Legend XTR 18 advice.

[captpierre]

Friend of mine looking at buying a new one on sale now. I’m pretty sure Hull is welded. Throwing in lots of upgrades. Including 115 Merc 4st. $40k. 

How are their welded hulls? 

Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks, Peter. 

[porkpie]

I’ve never met a legend owner that was truly satisfied.  Most often you can find a similarly equipped boat from one of the better brands for a similar price.

[Freshtrax]

we have a 2005 19.5 ft legend.  hull is nice.  no complaints. Ours is a starcraft hull with legend stickers .

[DRIFTER_016]

13 hours ago, porkpie said:

I’ve never met a legend owner that was truly satisfied.  Most often you can find a similarly equipped boat from one of the better brands for a similar price.

Have had mine for 28 years now and I have been satisfied. So now you can say you have met one. ?

[dave524]

Hasn't Legend sourced their hulls from a number of different manufacturers over the years ?  Fisher and Smokercraft come to mind ,  maybe others ?  Some may be better than others

 

edit: interesting older thread   https://ontariofishingcommunity.com/topic/44468-does-smoker-craft-build-legend-boats/

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by dave524

[Lape0019]

I will say that Legend boats have come along way in the last 20 years. If there is one thing that I have never heard someone complain about regarding their legend, it is the hull. It is everything else they complain about.

Fit and finish, quality of carpet, being underpowered.

A 115 would move that boat along quite well but your buddy will probably regret not getting one with a 150 it is rated for. And that is always peoples biggest gripe. These are price point boats. They always have been and they have sold a ton of them doing it. Stick the absolute smallest motor on it to keep the costs down and try and sell as many as I could.

Now, if he is paying $40,000 with the 115 4s, it is a good discount but not something that I would be jumping all over. You could probably get into a Lund Impact that is leftover setup the same way for the same price. I would also look at a Crestliner or a princecraft as well.

You have to remember, this is a price point boat just like the Trackers ( I had one before anyone jumps on me). They are there for entry level customers who want a boat but cannot justify the costs of setting one up properly. If you are going to set either of these boats (legend or Tracker), your price is going to be relatively the same as buying a premium brand boat.

 

 

[porkpie]

4 hours ago, DRIFTER_016 said:

Have had mine for 28 years now and I have been satisfied. So now you can say you have met one. ?

Haven’t you rebuilt your boat entirely to your own specs LOL... I’ll re-phrase it.  I’ve never met a less than handy legend boat owner that was truly happy.

[DRIFTER_016]

2 hours ago, dave524 said:

Hasn't Legend sourced their hulls from a number of different manufacturers over the years ?  Fisher and Smokercraft come to mind ,  maybe others ?  Some may be better than others

 

edit: interesting older thread   https://ontariofishingcommunity.com/topic/44468-does-smoker-craft-build-legend-boats/

 

Yes, mine is a Fisher hull.

[DRIFTER_016]

1 hour ago, porkpie said:

Haven’t you rebuilt your boat entirely to your own specs LOL... I’ll re-phrase it.  I’ve never met a less than handy legend boat owner that was truly happy.

Only rebuilding was the transom this year.

Everything else I have done over the years is customization.  ?

[leaf4]

I have an 06 legend xcite 16' and it's a nice entry-level boat. My hull is made by StarCraft it is the welded .100 gauge.

I only spent $4500 on it, used obviously and have put some coin into outfitting it to suit my fishing which is mostly smaller inland lakes

If I were in the new market I would be looking at a Lund adventure, however I saw one at bay city marine in Hamilton and it was 36k for a 17' with a 115, don't recall if it was 2 or 4 stroke.

 

There are also a bunch of nice Lund explorers on Kijiji at the moment for a lot less than he's looking to spend.

