They are sold and serviced by Inland Marine in Au Gres. I fished out of a 17 ft one a few years back and it seemed well constructed. Of course an owner or former owner would have better information.

 

Thanks for the quick response Frank.

 

I have a 2000 Trophy 185 and love it. I only have a 90 Yamaha and wish I had a bigger motor, but it will still do about 32 mph. Nice heavy boat and will handle a decent amount of wave action on the bay.

 

yes...I am still fishing a 1999 TP 195...for those that were wondering.

Which model are you looking at...I think I might have seen the ad for it. I think my 195 was kind of their 20ft option at the time.....I have a 150merc/9.9merc....115 seems a bit underpowered but then again...Scotty likes to drive fast and hit waves hard. (less and less as I grow older though). They are not a dry ride in waves, the kind of waves we all have to fish through on Sag Bay. This might depend on the model though, as I have one that I think is unique in shape/size. They don't really have a big water transom. The upside of that is they sit low and don't get blown around as much as a higher boat. They are a killer river boat though, being wide and stable, with plenty of fishing room, but many other boats will do that too. The fit and finish is not quite up to par with a Lund, but nothing tragic has happened to my boat and I run the poor girl to ragged compared to most people. Kicker, terrova, electronics? You can PM me if you want to chat more about it.

 

Im running a 2000 Tournament Pro 175 CS

90 4 stroke, 9.9 pro kicker, 80# Terrova, Big jon Trees

Tough boat. Sits low in the water. I like it

 

I have a 18' navigator with 115 opti. I love it. wide beam and does 39mph with 3 guys and gear. Rides high and no issues. I think they are put together very well! had crestliner and lund- like this one the best so far.good luck

 

Hi Deer Slayer - I Have a 2011 185 Competitor and really like it and have had no issues. The boat rides great and hits 38 mph with a 115 4 stroke Mercury. I do have to pick my days for the bay as this model has lower sides. I mostly fish the bigger inland lakes and it really shines. My buddy has a trophy 19' of that vintage and is very happy with his boat also. I suppose it really matters how well the boat you are looking at was cared for as to the problems you might face.
Good luck

 

I have a 2011 Trophy 185 and I really like it! Mine has a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke and it will run 42 mph full of gear, 4 guys in the boat, 8 rods and 2 nets sticking up! Plenty of power but I'm not sure I would want much less. It handles waves quite well, and is a pretty dry ride for the most part. Sure you will hit waves at times and feel some spray but I think those conditions would get you wet on any aluminum boat. It's very wide and stable and trolls nicely with the ipilot or 9.9 kicker I put on it.

Only thing I wish was different is the storage access on the top of the gunnels. A bit of a pain when you have to mount your rod holders to the access doors and realize you need something out of the compartment when rods are already set.

 

I have a 2011 Trophy 185 and I really like it! Mine has a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke and it will run 42 mph full of gear, 4 guys in the boat, 8 rods and 2 nets sticking up! Plenty of power but I'm not sure I would want much less. It handles waves quite well, and is a pretty dry ride for the most part. Sure you will hit waves at times and feel some spray but I think those conditions would get you wet on any aluminum boat. It's very wide and stable and trolls nicely with the ipilot or 9.9 kicker I put on it.

Only thing I wish was different is the storage access on the top of the gunnels. A bit of a pain when you have to mount your rod holders to the access doors and realize you need something out of the compartment when rods are already set.

I have a problem with my 21' Lund that does not have much for storage space. I like to perch fish and you need an anchor for that. I have to have my anchor sitting on the floor in the front of the windshield as there is no place else to put it. The Lund is a beauty for getting through the waves and yes you can get wet once in a great while. lol

 

I have a 22012 175 trophy and I am quite satisfied with it. I fish everything from salmon to bluegill with it. I have a 115 Yamaha and an 80 pound terrova. With the hydraulic steering I was able to install an auto pilot reasonably which is especially nice for solo trolling.

 

Not to sound dumb but what is an 80 pound Terrova?

 

I have owned two alumacraft boats in the last 5 years and love them both (still have both of them). I have a 160 CS fisherman for inland lakes and I have a 175 competitor for fishing bigger waters. I could have purchased any boat I wanted back in November when I bought the new Competitor. I purchased it for a couple of reason. One, I like the newer 2xb hulls they have. Two, they are a drier ride than most of the other boats I have been in. Alumacraft has a ton of engineering that went into the design of their water deflectors on the side of their boats. Three, the storage was out of sight. Everyone that has been in my boat loves the storage. The competitor and the Dominator are the same boat. The dominator has less storage but bigger gunnals. My boat is 8 feet wide and 1 inch shy of 18ft.

That said, you are looking at an older model. I would have no problem purchasing one. Curious as to what model you are looking at. Navigator by chance? They were a great boat.

One thing I like about Alumacraft (Lund is also in this category) is they only manufacture a boat under one name. StarCraft (to name one) manufactures boats under several different names. The company stands behind their products. Originally, they had issues many many years ago with hull cracking (back in the 70's) today, they don't have those problems.

I have a 140hp Suzuki on mine. It is rated for a 150 HOWEVER: I went with the 140 simply because it is built on Suzuki's small block 90 and 115 platform. My motor weights 63 lbs less than a 150 and produces 4 more MPH than a 150. On a glass calm day I can hit 50 MPH with my boat with 3 people in it.

