Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire checking out boats

To the OP.

They are not welded, but I have found the little Lund to be durable as hell. My 16 footer never leaked a drop and it is an 1986 model.

You can find the oar type hull like you are talking about fairly reasonable on the used market. This one is rated for a forty horse, I had a Merc 18 on it. It topped out at 14 mph with just me at 3000 ft altitude. With Momma and three grandkids with fishing gear it would do 11 or 12 mph.

I owned a flat bottom Shasta earlier. It was a POS. The aluminum was soft and thin. Pounding of hitting small waves on a lake actually broke the bottom out of it.

The Lund was a deeper V. It tossed the spray to the side instead of up and onto the passengers. It cut the waves better.Mostly, the Lund is built of high quality Aluminum. You can really tell the difference when you hit it with a drill.

Like you speak of, I put in a wood floor to keep the kids feet off of the aluminum. I installed an 18 gallon onboard fuel tank, a console and dash with remote steering and gauges.

The little red Lund was a hell of a good boat, and I was not into it too awful deep. If I had it to do again, I would have put a 35 to 40 horse on it and built the console from Aluminum I stead of plywood.

For bigger water you need a deep v... semi or flat you will get soaked when choppy.

You need a 16ft deep v with a 45 to 50 hp minimum from what you descibe.

Otherwise just stay with what you got.

Kent

I don't think its the Bayliner hull you need to be concerned with nearly so much as the engine. Force motors weren't good, and still aren't. Bayliners are around because they sold a ton of them in the 80's and 90's...and lots are still around. They were made in Pipestone MN, perhaps elsewhere, and they did a nice job. I was in the market for a boat mid 90's. Bayliner didn't have a model I was interested in, but I was looking at Yar-Craft. Dealer had both on the floor, and I noted the waves in the side of the hull of the "premium" boat. The Bayliner had none of that, straight as a pin, and I said so. The guy said he thought he could sell more of the Bayliners if they'd change the motor and increase the price.

Anyway, good luck in your search. You'll find something. The guy selling the boat you want isn't likely on FaceCrap and has never heard of Craigslist. You might go and get 40 individual wallet size portraits of Benjamin Franklin and drive around boating country til you see what you like parked by the side of the road with a For Sale sign on it. I've often thought of doing that in Minnesota and Wisconsin whenever the urge for a 16' Lund strikes me. So far I've resisted but one of these springs, I'll give in.

When I was researching boats to buy. The late model Bass Trackers are considered the cheapest built popular boat you can buy. They do sell a bunch though. Depends on where you spend most of your time fishing.
I have a semi V aluminum boat fitted out like a bass boat with an outboard jet
Perfect for shallow river fishing and occasional lake use. It wouldn't be my choice for large open water lakes.
If you fish small waters and big you need.2 boats.

I tried looking at some boat storage/repair places and they were asking a premium for boats but I was thinking that if I started spending some time around marinas / bait shops, etc I might find a bulletin board boat that is right.

Sockpuppet, I sent you a PM.

Build ya one. This one took me about 300 hours labor.

Uber

Mite have to stay home then ......lol

u need to wait a year and see where the markets at ...prices are unreal rite now ....

Very cool... stitch & glue?

Price of everydamnthing has gone apey. $3500 wouldn’t cover a decent outboard these days.

Maybe find an old rotted out, welded hull to gut and do a basic build on? Treated plywood with carpet will last several years and is easy to replace. Build a simple floor and console, rig up a cooler seat or two

probably good advice given the market

this is pretty much what I had in mind - that's a $4K boat here right now (it sold 2 days ago or I'd be checking it out)

Same here. The “Trophy” line can be picked up dirt cheap.
Lots of different uses/needs when talking boats. I’d buy a 21’ - 24’ CC for my needs. Sold my proline and not buying another til I have enough free time to enjoy it.

That boat and motor is junk. Wait for a Lund and a Yamaha

They have a pretty nice Mako CC here in Cabela's - which blows my mind. We're pretty solid walleye boat country. Many of the salmon boats are just converted pocket cruisers. Not a ton of CC much less NEW CC and the cost that goes with.

dag, I won't argue about the motor, but I like that boat - well the semi-v equivalent of it anyways

I know you are on a tight budget, but I would hold out awhile longer, save more and wait for prices to drop. Then I would highly recommend a four stroke motor.

I sold a 14' tiller Alumacraft w/25hp Evinrude last fall for $2800.. it was just over 30 years old... Last week on Craig's list I saw a similar boat, same set up on a roller trailer for $5800... it wasn't sold for that... it was just the asking price. The boat market is just crazy...

The same note... I bought a new 16' tiller Alumacraft w/50hp Evinrude on a roller trailer for $15000 last Thanks Giving... I have seen several similar boats on sale last week for $19k to $21k

The boat market is just nuts.... You might do well waiting 'till winter and wait for the boat you want at your price...

They leak a lot and are flimsy. I had one years ago. be patient and keep your feelers out and keep checking every day. good luck