Alumacraft

[Musky Plug]

Hi guys, 

Seriously looking into purchasing an Alumacraft In the very near future. I have been a passenger in one a few times but never personally driven one. Can anyone offer any input on Alumacraft boats, or any experience with loose windshields or cracked consoles? Or any first hand experiences good or bad? Thanks. 

[GBW]

It's a BRP product line now I think so.  Never been in one.  Look nice as my work did sell them this past summer.

Edited October 13, 2022 by GBW

[CrowMan]

They made quality boats...right up there with Lund, however now that BRP bought them they seem to be taking a different direction.  A good thing or a bad thing...I guess time will tell..

https://youtu.be/8Tf6DvkHkIQ

Edited October 13, 2022 by CrowMan

[Musky Plug]

8 hours ago, CrowMan said:

They made quality boats...right up there with Lund, however now that BRP bought them they seem to be taking a different direction.  A good thing or a bad thing...I guess time will tell..

https://youtu.be/8Tf6DvkHkIQ

Definitely an interesting design but I’m looking at the Competitor FSX models specifically. 
 

 

[Musky Plug]

9 hours ago, GBW said:

It's a BRP product line now I think so.  Never been in one.  Look nice as my work did sell them this past summer.

Did you see of any boats coming back on warranty work or any issues with the boats? 

[GBW]

11 hours ago, Musky Plug said:

Did you see of any boats coming back on warranty work or any issues with the boats? 

Actually nope.  Not a single unit that I am aware of.  And the FSX line is still going to be powered with a Merc and not the new rotax from what I see.  I'm not in sales so I could be mistaken...  I work in parts and cover service when they are busy.  

[AKRISONER]

Can’t speak to them now but my family owns a 2015 trophy 185 and it’s been nearly flawless. only complaint thus far has been that one of the side storage areas covering came unglued/stapled but it was easily repaired. 
 

Ours has a yamaha 150 so obviously in that regard it’s been flawless.

after riding around in some lunds I can honestly say there used to be literally no distinguishing differences between the quality and ride of the boats.

I don’t have any faith in BRP’s marine division, the last set of rude motors were a joke.

Edited October 13, 2022 by AKRISONER

[akaShag]

I bought an Alumacraft Escape 165 this year and I am DELIGHTED with it.  Mine is a tiller boat.  Fabulous ride, roomy layout, and a 40 hp Yamaha pushes it as fast as I wish to go in a fishing boat.  I would have bought a Starcraft or a Lund if I had found the model I wanted for the money I was willing to pay, but I am very pleased with this purchase.

Doug

[Musky Plug]

2 hours ago, GBW said:

Actually nope.  Not a single unit that I am aware of.  And the FSX line is still going to be powered with a Merc and not the new rotax from what I see.  I'm not in sales so I could be mistaken...  I work in parts and cover service when they are busy.  

The boat I’m leaning towards is an fsx with a 150 Yamaha sho. 
 

1 hour ago, AKRISONER said:

Can’t speak to them now but my family owns a 2015 trophy 185 and it’s been nearly flawless. only complaint thus far has been that one of the side storage areas covering came unglued/stapled but it was easily repaired. 
 

Ours has a yamaha 150 so obviously in that regard it’s been flawless.

after riding around in some lunds I can honestly say there used to be literally no distinguishing differences between the quality and ride of the boats.

I don’t have any faith in BRP’s marine division, the last set of rude motors were a joke.

Have you experienced any other issues with quality?
 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by Musky Plug

[GBW]

47 minutes ago, Musky Plug said:

The boat I’m leaning towards is an fsx with a 150 Yamaha sho. 

It's dealer dependant as to the power (motor) as we are Merc where as Walsten's in Kinmount sells Alumacraft AND Yammy's

[AKRISONER]

11 hours ago, Musky Plug said:

The boat I’m leaning towards is an fsx with a 150 Yamaha sho. 
 

Have you experienced any other issues with quality?
 

 

Absolutely not, the reason we bought the alumacraft was because we wanted that top of the line kind of quality at a lower price point, plus the ability to easily run a yamaha…that’s what we went with and it’s been bulletproof.

the 2xb hull is right there with the best aluminum hull ride qualities I have experienced. That includes lund tyee and north river.

I think my old man has one other complaint actually, the port side storage compartment on the Gunnal tends to take on a little bit of water when it rains. They didn’t do a good job at diverting water from getting into it. In the same light, I’ve never had a boat that’s kept compartments bone dry when you put them out in the rain. I typically end up having to open up my compartments to dry out the boat after a hard rain anyways.

the issue here is that the boat cover that he has doesn’t perfectly cover that storage compartment and therefore he gets some water in it.

I think if you leave any boat out in the rain full time the compartments are going to get wet.

maybe someone wants to counter me on this one? But I’m on my third fishing boat a skeeter, and now a stratos and the alumacraft and they have all been the same as far as I’m concerned. 

I think sometimes that’s related to the level of humidity that builds in them when they are left shut. The areas of carpet that Are squeezed together in the compartment areas stays wet unless you open them.

Edited October 14, 2022 by AKRISONER

[captpierre]

On 10/12/2022 at 11:20 PM, CrowMan said:

They made quality boats...right up there with Lund, however now that BRP bought them they seem to be taking a different direction.  A good thing or a bad thing...I guess time will tell..

https://youtu.be/8Tf6DvkHkIQ

Interesting concept. But I see it’s really a 2 stroke ETec injected Rotax engine. Wouldn’t touch it for years till it’s proven. 

[bigcreekdad]

I traded in a 16.5' tiller last year that I owned for 21 years. Like 60+ trips to Canada, and plenty of other use in northern part of Michigan's LP. Excellent boat....very stable, lots of storage etc. I traded it on a Crestliner, but that was only because I couldn't find any similar Alumacrafts for sale in Michigan. You won't be sorry. I truly think the top 3 in aluminum fishing boats are Alumacraft, Lund, and Crestliner. I've owned all three over last 40 years. I would take any of them, but I'd say the Lund is a bit overpriced compared to the other two.

[Rattletrap2]

On 10/13/2022 at 8:21 PM, akaShag said:

I bought an Alumacraft Escape 165 this year and I am DELIGHTED with it.  Mine is a tiller boat.  Fabulous ride, roomy layout, and a 40 hp Yamaha pushes it as fast as I wish to go in a fishing boat.  I would have bought a Starcraft or a Lund if I had found the model I wanted for the money I was willing to pay, but I am very pleased with this purchase.

Doug

Doug, That is the exact boat i have. I bought mine new in 2017. Also a tiller and 40 HP Yamaha. I wish now, that I had gone for the 50 HP because they come with power trim. It would surely be nice to have. Otherwise, I love it.

[Moosebunk]

Dealership I'm with and mechanic I only use and trust has looked over some Alumacrafts these past few years and he thinks they're pretty awesome! I do too. I like that 2XB hull biz, I did own a smaller Alumacraft tiller for a time and was happy with the ride.

[msp]

My buddy sold his 19 ft Alumacraft for a 19 ft Lund of similar specs. He regrets it and said he liked the Alumacraft better. So either way great boats from what I have heard 

[mike rousseau]

I got a 185 competitor tiller 

 

picked up last December

 

so far so good

 

absolutely love the rig 

 

biggest complaint is radio/speakers never worked right and radio is garbage so eventually I’ll replace it