So after months and months of looking at boats and having used boat deals fall through, I am close to pulling the trigger on a new boat hopefully in the next month. My two choices are the Tuffy X-190 and the Lund Pro V Bass pedestal version. I am a Great Lakes smallmouth fisherman who also fishes largemouth and fishes HP-restricted lakes so putting a kicker on is vital. I know no one has the Lund but there are several X-190 owners here. I am 80/20 right now in favor of the X-190. Both boats will meet my needs but I am looking for assistance in making the best choice. Here are my thoughts as to why I am leaning towards the Tuffy. Please comment on anything you disagree with or that I am overlooking.
1) Rough water ride: fiberglass > aluminum The fiberglass X-190 will give a smoother ride in choppy waves over the aluminum boat. In 3’-4’ waves both deep Vs will be comparable. I won’t be riding on plane in those waves.
2) Boat control in the wind: fiberglass > aluminum The fiberglass X-190 will sit in the water while the Lund will get pushed around more.
3) Top end speed- Not a major factor for me but the X-190 will run a few mph over the Lund. The X-190 is 200 lbs lighter and has a 6” narrower beam.
4) Kicker motor- The X-190’s transom is ready for a kicker. Not sure about the Lund and neither were they when I asked.
Both boats have huge front decks and the distance from the water is comparable. The Lund has more storage but the X-190 still has plenty to carry all my gear. I love the jump seats on the Lund but if I take out the Essox extension I can put down another seat. (I take it there is room for a base and another pedestal seat.)
Price is comparable between the two boats. I have been waiting to see the price of the Pro V bass to see if it’s substantially less than the Tuffy. After receiving quotes on both boats, they are close enough that the price will not influence my decision. Actually, the Tuffy I priced out has the passenger console and power steering which the Lund did not have.
So any feedback or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks. Paul
Posted 1/2/2016 5:48 PM (#797813 - in reply to #797793) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 1023
I fish St Clair in an aluminum. If you can I would get the Tuffy.
Aluminum is a rough ride on the Great Lakes. My friends glass boat is way smoother and my boat really pounds - especially as I Find St Clair's waves to be spread out wider and my boat is only a Fish Hawk 1600.
If I can afford it I will go with a Tuffy on my retirement boat.
Posted 1/2/2016 8:57 PM (#797837 - in reply to #797793) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 897
Get glass, but make sure you test drive before you buy. The only X-190 I've been in pulled hard to one side. Despite the owner bringing it back to Tuffy numerous times the issue was never fixed...so he traded it in on a Skeeter. I doubt they're all like that, but I sure wouldn't buy one without driving it first.
Posted 1/2/2016 10:07 PM (#797842 - in reply to #797793) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
I have owned 3 X190 models and all three ran very well.
The boat underwent a bottom redesign a few years ago, loves a high performance 4 bladed prop, needs to be propped correctly, and is designed to carry a kicker on the starboard side. It's also a high performance hull so one needs to use the trim switch.
Watch the video linked above, that's the ride you can expect.
Never under power an X190, especially under 150 HP. Tuffy stopped production of the tlller model because the boat needed more HP. A completely new X190T powered by 90 HP is scheduled to come out in the 2017 model year; I have driven the prototype.
The Lund is a great boat as well, check both models out at the upcoming shows.
Posted 1/3/2016 8:18 AM (#797852 - in reply to #797793) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 117
Paul, sounds like a tough choice! Have you seen both boats in person? Both seem great to me, but the lund is much wider so Id bet my left arm the lund feels like a much larger boat. The video above is great, but in dead-calm conditions like that the lund will have just as nice a ride--we really needed to see that with a gnarly unpredictable "wind blowing against the current" chop to differentiate the hulls. I'd be shocked if the glass boat didnt have a much smoother ride, but...
Pulling to one side, as in the above post, without knowing the setup (diff props, hydraulic steering, etc will influence this) could easily be an engine thats too high--properly set up there should be a little pressure to one side but not excessive and lowering the engine should reduce the steering torque--this is SOP on a bass boat and I would imagine the tuffy is similar in that regard.
Id also be shocked if the Lund isn't much more stable to fish from. I think you mentioned you were going in on this with your dad, not sure his age and health so that could also be a consideration. The only other observation is that the tuffy appears to have eight or 9 inch high gunnels, well the Lund seems to have gunnels more like a true bass boat. If you do a lot of pitching this might be a consideration, otherwise might not matter one way or another. Looking forward to hearing what you end up with!
Posted 1/3/2016 10:59 AM (#797868 - in reply to #797852) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 228
Location: Tinley Park, IL
Macintosh - 1/3/2016 8:18 AM
Paul, sounds like a tough choice! Have you seen both boats in person? Both seem great to me, but the lund is much wider so Id bet my left arm the lund feels like a much larger boat.
Id also be shocked if the Lund isn't much more stable to fish from. I think you mentioned you were going in on this with your dad, not sure his age and health so that could also be a consideration. The only other observation is that the tuffy appears to have eight or 9 inch high gunnels, well the Lund seems to have gunnels more like a true bass boat. If you do a lot of pitching this might be a consideration, otherwise might not matter one way or another. Looking forward to hearing what you end up with!
