NYBasser

I also added weight to the first 2 rods I built and was not a fan. I've since resorted to building split grip rods as you can adjust the length of the grip to help change the point of balance.

Garmin for FFS and Humminbird for Mapping and Side/Down/360. Garmin's side/down imaging and navionics mapping are more than adequate for what you'll probably need them for but since I have both, I prefer humminbird for those specific tasks.

They're made in China/imported by J and H Tackle in Oakdale, Long Island. They mostly make inshore saltwater rods and a handful of bass rods that I know of. I personally haven't used any but they're fairly popular with the inshore flounder/fluke fishing guys.

I'm pretty sure the point blank 701LXF has the same issue, I just got back from a trip to the St. Lawrence and my 701LXF exploded into 4 pieces on the first fish, I've built 3 so far and this is the second one to break, the first one did during load testing of the guides. I love the point blank casting rods I have built but haven't put them through the ringer just yet and am weary about building another point blank finesse spinning blank. No issues with the NFC xray finesse spinning rods I have built.

Anything roughly around 1/4 oz, I personally prefer rods with a softer tip for finesse baits and I felt that from fishing the 701lxf it has a stiffer tip than what I would like. It would make a great wacky senko or strolling rod but I prefer the sj732 for lighter dropshots and ned rig fishing.

I built a spinning rod on a point blank 701lxf and the rod is a lot more like a medium power rod imo. I fished it against an nfc sj732 and it definitely has more power than the nfc blank. I'd assume the 701mlf is even heavier than that which probably isn't what you want for a finesse rod.

You're probably not going to see any drastic improvement going from AGMs to lead acid deep cycles. I'd suggest running a single 100ah+ 12v lithium starting battery for the motor + graphs which should give you more than plenty of power. I currently run Ionic but I've heard decent things about the much cheaper LiTimes. If you're looking at spending another $200+ on 2 new group 31 batteries you might be just better off going with a single lithium. Something is wrong with either your wiring or batteries though, definitely should not be having power issues with 2 group 31s in parallel.

Yes people bash stuff online all the time. If you’re looking for negative comments on a Lund forum, you’re probably not gonna find much though. Someone who just spent $80k on a new Lund is probably not going to be bashing their new boat that they spent all their hard earned money on unless something was majorly wrong

A boat with higher gunnels is going to blow around in the wind more because there’s more surface area that the wind is contacting, it’s basic physics. People don’t like to talk about the negatives of their boat because they’re biased.

Triton, Nitro, and Ranger are all owned by White River Marine aka Bass Pro. You'd get much better customer service after the purchase at Phoenix/Skeeter imo. If money is your greatest concern then go with an 18ft boat. That being said, I've fished Ozarks a couple times out of my Phoneix 920 and those yacht wakes are no joke.

This right here. Lund’s “Limited Lifetime Hull and Transom Warranty” is actually prorated so they cover it fully for only the first 3 years. Starting in the 4th year, you are responsible for 30% of the repair cost, 40% in the 5th year, and etc. This is exactly what happened with my buddy. He had a transom failure in year 4 of owning his Lund Fury 1600 and ended up paying around $4k out of pocket to get his boat that was $13k when he purchased it new fixed. If he had a bought a Phoenix instead he wouldn’t have been charged a dime because they actually stand behind their products.

The trailer issue isn’t just limited to Phoenix. It’s all brands because they all use trailer parts manufactured by Dexter/UFP regardless of the brand of boat you buy. This is the case for Lund, Ranger, Nitro, Phoenix, Triton, Caymas, etc. You also hear about more issues from Phoenix because most Phoenix owners are typically younger guys traveling around the country fishing tournaments due to the great incentives that Phoenix offers. Those trailers are gonna see more issues simply because they see more use. I’d argue that the typical Lund owner is more like a guy who takes his boat to the local lake once a week. Find a reputable local dealer instead of Bass Pro. If you were to ever have a warranty issue come up, you’d have a much easier time working with a local dealership Also I highly recommend that you call each boat manufacturer you’re interested in and try talk to someone there about their boat. You’ll see right away what sets Phoenix apart from the rest.

The 819 is a great boat and if you're set on new and that's all your budget allows, I would go with it. But that being said, since you fish Ozarks, I would be looking at some used 721's just for increased size, storage, speed, and rough water ride.

In terms of Phoenix a 721 proxp would be the best value for a 21 ft boat, 819 for a 19 ft boat.

If you're looking to spend 60k+ I would be looking at glass boats. Phoenix makes a great boat and so does BassCat, but I would highly suggest doing your own research on the different companies before you decide to buy. Lund makes a nice boat but my friend had a tough time getting them to honor their "lifetime transom warranty" on a 4 year old boat so I personally wouldn't feel comfortable spending that much on one.