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Location: Green Bay, WI | I had two Alumacraft boats in the years before buying my current boat...a Lund Tyee. While the Alumacraft hulls are built like tanks and will literally go through anything, they aren't exactly graceful by any means. Not that there's anything wrong with that mind you, just that the Lund tends to be a bit more refined. But you pay more for the Lund, without a doubt--and it does show at resale time. But for the most part, what made my decision this time around was the memory of getting my two previous Alumacraft, and then spending hours & hours trying to figure out how to improve the functionality of the boat to match the Lund boats I had looked at before buying the Alumacraft. I just wanted to go fishing now, and not worry about all that stuff...
That all being said, I would bet that EITHER boat will do well for you. I have had "pro" level boats from both manufacturers, and can say with absolute certainty that either of them will go through what the other will go through. So it's going to be the little things that will make the difference: resale value, fit & finish, storage, quality of hardware in each boat. You simply need to go look at both of them and decide how important any such difference is to you. When I was buying, the comparable Lund was $2500-3000 more than the Alumacraft...at least. On some units, it was closer to $5000. In one case, the dealer for Alumacraft had more engine choices, and the ability to hang a Suzuki 4-stroke would have saved me about $2K right there; compared to the Merc Verado I ended up with on my Tyee. My current boat was a hold-over, and had been discounted--so the end savings basically erased that difference. And by the way, my Lund dealer (Mr. Outboards, Green Bay) is simply OUTSTANDING--I couldn't have hoped to buy a boat from nicer people. Many of the staff have become friends, and I find myself stopping by when in the area, just to say hello.
But in the end I guess that it simply came down to not having the time to mess around trying to make a Lund out of an Alumacraft boat. My old Alumacraft Tournament Pro 185 rode very well in rough water, and so does my 1850 Tyee. Both hulls are extremely well-made and very safe. I don't know the models the OP is contemplating, but knowing both company's products I would have no concern at all about quality of hull construction. However I know several guys who have owned the same Lund boat for 5-10 years; yet very few who have owned the same Alumacraft more than a couple years. That right there tells me all I need to know...
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