Further North

I prefer recessed decks. but not a lot like a walleye boat... Mine are maybe three or four inches below the gunwales... ...enough to stop stuff from rolling off or getting booted landing a big fish...but not enoug to get in the way while I'm fishing.

Dude...another thing we have in common...I have Keen striped feet starting about mid June.... I don't wear the camo ones though...I wear what ever is on sale at Mason Shoes, or Sierra Trading Post.

Coupla things: A '14 Escape doesn't weigh 3,200 lbs., it's over 3,700 with the tow package (more than 15% more, for the math heads like me) You don't have to modulate the brakes because they have anti-lock brakes...so stomp the pedal and steer as needed. ...also, run the math on total swept area of brake to total pounds in motion with truck and trailer... The new Esacapes with factory tow packages have the same built in anti-sway that the big Fords do...it utilizes the the anti-lock brakes, the traction control and the AWD to bring sway under control, PDQ...I tested it with a trailer before I bought the vehicle. I'm going to go back to the basic assumption that anyone who is saying it does not work well hasn't tried it. Well over 2,000 miles towing, just last year, on the longer trips I took... I'm not going to convince the die-hards, and I honestly don't want to...and they should use what they like anyway...but I know for a rock solid fact the Escape works just fine, and perhaps some others won't get wrapped up in the false paradigm that they have to have a truck that costs $50K new to pull a fairly light boat and trailer. Do the math, run the numbers, study the specifications and ratings...then make the best decision for what you want to do. Technology changes things, and this is one of the things that's changed... A couple more thoughts: How many huge campers do we see out there that outweigh the trucks pulling them...and if we go back a few years, before lighter weight campers...how many more were there? I've pulled them myself, never had a problem...and yes, plenty of idiots pulled out in front of me. ...How many semis pull trailers that are many, many times heavier than the truck? If the vehicle is designed for it (and that's what the tow rating is for) it works just fine.

A-Jay, I think you're on the right path and await your experiences with the new Lund. I love the layout and utility of my CMV, and what you're getting looks to be nothing but an improvement.

I ran a 55 lb., 12 volt trolling motor on a smaller boat for a couple years...I would have loved more power and it was almost always running low on battery power by the end of a day on the water. I've been running a 101 lb., 36 volt Minn Kota Terrova for several years on three different boats (Lund Pro-V 1800, Crestliner Pro-Am 1750 and a Crestliner CMV 1850) and I really like the power and battery life...I've never even been close to running out of battery charge on some very long days, even in current or strong wind. With all that in mind, I'd go with at least an 80 lb., 24 volt system on a boat the size of yours...and I wouldn't hesitate to go to a 36 volt system at all. I can't ever recall anyone being unhappy they had too much power with a trolling motor.

Great review of a promising boat - thanks! I have an '05 Crestliner CMV 1850 and this new Lund looks like the evolution of my boat - similar layout (I'd go with the bench seating) even more storage and some other improvements. I'm not in the market, but I keep an eye on things just in case.

You're not wrong at all...but I've had that happen...and have been more than able to control the vehicle and trailer. I've also had full size (up to and including Chevy Suburbans) and I've pulled up up to 30' campers...and I still think a modern vehicle like an Escape works just fine. I'm not trying to pull a 22 ft. glass bass boat with a 300 HP motor on a monster of a twin axle trailer... There's plenty of HP and torque, low enough on the power band to be useful, great brakes (with less overall weight to deal with, built in anti-sway...it simply gets the job done and done well...and get the added benefits of a more efficient, less expensive vehicle every day. Please note that I've not criticized anyone's choice to go to a half ton...that's what they should do if they want...but the uninformed criticism of some of the smaller vehicles - especially the newer ones - is both unfounded and incorrect.

Not true. If what what you mean "In your opinion..." that's an entirely different statement...but I can tell you for a rock solid fact that the 2014 Escape can pull a 3,000 lb boat with no problems...as long as the driver isn't stupid about it. Again, you are welcome to come over anytime there's open water and give it a try. I've been towing trailers since the 1970s and the newer Ford Escapes with the factory tow package tow a boat the size of the one I have as well as any other vehicle I have used.

If it's really obssive compulsive, it's be CDFO. Gotta be alphabetized...

I had the same thought...then I thought; "Pretty cool, wish I could have done that."

My boat is an '05 Crestliner CMV 1850...It does not have the typical "walleye" style V-hull, nor do the sides come up as far. It's got an 11° dead rise, and high decks front and back. That's what it looks like from above.

