Lund Mr. Pike

[East Shore Jon]

I was thinking of buying a new Lund Mr. Pike 18'. Any thoughts or other opinions on this boat. I think I'll rig it with a 115 or 135 Merc. Maybe a kicker in a few years but wanna keep it cheaper to start. Thanks for any thoughts.

Jon

[frenchriver1]

I saw the line up of Lund's at Outdorama and was not impressed with the level of workmanship and attention to detail, but they seem to sell a large number of boats...

[double trouble]

id go with a used tyee instead. the economy has forced people to dump them recently. just stay away from optimax motors.

[k8vol]

Lund's workmen ship is in the can. I would look for a older lund or a crestliner with the welded hull you don't have the rivit problem that have become a problem of late model lunds. good luck steve k8vol

[frenchriver1]

I was looking at the spray rails one one and it looked like hell, gaps, poorly placed rivets, etc.. Least they could have done is attempted to close the gaps between the rail and the hull, poor engineering.

[East Shore Jon]

Wow, not the support I was looking for but thanks anyways. Still not sure what to do.

Jon

[Still Wait'n]

Jon, I own a 2001 16' Mr. Pike. I have no complaints yet. It does everything I need it to do. I've fished rough water on Lake Mi.. and Pike fished inland waters. The hull does'nt leak and it rides great. This is my second Lund and they are great boats. My neighbor owns the 17 Mr. Pike and he says the same thing he loves it. He had a couple of problems with 2 switches but thats it. Those are fixed. Hope this helps! :)

[Beave]

I had a 2001 17' ProV (essentially the same boat) and I loved it. I was told by a dealer that the ProV and Mr. Pike were the same exact hull, but the ProV is the higher end model and comes with some more bells and whistles. My only complaint was that I wished the side walls were just a little higher for big lakes fishing and I wanted a full windshield.

Adjusted3 has a 17' Mr. Pike and loves his. They're great boats. He says the hulls are different from the ProV. Maybe they were for some model years, I'm not sure. I know that his boat and mine looked like the same boat, layout, etc. I had lockable lockers, a batter charger bank up front, and a few other little things he didn't have, but my boat retailed for $5K more and I'm guessing the guy who bought mine new got ripped off after seeing Mark's.

The late models are probably better boats than the new ones. Like any other boat brand Brunswick has purchased, I've heard from multiple people that quality on new models has noticeably declined as they've looked to "cost out" the boats. I moved up to a larger boat. If I had the money to throw around though, I'd happily buy another 17'-18' boat like my ProV that can easily be trailered. I prefer the big boat, but towing and launching it is a 2-man job. In a perfect world a man has two boats anyways.

[shametamer]

we had a smaller lund 99 model of a 1650 explorer, we beat the hell out of it..she never leaked sold it after 6 years to move up to aluma (junk)craft, prior to that we had lowe,lund, sea nymph, fisher..never really had much problem..until you start moving up to larger hulls and larger engines..I can't STRESS enough..boat motor and trailer final fixings and prep are all on the dealers shoulder...know your dealer..if he is a screw up, chances are your rig will be as well.............but per lund.the factory does not produce a boat until its ordered..so if you are looking at an existing boat..the dealer has already purchased it...if you want different equip the manufacture date now is already backed up to april 10th(meaning after shipping, dealer finishing touches etc you likely be right on the cusp of pike and walleye opener here).. Other boat makers have a more traditional 'run' so they may have supplies of a particular model..we were originally looking at a mr. pike but it does not come with a walk thru windshield..and those friggin "bubbles" shoot they have to be the most useless thing on a boat..lol..maybe keep ur peepee dry but thats about all..lol and at my height the top of the bubble is usually directly in my sight line......lund is one of 3 or 4 riveted boats....thats a debate riveted or welded...each have their flaws and each has their advantages..but judging from the size you are talking.u might want to check the starcraft 180 super fisherman,sylvan 1900 adventurer, tracker tundra, dv magnum186 triton(aluminum) polar Kraft kodiak 1810, even a lowe 185 FS..and plastic..u could give the stratos XFS series a look..more of a walleye boat than bass boat like most fiberglass. even the bigger monark 185 king, i think....and also..dare i say it..the alumacraft tournament sport 185.....all of these boats (without kicker) will be comparable in price to the mr. pike..triton maybe a little more..good luck..lemme know what you decide on!

