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RHutch,

I picked up a Lund 1850 Impact XS this spring and so far I really like it. Mine has the 150 Merc 4 stroke on it and I have no issues pulling skiers and tubes with three kids on them. It is also laid out well for fishing. I have 6 seats in mine (4 pedestal and 2 rear jump seats) and last Sunday I loaded up with three adults and three kids and did a 8 mile run across the lake. Top speed was 45 mph with the stock prop, full fuel tank, my 9.9 ProKicker, and all my fishing gear. If I run it by myself I can get 48.5 mph in calm conditions. I have been really impressed with the Merc 150 4S motor. Starts beautifully, good on fuel, quiet. The ProKicker has been less of a joy since it is carbed. Suzuki makes an EFI kicker (which isn't available here in Canada yet) that would be my choice in the future.

I looked long and hard at boats this past winter. I liked the Lund Tyee but it was more money and had higher sides, which meant the wind would push me around more. I would also have had to go to the 1900 model to have enough room in the cockpit. I liked the layout of the Crossover boats and figured that was what I would go with, however the in floor rod locker/ski locker wasn't the best for dry storage of the rods and I didn't like the open side storage that it had. The Alumacraft Edge seemed small inside for the size, and I truly hated the livewell location under the rear jump seat. It might work for bass, but try getting a 36" Northern out through a 12" hole under a seat.

Someone on Walleye Central suggested that I look at the 1850 Impact XS and I'm glad I did. Had the rear seat config I liked in the Crossover, the ski pole for pulling the kids around, and the nicer rod locker for my fishing stuff. It was a new model for 2015 so not very well known yet. I liked the layout better than the regular Impact model (hated the rear flip bench since it needed to be down over the pedestal seat holes in order to access the livewell, so you could only fish with it down and the seats moved) and the quality of materials seemed higher than the Rebel series had.

Hope that helps.

SS

ETA: Here is a link to the thread with pictures of mine. https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...20/Picked_up_my_new_boat...#Post11098820

That Tyee seems about right.