Alumacraft Competitor Owners

[Big Iron]

I’m in the market for a slightly used or new boat after several untimely mechanical issues with my current vessel. I’m in the budget range of $+-25K. I do enjoy a good glass boat, but this next purchase will be aluminum in the 175-185 length range. I’ve narrowed the candidates down to a (walk thru windshield) Lund Impact, Alumacraft Trophy, or Alumacraft Competitor. I usually fish smaller more protected water, but like to venture on the big water a couple times a year. I like the Competitor more than the Trophy- I’m not sure about those gunnels. The Trophy would definitely handle bigger water better than the Competitor, at the sacrifice of storage and space.

Very open ended question- anyone out there own one of the above mentioned boats, and do you love it? Thanks for any input.

 

[guywhofishes]

"those gunnels"?

 

[Callem'In]

I have an Alumacraft Edge w/ the wide gunnels and would not trade them for anything. They offer good storage and something to lean against when netting and fighting bigger fish. They also work great as more seating when slip bobbering.....

 

[johnr]

I have an Alumacraft Edge w/ the wide gunnels and would not trade them for anything. They offer good storage and something to lean against when netting and fighting bigger fish. They also work great as more seating when slip bobbering.....

I saw a guy get an effn ticket down at beaver bay for sitting on the gunnel while the electric trolling motor was going. Stupid, but turns out is breaking some law of some sort to sit on them... I do it too, the ProV has huge gunnels.

 

[guywhofishes]

yep, wide gunnels are a blessing IMO

I jump around on mine all the time while pitching too.

Royce likes knocking stuff that is laying on them into the water.

 

[Big Iron]

Can a guy ever have TOO MUCH GUNNEL?

 

[KDM]

I have a '97 Trophy 185 and love it. It's rated for a 175, but I have a 135 on it right now. When cash allows, I'd like to put a 175 on it, but for now the 135 will have to do. They don't make the same floor configuration that I have anymore so you'll have to take what I say with a grain of salt. I have a complete splash well in front of the motor, the bait well is elevated, and there is a cubby to hold the canopy when not in use. Basically, the waves have to be much taller than the motor to come over into the boat. We have a kicker motor mounted on the transom and a 24 v trolling motor on the bow and neither one has caused any problems with the boat. I've not had a leak of any kind, hull issue, transom issue, gunrail, floor, or any other structural problem and I've used it a lot. The only thing I did when I bought mine was to add a fastener on each side of the windshield by the drivers seat and passenger seat as it looked to me that it had too much slop. After 20 years of use, we are finally going to replace the front flooring. Everything else is solid. It's been stable in 8ft waves and is a breeze to load and unload. Other than that, my boat has been a solid fishing machine and can take big water or small. If you would like pics, just let me know and I'll send you some. Good Luck!! I hope you find what you like.

 

[BBQBluesMan]

- - - Updated - - -

Haha I agree. I like big gunnels and I can not lie!

- - - Updated - - -

I saw a guy get an effn ticket down at beaver bay for sitting on the gunnel while the electric trolling motor was going. Stupid, but turns out is breaking some law of some sort to sit on them... I do it too, the ProV has huge gunnels.

Seriously? That seems a bit freaking ridiculous.

 

[lostinnd]

I have a 2011 Navigator 175, I HATE the wide gunnels and would never own another boat with them. All they do is take up valuable interior space.

 

[GSM]

I have a 1992 alumacraft dominator that I would sell you for right in your price range!! Hell, I'd even go on the low end say 20K. The gunnels are a little wider than the competition at the time, but they are good. :;:cheers:;:cheers

 

[guywhofishes]

I have a 2011 Navigator 175, I HATE the wide gunnels and would never own another boat with them. All they do is take up valuable interior space.

On my TP175 (2004) I store EVERY tackle box in side storage under one side - love it!!!

 

[Coyote Hunter]

I saw a guy get an effn ticket down at beaver bay for sitting on the gunnel while the electric trolling motor was going. Stupid, but turns out is breaking some law of some sort to sit on them... I do it too, the ProV has huge gunnels.

What? Please explain this... I had no idea that is illegal. Has anyone heard of this. Is it illegal if wearing a lifejacket? What kind of warden would write that ticket....

 

[revolutionz]

Funny thing is, I'm looking to upgrade to a glass boat. PM sent.

 

[Fuzz-E-Grub]

I have a 2014 Lund Impact Sport 1775 with the 115 four stroke. I really like it. It has tons of storage (no gunwales) although none of the storage is truly dry storage. I fish mostly on smaller reservoirs which it handles very well. I've had it on fort peck a couple of times, including some rough stuff that it handled well, you just have to be smart about it. The jump seats that fold into a fishing platform are a nice feature and the in floor rod locker is huge. Things I would change would be splash guards ( it takes water if back trolling into waves) , a kicker would be nice, and the Lund cover sucks a big one.
Overall I'm very happy with it. The hull pops the boat up with ease and handles well. Hope this helps.


updated to reflect proper spelling.