[East Shore Jon]

Thanks for the input guys. The main reason im considering a new Lund is because there is a new dealer right in town who buys alot of trucks from us. I also like the idea of having a new warranty on boat and motor. Seems like im hearing theres a big difference between the 2005 and 2006 models. Im gunna have to look at both. Thanks again...

Jon

[East Shore Jon]

the factory does not produce a boat until its ordered..so if you are looking at an existing boat..the dealer has already purchased it...if you want different equip the manufacture date now is already backed up to april 10th(meaning after shipping, dealer finishing touches etc you likely be right on the cusp of pike and walleye opener here).. Other boat makers have a more traditional 'run' so they may have supplies of a particular model..

Dealer said that the rep told him 2-4 weeks for delivery of an ordered boat. So im not sure how that wou;ld work out?

[gregm]

As mentioned before - Stay away from the Opti-crap motors.

Although I haven't heard a ton of compliants (yet), I've been concerned that Mercury (Brunswick Marine) would trash the Lunds like they have everything else they've touched. As soon as I unload my current boat (with an Opticrap), I'm going to be buying a new one and I've always wanted a Lund. Keep us informed on what you find out, I'd like to know if there are any problems. I've been looking at the Mr. Pike 18's also (along with the Alaskan 2000). But I'm planning on slapping a Honda on mine.

[perchguy]

I discussed the concerns that you raised with the dealer that sold me my Lund which comes with 60 Merc 4 stroke and he said that a few years ago Merc had some trouble with a small part in the engine that would fail and trash the engine He says that Merc has fixed that problem and that the Optimax's are fine now. He told me that the new Mercury Optimax won the JD Power Award for excellence in its field. If a product is given this award, it means that it has been throughly evaluated by people who know what they are doing and if they say it the best its pretty good bet that it is. In any event the 4 stroke engines have a very good reputation.

As mentioned before - Stay away from the Opti-crap motors.

Although I haven't heard a ton of compliants (yet), I've been concerned that Mercury (Brunswick Marine) would trash the Lunds like they have everything else they've touched. As soon as I unload my current boat (with an Opticrap), I'm going to be buying a new one and I've always wanted a Lund. Keep us informed on what you find out, I'd like to know if there are any problems. I've been looking at the Mr. Pike 18's also (along with the Alaskan 2000). But I'm planning on slapping a Honda on mine.

[Beave]

My Lund had a 135 Optimax and it was great. The problems with the Optis I heard about were the higher-horsepower models, not the 150's and below.

[FreeTime]

I have a 2001 185 Lund Tyee with a 200 Optimax.

No problems to report. I love the boat.

A big difference you will find in the Tyee & Fisherman models versus the Mr Pike or ProV is the dampness of the ride. I have been in Mr Pike's and ProV's and always get water over the sides when running fast. My Tyee can run full throttle at about 55 - 60 MPH is a fair chop and stay 100% dry! Thats a big benefit to me, especially in the cold weather we fish in sometimes. The last thing I need is to be out in 40 degree weather in the Spring with 35 degree water flying in my face.

Dave

[Still Wait'n]

Be careful buying a Merc. I dont have enough time to tell you about all of the problems with the two that I had. First one was a 60 horse second one was a 90 horse. My friends was a 50 horse 4 stroke. Good luck! I will never own another one.

[allskater08]

I would seriously give some thought on the 150 mercury verado. I know atleats i am the kind of guy that will second guess what he buys if its not the best thing or highest power rating alowed for the time. i think verado also makes a 125 model but im not for sure. verados are nice, all digital, high performance 4 stroke, 4 cylinders. I wish i would have had the opportunity to get one when i bought my boat. The extra money would have been worth it.

[happyhooker2]

Dealer said that the rep told him 2-4 weeks for delivery of an ordered boat. So im not sure how that wou;ld work out?I ordered a Lund Alaskan SS 3 weeks ago for duck hunting, they told me 7-8 weeks for delivery.

[bentrod]

I have a 2003 Lund 17 Mr. Pike with Merc. 125. Love it! Some of the early Opti Max engines had problems, but they have been a very good motor as of late. If I were to get a new boat it would be a Lund with a Merc on the back.

bentrod

[perchguy]

Thanks for setting my mind at ease. With all the talk about how bad the Optimax's are I was tempted to have my dealer hang a Yamaha on the back but it would cost almost a $1000.00 more. Do you have the Optimax or the 4 stroke?

