Fish-Hawk.Net

Howie,

I have read this thread with interest since you have posted the question.

I do not have experience with Legend boats other than what I have seen at the boat shows.

My opinions are as follows.

Legend boats are entry level boats just like Tracker (I have a Tracker) there really isn't anything wrong with the boats but their fit and finish are nowhere near as nice as say a Lund or a Princecraft. I would suggest going to see a legend and a Lund in person. Flip the cushions over and take a look at the stitching, take a look at how the seats are made, look in the storage areas and note how these areas are finished. The closer you look, the more you will realize what the differences are.

Welded vs riveted is a personal choice. Welded will not ever have a leaky rivet but doesn't offer the flex of a riveted. There are pro's and cons to either option. I have a welded and it has served me well for 5 seasons.

Resale value. Legends don't retain their value like a Lund does. Is this perceived superiority or is there a reason for this? I don't know but if I am dishing out money on a new boat and have priced the two out and there is virtually no difference, I would go Lund hands down.

Regardless of what you end up buying, getting out on the water is what matters so good luck on your quest!

Adam!!

howie, does that model come pre-wired for a 24V trolling motor (you'll definitely want at least a 24V motor for a boat that size)? I looked on the Legend website and couldn't tell. I think you'll find that most of the other brands mentioned in this thread would come with that feature. Another thing mentioned was battery storage. Here is a picture of the in floor battery storage on my 16 foot Alumacraft. These are for the 24V trolling motor. The starting battery is at the back of the boat. Everything is tucked away nice and clean and they don't take up any of the remaining storage space (these batteries are actually under the rod storage compartment).

As for other thoughts, is there easy access to the bilge in case you need to change a pump out or get at live well connections and stuff like that? In looking at the stern of the boat, it doesn't look like there is much of a splash well? If you get into some lumpy water and take the odd bit of spray or wave over the back, is it going to drain out or fill your storage compartments? Is it easy to get under the gunnels for mounting rod holders and downriggers in the future (if you want to do that of course)?

Stuff like this may not seem like a big thing when you are first shopping, but they really add to the overall package. Spend some time looking at the small things as well. That's often the stuff you really notice 2-3 years out from your original purchase.

The Legend only comes set up for 18V, though the forward battery compartment could probably fit two group 24 batteries, I modified the boat because I bought group 29. If the OP wants to stick to group 24 he could probably jam two in the front compartment and just replace the 4 feet of wire and the receptacle for about $50 and be done with it.

I wanted group 29 batteries, and an on board charger which simply take up a lot more space. My design philosophy with electric motors or batteries for tools or equipment is to oversize everything by a decent margin. Most of the time what I've got installed is absolute overkill, I could run my boat for days in calm waters. Given my forgetfulness, those times I forget to charge the batteries have yet to ruin a day on the water for me, and that was a good part of why I chose to go a little overboard

I spend most of my time on the Big Rideau and every few trips usually when I've had great success in my first hours on the water, I just spend my day exploring. A typical day for me on the water is 8 to 12 hours on the water. I've run all the way from the way from west of Trout Island to the Rocky narrows exploring the western edge of the deep channel which has got to be several Km without bringing the batteries down below 50%. Did much the same following the eastern contours of the channel from the Narrows down.

I'm saying that, because I'm thinking that for most guys group 24 batteries would suit most far better.

Anyway I've got some pictures, I just have to pull them off my phone and upload them, I'll try to remember to do it before the evening is out.

I have a 1992 Legend V175 Sportfish & 100hp Merc.

This boat has served me well over the years, she has been road hard and put away wet. It has seen two dogs S & P in the boat, kids, rock collections, countless worm container spills, coffee spills etc.

Last year I developed a leak that I have yet to find and address. If given the money I would do a full restore with a few modifications to my beloved Legend. Is it the best aluminum boat in the market? No. But I'm cool with that. It's my boat and I like it. When I throttle up "Bad To The Bone" starts playing in my head....

I had the opportunity to fish with RJ last year and noted that his Lund was more stable side to side than my Legend.

I have a 70lb Maxxum on my boat and love it.

This is a big purchase, as others have said take the time to check out all the players in the game. Compare the features to see which boat will compliment your style of fishing.

Good luck.
Drop

OK so here are a couple of pics of what I did. I think I mentioned that I did a bit of a rough job on some of it. To be honest I barely notice it anymore and it only came to mind looking at the pictures. That little walk way was wasted space as far as I'm concerned, now its a spot for my batteries and a few extra square feet of deck, which also leaves me the battery compartment as extra storage.




Since I was pulling pictures off the phone. I caught my biggest laker since I started fishing for them 3 years ago on the Big Rideau that day. As a rule I don't like keeping big guys like that but I had a lot of trouble landing it alone and has serious doubts about whether it would survive being released.

Many thanks for the thoughts, opinions and advice. Much appreciated.
Mike: thanks for sharing the photos of the modification. Great fish!
Howie

Not sure I'm seeing the same thing about fit and finish that gives Lund or Princecraft the handsdown nod over the Legend. I know its comparing apples and oranges in some respects but I owned a Princecraft 166 but a 2003 and found some design aspects irksome that are not duplicated on the XCalibur 18. Big part was the rear bench seat conversion to casting deck. This is very elegant in the Legend 18.

The thing that kept pulling me back to the Legend over other aluminum vessels in this range was the sturdy hull constuction. It's just a more solid hull and I liked that compared to a alum hull a little over half as thick.

My previous boat experience is mostly with fiberglass keel boats so quite a different set of considerations. Common to all vessels of course is once you own the boat, you'll get to know all her fine points and the irksome ones. (Kind of like a marriage eh?) You'll customize, tweak, and improve on the stock design to your personal preference. (Yes - don't try that with the wife!). Like Adam said, being on the water beats being ashore and I'll add that in the long run, cheaper than therapy.

Full disclosure: I pulled trigger on the XCalibur with the 115 Merc. Should get her on the water this weekend. Like a wee lad with Christmas looming I am.

Thanks again good folks for the great input.

Cheers,

Howie

Cool stuff - hope you enjoy.

Being boatless but dreamy eyed I quite enjoyed this thread!

Congrats, I'm sure you'll love it.

I have the 18' Xtreme (99% same boat) - third summer with it. I went Tim Allen style and put a V6 outboard on it

I hear lots of people brag about their Lunds, Princecrafts and Crestliners and I'm glad they're happy with them. They claim they are somehow better but I go over all the new models whenever I'm in a show room or boat show and have not seen anything that would make be want to replace what I have. That's a nice feeling that's unlikely to end soon - and one you should enjoy too!

Brian.

Congrats Howie!

I am sure you will love it!

Good stuff now post some pictures

Thanks. Don`t actually pick-up the new ride until Friday. Will post some pix of her then.
Howie

Congrats, look forward to the pics!

Been remiss in posting a photo of my new boat. Sure enjoying it. Finally goy a picture of the boat on the water - as opposed to people (and the occasional fish) on the boat.

Having has any real peeves with it. Was worried about my 12v 55lb trolling motor but haven't found myself under powered or short on juice even with what would be a long day on the water for me.

Hope the season goes well.

Howie

Nice boat!