Edited August 16, 2019 by leaf4

[Old Ironmaker]

I haven't any experience on the Legend to comment on the quality of that hull. It can come from a number of hull builders. I would ask who supplied the hull and of what gauge and the quality control of the suppler? And have the sales guy prove it. I have seen as many cracks in a welded hull as loosened rivets in the non welded hull. Like any other aluminium there is going to be the question of how and where it's used as  in what type of water as far as leaks are concerned. Hammering 2 meter waves on the Great Lakes will degrade any hull faster than rolling down a smooth quiet river or small inland northern lake, welded or riveted. As far as Legend I agree it is an entry level vessel. 40K isn't chump change but for that much money I would consider a Lund or StarCraft over a Legend, there is more to a boat than a hull, important of course but the engine dependability is a tie and the fit and finish will drive a boater insane if it isn't great. Spend 40 grand on a boat and the glove box won't stay closed will make the Pope swear like a Sailor.  Engineering and design  is very important as well.  Look at the difference in width of the gunnels on a StarCraft or Lund than that of a Legend. A 115 Merc 4 stroke is a very good engine, he will wish he bought a 150 in 2 years if it is rated for 150, that I guarantee.  And don't tell a Honda, Yammy or Rude owner a Merc is little more than a black anchor, but now they come in more than black! 

Fall is a buyers market, dealers do not want to carry that inventory until spring and it is a time to get a deal. A Marine dealer will sell for below dealers cost in the off season, inventory is a killer to any dealer, Marine or otherwise. Tell your pal to shop around. There are better boats available for that money I am sure. Buy in November or later. The season is more than 1/2 over anyway, shop around.

Edited August 17, 2019 by Old Ironmaker

[Esox Alliance]

I have to weigh in here after 5 years of ownership and 4 years of use muskie fishing out of my 18xtr I have just had my warranty on my hull deemed "null and void" because cracks have formed in the "lifetime warranty" hull. I have it in writing from Legend that this is due to the boat riding on the trailer. They claim the trailer had broken bunks after it sat in their yard for a month. They may have been sagging a bit, but they surely weren't broken when I dropped the boat off. They claim that loading the boat and unloading the boat from the trailer is damaging to the hulls, yet they refused to warrant it. They added it may be from driving on bumpy roads as well. I would highly recommend anyone reading steer clear of Legend boats. I bought mine new in 2019 and the service has been a nightmare since the moment I paid for it!

[BillM]

Yikes, that's some Bull.   

[Terry]

Get a Lawyer sent them a letter

of intent to sue

[glen]

The pattern of cracks might lead to to the area that the trouble started.  Poor welding, too thin of aluminum, not a good design.  It would remove their claim of user abuse.  
sad story.  

[Dara]

Should a boat designed to be on a trailer and sold on a trailer not be capable of riding on a trailer?

[AKRISONER]

just putting my 2 cents in...if its a legend made by smokercraft in the 2000's stay the hell away. My buddies rivets all blew out and the boat was basically sinking constantly. This was in a 2004? Not to mention it was literally the worst riding boat I have ever been in. 

[porkpie]

Another satisfied legend owner…. Although I joke, that truly sucks.  Sorry about your warranty issues.

[BillM]

I've got zero complaints about the old Legend tiller we had, that thing was built like a brick **** house though.  Definitely nothing like the Legends of today. 

[PM6794]

I also bought an F19 in 2019 from the guys in Innisfil, they tried to cancel my pickup date 2 weeks out. Speedo tube was never clamped to the back of the gauge so it pissed water all over the floor in the first hour of use, they never ran ethernet cable to my bow mount finder so it only worked in display mode, my port side gunwale has delaminated from hours of musky trolling. 

All small problems I just sorted myself, frustrating but it happens. 

Recently my boat began leaking excessively, they inspected and deemed there was an impact on the hull (small indentation from what I believe is from shore loading since I think I'd remember crashing into a shoal) which has been deemed to be responsible for the 8 inch section of seam weld that has failed 2.5 feet away and is sinking my boat.  warranty deemed to be void, advised to through insurance. quote is 31K to repair, 7K in labor and 20K 'sublet repair fee' with no details to parts or otherwise, plus tax. 

Poor quality finishes, a hull that's prone to disintegrating if you so much as put a small dent in it, and customer service that is truly laughable and pathetic. When I asked questions regarding the warranty I was told to reach out to my insurance adjuster if I had any more questions about my boat. After the quote was submitted, the same guy is pestering me about where we're at with the insurance claim. they only have time for me if they are going to make money. criminals that won't stand behind their product. I will never buy another Legend boat, and I will advise everyone I know to stay away from their products