Hey Dave,
No, I haven't seen the Lund in person yet. I've been in the X-190 and it is plenty roomy. And I could always take out the side console if I wanted the extra space. Yes, I would expect the difference in beam to make the Lund feel bigger. There is a chance I get in that Lund and know it's the right boat for me. I truly believe that I will be very satisfied in either of these boats but for the money, I think glass is the better choice for me.
I hear what you're saying about pitching the shallow stuff. Nothing will compare to your Pantera in that regard. I have been in contact with the X-190 owner that made that awesome Youtube video on the X-190 and he tells me he likes the X-190 better than the Ranger he had for fishing shallow stuff. But overall, I fish Lake Michigan probably half the time whether I am in Sturgeon Bay, Grand Traverse Bay, Bay de Noc, or my day trips out of northwest Indiana. Add a couple trips to HP-restricted lakes and that makes up my fishing year. LOL about my dad. His fishing nowadays is sitting in the back of the boat, dragging a senko, and drinking coffee. I doubt he'll ever go fishing in the boat without me.
Going to find an X-190 to look at again next weekend and then the Lund as soon as my nearby marine shop gets it in. Hope to have a decision made by next month at this time. Thanks Steve and everyone else for the info.
Posted 1/3/2016 11:38 AM (#797871 - in reply to #797868) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water
I was a loyal Lund guy all my life and there was absolutely nothing wrong with them but as I kept going to larger boats and fishing larger water I personally ran into a few things.
The wind drift in my larger Lunds was definitely an issue, even with an advanced trolling motor like the Terrova I-plot. The larger freeboard acted like a sail. When we were finesse fishing for Bass like Paul will probably be doing we had difficulty holding on spots.
We also learned that Aluminum can only be bent/formed so much which doesn't give you the best ride in rougher water.
So after 35+ years of owning Aluminum boats I switched to a Tuffy 2 years ago. Many of you know me, have fished with me, and have read my posts. My Tuffy compared to my Lunds is like going from a Tractor to a Porsche. Now granted I am running the 1760 which is smaller than the X-190. But the 1760 is an absolute solid/stable boat. At rest with three adults in it the thing doesn't budge (Period). I would expect the X-190 to be the same solid platform, (not better because that isn't possible). I would expect the Lund Paul is looking at will be a very solid/stable boat too, it should be for an 18'+ long boat. However the wind drift in a boat that large will definitely be an issue.
I would have purchased the X-190 if my storage allowed it but I am kind of locked in with what I have. However now that I have the 1760 I am glad I didn't get the X-190 because the 1760 performs so well for us.
Oh ya, we pitch jigs all the time out of my 1760 which has more inside rise than the X-190.
I personally would never go back to an Aluminum boat again.
Posted 1/3/2016 4:44 PM (#797905 - in reply to #797871) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 228
Location: Tinley Park, IL
btfish - 1/3/2016 11:38 AM
Oh ya, we pitch jigs all the time out of my 1760 which has more inside rise than the X-190.
:)
Hey Brad. Thanks for the insight.
What do you mean by inside rise? I know the beams of the X190 is 90" vs 84" in the 1760. I did check out the 1760 and that is a sweet boat as well that I have recommended to several people.
Posted 1/3/2016 8:37 PM (#797932 - in reply to #797905) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 117
Paul S - 1/3/2016 5:44 PM
btfish - 1/3/2016 11:38 AM
Oh ya, we pitch jigs all the time out of my 1760 which has more inside rise than the X-190.
:)
Hey Brad. Thanks for the insight.
What do you mean by inside rise? I know the beams of the X190 is 90" vs 84" in the 1760. I did check out the 1760 and that is a sweet boat as well that I have recommended to several people.
Yeah, I wish I out on the water today too!
Guessing inside rise is gunwale height over the deck based on my comment. I pitched all the time out of my lund that had fairly high gunwales over the deck too but it forces a little different motion that I think is more tiring and more difficult to be accurate, etc, and Id dare say it makes enough difference that it's WHY bass boats have low gunwales. Totally agree it doesnt prevent anything, just a refinement if you spend a lot of time flipping docks or stuff like that. If it's irrelevant most of the time then its a non-issue anyway.
Posted 1/4/2016 9:11 AM (#797970 - in reply to #797793) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 206
"Oh ya, we pitch jigs all the time out of my 1760 which has more inside rise than the X-190."
A follow up question to the comment above as it relates to skipping/flipping under and around docks... You need a good side arm angle to do this effectively. So, If you are standing in the bow of the 1760 and side arm casting off the starboard side, is there clearance to do this (with a 6.5-7 foot rod) or would you hit the side console? The x-190 appears to have ample room to do this but curious about the 1760.
Posted 1/5/2016 5:14 PM (#798236 - in reply to #797793) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 228
Location: Tinley Park, IL
Anybody have an X-190 I could come take a look at this weekend? Northern IL to Southern WI would work. Just want to confirm everything I remember when I checked one out last spring. Thanks for the consideration.
Posted 1/6/2016 5:27 AM (#798301 - in reply to #798258) Subject: Re: Boat Choice
Posts: 228
Location: Tinley Park, IL
sworrall - 1/5/2016 6:45 PM
Mike's is being built right now.
I've been in contact with him and he's working on something. I just thought if someone had one that lived within a few hours of me, I take a quick look at it.
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