mww982 Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 I recently got back into fishing and have been just hitting the ponds around where I live. I am planning on joining a bass club as a non-boater next year to learn a few things before venturing in buying a boat. I have settled on that I am going to buy an aluminum boat with no more than 150 HP motor as my first boat. I am leaning towards a Vexus, most likely the AVX1980. Are they any other manufacturers I should keep an eye on. I like the look of the Lund but it will most likely be a touch out of my price range. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 20 Global Moderator Share Posted August 20 What Lund are you looking at? The Lund Renegade is less expensive than an AVX. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king fisher Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Lund's are worth the extra cost, but having a dealer you trust close to where you live is as important as the brand of boat. There are many excellent aluminum boat manufactures, but not so many excellent dealers. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted August 20 Super User Share Posted August 20 5 minutes ago, king fisher said: Lund's are worth the extra cost, but having a dealer you trust close to where you live is as important as the brand of boat. There are many excellent aluminum boat manufactures, but not so many excellent dealers. I agree, the proximity of the dealer and their service should play an important role. Hauling a new boat 2 hours away because they have to address an issue is not convenient by any means. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User slonezp Posted August 20 Super User Share Posted August 20 10 minutes ago, king fisher said: Lund's are worth the extra cost, but having a dealer you trust close to where you live is as important as the brand of boat. There are many excellent aluminum boat manufactures, but not so many excellent dealers. 3 minutes ago, gimruis said: I agree, the proximity of the dealer and their service should play an important role. Hauling a new boat 2 hours away because they have to address an issue is not convenient by any means. Yes and yes. Former Lund owner. Crappy warranty experience with the dealer AND with Lund. Overall design/quality of boat...OUTSTANDING! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mww982 Posted August 20 Author Share Posted August 20 1 hour ago, 12poundbass said: What Lund are you looking at? The Lund Renegade is less expensive than an AVX. The PRO-V Bass X. Vexus has a dealer close to me, Lund does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mww982 Posted August 20 Author Share Posted August 20 1 hour ago, king fisher said: Lund's are worth the extra cost, but having a dealer you trust close to where you live is as important as the brand of boat. There are many excellent aluminum boat manufactures, but not so many excellent dealers. Are there any that I should stay away from? I also like the look of Xpress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Jig Man Posted August 20 Super User Share Posted August 20 The Xpress has good lift and a nice ride. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 20 Global Moderator Share Posted August 20 6 hours ago, mww982 said: The PRO-V Bass X. Vexus has a dealer close to me, Lund does not. I figured that’s what you were proving out since you said it was more. The Pro-V and the Vexus AVX are two completely different boats. To be fair the Renegade and the AVX are different as well but closer in comparison. X press is probably going to be your closest comparison to the AVX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Catt Posted August 20 Super User Share Posted August 20 A 3 part review of the AVX1980 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mww982 Posted August 20 Author Share Posted August 20 12 hours ago, 12poundbass said: I figured that’s what you were proving out since you said it was more. The Pro-V and the Vexus AVX are two completely different boats. To be fair the Renegade and the AVX are different as well but closer in comparison. X press is probably going to be your closest comparison to the AVX. If I still lived in Michigan, it would probably be a Lund. The seem to be more popular in the north than they are down here in Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Catt Posted August 20 Super User Share Posted August 20 A friend of mine has the AVX189, its the non pad hull. This hull was discontinued but new ones can still be found. Its an 18' 7" with a 94" Beam & a 115 hp. Handles chop very smooth & dry. An friend has a AVX1880, it is a pad hull. This is 18' 10" with a 95" beam & a 115 hp Suzuki. The boat corners very well, handled 2 1/2' chop smooth & dry. The AVX1980 should fit you needs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaubsNU1 Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Gonna get a lot of opinions here, pros and cons, etc. My $0.02.... Find a boat you like (layout, length, storage, hull, color, etc.) Find a good dealer relatively close Get the biggest motor you can afford Get the best electronics you can afford Do it all up right, the first time ("buy once, cry once...") Put the dang thing in the water and fish...no regrets! Good luck with your search! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted August 21 Super User Share Posted August 21 Vexus boats are sharp looking. I don’t see many around here, but I check them out every January at the boat show. Lund, Alumacraft, Crestliner, and Smokercraft are all very popular here. Deep V hulls outnumber bass boats by a fair margin too. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Functional Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 When I've looked at them the below were on my list Crestliner MX (huge deck) Lund Pro-V Vexus AVX Ranger Alpha (new, over your HP limit) Xpress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator 12poundbass Posted August 21 Global Moderator Share Posted August 21 40 minutes ago, Functional said: Crestliner MX (huge deck Every time I see John Cox on the front deck of his boat, I think of a scaled down aircraft carrier. 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Functional Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 2 hours ago, 12poundbass said: Every time I see John Cox on the front deck of his boat, I think of a scaled down aircraft carrier. 😁 They really are massive. I'm curious how the boat rides though being able to have a deck that large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airshot Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 On 8/20/2024 at 6:58 PM, DaubsNU1 said: Gonna get a lot of opinions here, pros and cons, etc. My $0.02.... Find a boat you like (layout, length, storage, hull, color, etc.) Find a good dealer relatively close Get the biggest motor you can afford Get the best electronics you can afford Do it all up right, the first time ("buy once, cry once...") Put the dang thing in the water and fish...no regrets! Good luck with your search! Great idea if you know what you really want. Poster mentioned he was new to the game, big expense to make a wrong guess as to what he really needs. My opinion would be to grab something used, fish for a couple years before making a big jump to an expensive new boat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassResource.com Administrator Glenn Posted August 22 BassResource.com Administrator Share Posted August 22 I'd go with the Vexus. Founded and run by the same leaders that built the legendary Ranger boats (before they were sold to Bass Pro Shops). They don't skimp on quality and standards. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 There's a bunch of good aluminum boats on the market now. A good friend of mine has a Vexus AVX1980. It's super nice, and rides/fishes like an aircraft carrier. Some of the earlier aluminum Vexus boats had problems with the hulls cracking. Vexus repaired that, and took care of the people who had problems. The newer ones don't have those problems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex from GA Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 Friend of mine has an Avid 20XB with a 200 that he really likes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRiver Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 I’ve got a Polar Kraft, got as a basket case, stripped down to the ribs. I was impressed on how it was built and the welds. Don’t know of you have a dealer near you, might be worth looking into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junk Fisherman Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 Quite a few people complain about the downgrade in quality of the Lund Pro V Bass on the owners' Facebook page. Nothing terrible and it's still my boat of choice the next time around but the reports are a little disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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