Obviously, motor options are not there when buying a used boat however I'm just giving the basics. I would buy another alumacraft in a second if the need arose for me to go bigger.

 

Thanks for the info, you have given me some definite things to think about. I am going to have to look as I do not know which one I am looking at. I don't HAVE to buy a boat at this time as I do have the 21 foot Lund for the bay but would like an 18 or 19 footer as it would be easier for me to load if I take it alone. Right now I have an easy loader trailer with rollers and it basically comes off by itself but loading is a different story.

 

Deer Slayer,

One of the things I have noticed with Alumacraft is that a lot of the dealers utilize "Eagle" trailers. I've seen other identical boats to mine that have been on other trailers and they don't load nearly as easy. Both of my alumacraft's sit on Eagle trailers and everyone I have been with has commented on how easy they load. Part of it has to do with how low they are in the water, the slope or angle of the trailer and so on, but I don't back up any more than anyone else.

My competitor takes one hand to load (not kidding). My dad has a bad arm and shoulder (almost limp arm) and can load my boat. The same with my Fisherman. My buddy has a fisherman (16 footer and identical to my little boat) with a shore lander trailer and he hates loading it. Nothing special on the eagle trailer, just a bunk style.

Trailer makes a ton of difference. If you like your boat but have hard time with the trailer, might be worth upgrading that instead of the whole boat. Heck, I'd be willing to let you put your boat on my trailer and see how it works. I'm sure others would do the same if the launch isn't all that busy one afternoon. You might be surprised!

If a new/newer boat is in the works, you are starting out right by asking people specific questions. I would say to look at several older and newer models and find what you like about them. If storage is a big issue, keep that in mind and don't settle for something. I have always purchased my boats new but I like to look for leftover stock. My competitor was a brand new boat but a 2013 instead of a 2015 (identical boat different decals) I save over 10 grand.

Also, be willing to drive someplace to get what you want. Michigan has tons but I've looked in North and South Dakota for buddies before!

 

Unloading the Lund is a dream as you just unstrap it and back up and hit the brakes. She slides right off. When trying to load she still likes to slide right off. The big problem is the eye that you hook the trailer strap to. It is so low on the bow that it is almost impossible to snap the strap on without getting in the water. I have never had or seen a boat with the eyelet that low. Other than this and the storage problem it is a wonderful boat for the bay. It takes the waves like a dream and very seldom gets any of the passengers wet. It also has all the toys that any grown up boy could dream of having. That being said I still have to have another person with me to load and I like to go even if no one else does so I am relegated to my 14' Lund on those days when I can't find a partner.I have had both new and used boats and have liked all except for two. (one was a tri-hull and the other was too short) I bought those two prior to knowing that you don't buy when you have to but when you don't need to.

Bob

 

Just saw this on craigslist. Go Saginaw. Search "walleye boat" if cant click link. Good luck in your search. https://saginaw.craigslist.org/boa/5133149718.html

 

Just saw this on craigslist. Go Saginaw. Search "walleye boat" if cant click link. Good luck in your search. https://saginaw.craigslist.org/boa/5133149718.html

That is the one that I was looking at.

 

i'am 78 and load my 19ft Slyvan by my self, I put a power wench on no problem. just saying.

 

Unloading the Lund is a dream as you just unstrap it and back up and hit the brakes. She slides right off. When trying to load she still likes to slide right off. The big problem is the eye that you hook the trailer strap to. It is so low on the bow that it is almost impossible to snap the strap on without getting in the water. I have never had or seen a boat with the eyelet that low. Other than this and the storage problem it is a wonderful boat for the bay. It takes the waves like a dream and very seldom gets any of the passengers wet. It also has all the toys that any grown up boy could dream of having. That being said I still have to have another person with me to load and I like to go even if no one else does so I am relegated to my 14' Lund on those days when I can't find a partner.I have had both new and used boats and have liked all except for two. (one was a tri-hull and the other was too short) I bought those two prior to knowing that you don't buy when you have to but when you don't need to.

Bob

I think Cabela's sells planks that U-bolt around the trailer frame so the trailer is easy to walk on to unhook/hook to the eyelet of the boat. I have plywood U-bolted on my duck bolt trailer w/safety grip tape on the wood, I can easily walk almost to the end of my trailer to hook up. I also have slick pads on both my bunk trailers, very easy to crank with those pads. I drive my boats on the trailer, basically just coast on the trailer and trim up and crank the last 1 foot up tight. If your boat is not going on the trailer straight, might be slightly too deep?

 

Thanks for that info on the planks. I will have to take a look and see how it would work. I don't think that I am going in too far as it is about the same as I used to with my 18'. I put the trailer in first the other day and then drove the boat on. It got up to what I thought would be far enough for me to hook on and the boat rolled back off of the rollers. It was on as far as it would go but would not stay there. I have tried about everything except for boards like you mentioned. Just might have to give that a try.

 

Deer Slayer....looks like a great bay boat....may have to take the young man out so he can put you on a basket of fish like that

 

He sure had some nice fish in the basket. I am going out Sunday and would love to catch at least half that batch!