.

Other than wind protection, what are the drawbacks to a single side console vs. dual console or walk-through?

Any other thoughts are welcomed, especially from owners of similar boats. I don’t think the OptiMax 115 will have any problem pulling tubes, although the kicker may cause some issue with the rigging if I can’t find a pylon that will work with the seat pedestal.

Boat was used for annual trips to MN and occasional walleye fishing on the Mississippi (local). Shouldn’t be too many hours on the motors. He started them both for me, both start right up and run great out of the water. Transom and decking seems to be in good shape. Numerous minor scratches on exterior gunwales, otherwise boat looks brand new.

Specifics:
2000 Lund Mr. Pike 17
2007 OptiMax 115 EXLPT (2-stroke, assuming long shaft based on 20″ transom)
2007 Mercury 9.9 ELH (4-stroke, assuming long shaft)
74lb Minn Kota Maxxum (24V)
3 existing fish finders, older Eagle FishEasy2 at helm and bow, Humminbird 160 on rear deck (nothing fancy, straight sonars, no GPS, DI, SI, or chirp…will upgrade).

Planned additions:
Add bimini top. – Any recommendations?
Add ski pylon or tow harness to stern eyes (cannot rub on kicker motor). – Any recommendations?
Replace helm sonar with 7-9″ w/ SI, chirp, and GPS (Humminbird Helix, Lowrance Elite TI/2, or Garmin EchoMap Plus).
Replace bow sonar with 7″ w/ DI and chirp (linked with helm or will use tablet remotely for sharing/storing waypoints).
Replace stern sonar with my existing Humminbird 718 or 565 (or best of the three existing).

Apologies for the long post, want to give as clear a picture as possible. I appreciate all feedback. Thank you!

I had a 1775 single counsel pro-V and loved it. Mr Pike is a nice boat too, I’d get the whole family in it and make sure you have enough room, 2-3 guys fishing out of the pro-v was a full boat, and 4 people could work when needed. Having a newer engine is a bonus. Single counsel is a wet ride in any sort of waves for your passengers, and even you in the wrong circumstance. I haven’t spent a lot of time under unconnected bimini’s (like a tiller or sc), but seems like you’d still be in the sun most of the time. Buy it, and if you don’t like it you could probably sell it for more in the spring!

Thanks BigWerm, my thought was just as you suggested, buy it and sell it in a couple years if we want something else. The Lund name and the newer motors will definitely retain the value for the price I’m looking at, so if we don’t like it we can get something bigger or with a different layout.

You are correct, and I had temporarily forgotten about being a wetter ride. It shouldn’t be too bad with that forward console, but might splash the rear passengers.

Our kids are all 4 and under currently, so space won’t be a big issue for a few years yet. Mainly just want my wife to consider it a nice and comfortable ride so she isn’t hesitant to get out on the water when we have the chance.

I’m not sure the bimini would do me much good at the console, but would want to be able to get the kids out of the sun for awhile if needed.

Boats are for fishing. Pontoons are for a herd of little kids and the wife. Make a deal with momma, you get a pontoon for 10 years while the kids grow and then she lets you pop for a fishing rig. Comfy seats and a top for shade with the security of the railing to keep the kids from falling out.

Get a pontoon rigged for fishing, just getting mine rigged up. Love it.

Thanks for the input guys, but no pontoon for me at this time. Not versatile enough to get in/out of some of the places I fish.

It is really to bad deck boats are so expensive as they seem to me to be the best of both worlds. Plenty of room for when the kids are along and very fishable when you are by yourself.

We have a 2003 Mr Pike 16 that we bought in 2004. The wide gunwales are great and where I sit a lot of the time when somebody else is in the drivers seat. Mine is powered by a 90hp Mercury and will top out around 36-38 mph so a tube should not be a problem to pull with a 115. Stable boat that I have no regrets about.