[gregm]

Before you do, check out this thread.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126733

Pay close attention to the response by "goosebustr79" whom is a Marine Service Tech. I'd suggest contacting him via email or pm.

Yes, I am there still bashing Opti's, but not only do I have first hand experience on how big of junk they are (several times over), since I've been fighting Merc on these engines, I've also found out just how big of a crowd exists that have had the same problem. What really p!sses me off isn't that its junk -- that happens sometime with new technology. Its that Merc will not stand behind their product and get me a new motor. They may have to pending my Lemon Law complaint, but I'm not holding my breath. I would hate to see someone else make the same mistake I made -- trust me, it sucks having a motor you can't trust supplied by a manufacturer that won't stand behind their product.

[bentrod]

Thanks for setting my mind at ease. With all the talk about how bad the Optimax's are I was tempted to have my dealer hang a Yamaha on the back but it would cost almost a $1000.00 more. Do you have the Optimax or the 4 stroke?

I have the 125 Classic, 2 stroke, carb. Needs to be choked to start, but always starts, and I fish up to Dec.

bentrod

[perchguy]

Begin a new search (http://www.jdpower.com/presspass/index.asp) | 2006 Press Releases (http://www.jdpower.com/presspass/yearlyreleases.asp?Year=2006) http://www.jdpower.com/images/dwnld_pdf.gif (http://www.jdpower.com/pdf/2006025.pdf)
http://www.jdpower.com/images/pdf_help_btn.gif (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html)CONTACT:
John Tews (East Coast)
(248) 267-6800
Peter Dadlani (West Coast)
(805) 418-8103 J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
PCM, Honda, Mercury and MerCruiser Rank Highest in Marine Engine
Customer Satisfaction

Boat Owners Report Fewer Engine-Related Problems

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 16 February 2006 — PCM, Honda, Mercury and MerCruiser rank highest in customer satisfaction in four engine segmentsin the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Marine Engine Competitive Information StudySM released today.
With impressive improvements in both product satisfaction and quality, Mercury Marine ranks highest in two of four engine segments. Mercury ranks highest in the direct-injected (DI) two-stroke outboard segment, and Mercury MerCruiser ranks highest in the EFI sterndrive segment.

Enough said. I hope mine is as good as J. D. power says it is.

[shametamer]

i'd take anything J.D.Power reports with a grain of salt....if you are going to trust their evaluations of products....i have a fox that is out of work, do you have a henhouse?:lol: I will reiterate....THE dealer..DEALER dealer dealer is the final link in putting boat , engine, trailer package together and the final touches. should the dealer be reputable and competent I'm sure your engine will perform well..if the dealer is a 'boob' all bets are off..beyond that, if you have problems...dealing with a conglomerate like brunswick(lund,crestliner,triton, princecraft,lowe,baja,abermarle,bayliner,mercury, mercrusier,motor guide, etc) will never be easy for the little guy. Having any doubts at all, take the engine to a good marine mechanic and have it checked out before you ever stick her in the water!

[gregm]

They also won the same award in 1999 for the 225 Optimax, that is the same motor on my boat right now. The press that accompanied the Optimax is largely why I bought it, boy was I misled.

Hey, all I'm doing here is spreading the word about these motors, I really don't want to see anyone go through what I'm going through right now. It all comes down to your own decision, Someone asked a question and I'm relaying my fortunes:

A couple blown powerheads (ranging from '99 - 04 model years)
FOUR (yes four) ECM's
5 Fuel Injectors
Out of 58 months of ownership - 16 in the shop
A blown powerhead on a trip in Canada, Little bay De Noc, and the UP.

You may buy one and be fine ----OR you may end up like me, BUT there are a lot of people like me, more that Merc wants to deal with.

[Still Wait'n]

I had the same problems with my two Merc's. Make sure if you buy a merc. that you get the extended warranty and perhaps miss a bunch of days on the water. I had the extended warranty on my 60 horse, thank god. But I did'nt on my 90 horse and mercury drug out fixing it for the full one year untill the factory warranty ran out. I could'nt afford to keep it at that point and traded it 2 days later. I also just got done talking to my friend in Ohio and he told me his friend just bought a 4-stroke merc. last week and put it in the water for the first time saturday and it would'nt start. :rant: Be careful!