 

[Allen]

gun·nel
[ˈɡənl]




NOUN

gunnels (plural noun)

• an elongated laterally compressed fish with a dorsal fin that runs along most of the back and reduced or absent pelvic fins. It occurs in cool inshore waters of the northern hemisphere.

gun·wale
[ˈɡənl]

NOUN

gunwales (plural noun)

• the upper edge of the side of a boat or ship.

Personally, I've never tried a gunnel.

I am on the fence with the wide or narrow gunwales, current Lund has pretty wide ones to offer storage under them. I have looked at the Impacts and am not sure I'd like the narrower gunwale. I need something to set my Leatherman down on that gives it a chance to go into the deep blue. What can I say, I like living on the edge.

And while I have never seen a warden give a ticket for someone riding on a gunwale, I have heard it's illegal. I suppose it's to prevent people from falling overboard when a drunk driver takes a radical turn at speed. If the law was written any other way it would be tough to enforce. e.g. Can't ride on a gunwale when boat is going greater than 5 mph as it would require a warden to carry a radar gun to determine speed.

 

[johnr]

What? Please explain this... I had no idea that is illegal. Has anyone heard of this. Is it illegal if wearing a lifejacket? What kind of warden would write that ticket....

I would guess it was around 5 years ago, and they also had the sheriffs dept there, giving out BWI's and checking livewells, fishing licenses, boat registrations, life jackets, etc. We had no issues, but about every 3rd boat was getting a ticket of some sort, including 4 BWI's.

 

[Jiggernaut]

I have a 2015 Lund Impact 1850. Lots of storage. It doesn't have wide gunwales, but the storage on the sides make great shelves for setting things on. Love my boat, but you won't find a new one for $25K

 

[Colt45]

From the ND game and fish boating safety guide:

[h=3]Termination of Unsafe Use[/h]Any law enforcement officer who observes a vessel being used without sufficient lifesaving or fire fighting devices or in an overloaded or other unsafe condition as defined in Department regulations and in his or her judgment such use creates an especially hazardous condition, may direct the operator to take whatever immediate and reasonable steps would be necessary for the safety of those aboard the vessel, including directing the operator to return to mooring and to remain there until the situation creating the hazard is corrected or ended. For the purpose of this provision, an unsafe condition is any of the following:

1. Operating without required boat safety equipment.
2. Operating in an overloaded condition.
3. Fuel leakage or presence of fuel in the bilges.
4. Riding on the bow, gunwales, transom, or on the backs of seats without taking precautions sufficient to prevent falls overboard.
5. Operating a boat in a state of gross disrepair, rendering it in unseaworthy condition.
6. Operating in weather or water conditions which endanger the boat and its occupants.

 

[Big Iron]

*Gunwale- noted

Must be an old time term coined from people using the ledge as a rest to shoot guns...at whales? Interesting...

 

[Marbleyes]

I have a 2014 trophy 185 LE with a yamaha 175 and a Yamaha 9.9 kicker. I really like the boat. I primarily fish sakakwea and it handles the big waves nicely. Not as nice as a fiberglass of course but it's a stable heavy pig of a boat. If you mostly fish smaller protected lakes, I would look at something lighter and not as deep so loading and unloading on smaller lakes is easier.

This is is the second trophy I have owned. The first was an 03. Since 03, they have made some really nice improvements. For example, the wide gunwales on both sides of the boat have storage. The passenger side has rod storage and the drivers side has a deep storage area. There is also a rod locker in the bow of the boat that's really nice. The LE trophy also has a sliding drawer on the passenger and drivers side on the floor. Above the sliding drawers on both the passenger and drivers side has cargo netting for additional storage, which can be accessed from the bow of the boat via locking doors or from underneath the dash from the drivers and passengers side. Also, there is cargo netting on both sides of the bow. There are 3 storage compartments on the bows floor and a livewell/cooler. The back of the boat has 2 jump seats which are nice. Under the drivers side jump seat is another livewell. Not sure how much more storage a person really needs because I carry a stupid amount of gear and it all fits nicely. I am also a huge fan of their built in track system for easy movement of rod holders.

I know alumacraft redesigned the trophy in 2015 and made them more of a fish/ski boat. I have zero interest in a ski boat so I went with the 2014. I haven't seen another 185 trophy with a 175 motor on it and was glad I found one that did. The 03 I had had a 130 Honda on it, which was a great motor but it was underpowered being that those 2xb hulls are so damn heavy.

I traded the 03 trophy in for a fiberglass Skeeter 1880. I soon regretted that decision because of the $6000-$7000 I was quoted to repair the gel coat damage and interior structural damage on the Skeeter. I had bought warranty coverage for the Skeeter and they would not stand behind their product and had the worst customer service I have ever seen. They told me it was just cosmetic. They based that on a few pictures the repair place sent them even though the repair place said it was clearly caused by interior structural damage. Anyway, I soon traded that in and decided I would never own another glass boat again and bought a new alumacraft trophy and haven't looked back since. The trophy has held up real nice and has been in some really nasty sakakawea shit. If you do get a trophy, I highly recommend maxing out the hp at 175 but wouldn't get anything lower than a 150hp motor since they are so heavy and you need all the power you can get to reduce the bow lift and porposing that the trophys have. Anyway, you asked for an opinion and I gave you a long winded one.