Bob? Any time you'd like to come see it, you are welcome to. Ice comes off the water sometime between March and May, freezes back up around Thanksgiving. To be polite, you are wrong.

It is always - IMO - worth the money to have a disinterested pro check out prospective boats if you can work it out. We all get a little...focused...when we're looking at a new rig...imagining ourselves fishing on our new acquisition...we might tend to kinda gloss over a few things.

I came back to check on something and found I have a question: I am wondering how an 18 fott glass boat winds up around 2800 lbs. when my 1850 Crestliner is about the same? Here's how my Crestliner works out: Boat, empty: 1300 lbs. Motor (Johnzuki 140 4 stroke): 410 lbs. 4 batteries: 229 lbs. Charger: ~ 50 lbs. Terrova 101: ~ 60 lbs. Two Humminbird units, wiring, network stuff, transducers: ~20 lbs. Humminbird 360°: 15 lbs. Gas (41 gallon tank @ 6 lbs/gallon): 246 lbs. Trailer: 880 lbs. That's 3,210 lbs, without gear. My gas tank is normally about 1/2 full or less, so my "around here" weight is right around 3,100 lbs. I'd expect an glass boat (just the hull) to weigh at least a few hundred lbs. more. Not a challenge, just curious, trying to learn about stuff...I've avoided glass boats because of weight and my aversion to beating them up on rocks that I fish around a lot...but if I'm off on the weight, maybe I'd consider one if something happened to my Crestliner.

There's usually quite a few out there. Lots get bought with good intentions and not used much...I bought my Mad River 14 a couple years ago from an older couple for $300...it looked like it'd never been in the water. It doesn't look like that now...

I pull an aluminum Crestliner 1850 that weighs somewhere right around what you are looking at with a '14 Ford Escape...it works great...and I've been towing (boats, campers, car trailers) all my life, so I'm hardly a rookie. I was on the water at last once a week last season, and took three trips over 500 miles. The escape buries bigger trucks with day to day MPG and got 18.9 MPG round trip to Canada pulling the boat. My last two tow vehicles have been a Chevy Trailblazer and a Saab 9-7x (which is a Trailblazer with a Saab badge on the hood). Both are more than adequate to the task of towing a 2,800 lb. boat. I guess I wonder if anyone who says they are not has actually tried one... Base your decision on what the manufacturers rate the vehicles for...they are not going to rate a vehicle artificially high, the liability risks would be insane to contemplate. That said, the new style Ford Escapes are out of your budget range, but I would expect you could find plenty of Trailblazer/Envoys that might meet your needs. They are a great vehicle and will do a good job for you if you like them...what they won't do is get significantly better MPG than a full size truck, particularly if a lot of your driving as in town. A 1/2 ton Chevy, Ford or Dodge will do the job very well for you, but one thing I noticed when I was buying my last three trucks for towing is that prices for used pick-ups were just nuts...I could get a newer small SUV with lower miles on it for the same money as an older pick-up with a ton of miles, or vice versa, spend a lot less for the small SUV the same age with similar miles.

I've used a Terrova since the came out - a 55 lb. model on a Tracker V-14 and a 101 lb, 36 volt system on a Lund Pro-V, a Crestliner Pro-Am 1750 and a Crestliner CMV 1850. That Terrova has been updated as improvements came along, and now runs iPilot as well as Link. Love them, wouldn't go back to a cable steer on a bet. I get why some guys like cable steer, but for the way I fish it works great. I either program in a route, use an existing route, or simply aim the motor where I want to go, set the speed and I fish. No screwing with the boat control, except perhaps for slight adjustments every now and then...and I'm free to walk around the boat while I'm fishing. Better yet, I tell the boat to follow a contour (or offset from a contour) around a piece of structure...and I fish....while the Terrova does the work. Spot Lock is another great feature that a lot of folks will use. It's not going to keep you dead on a spot (you'll move 5 ft. or so before the motor kicks in) but close enough. Someone will likely mention that Terrovas make noise when they turn...they do...but I do not believe for one moment that they effect fish that hear all kinds of noise all day, every day in the summer...maybe on a remote lake where there's no pressure...but Don't see a problem on Canadian Shield lakes I fish. If you run right over the top of a fish in shallow water...sure they'll spook...but they're gonna spook regardless. One other thing I'll add: A lot of people recommend going with a 24 volt, 80 lb. system for a bot the size of mine...but If you can find room and absorb the extra cost you will never, ever be sorry if you go with a 36 volt system. More power in wind and current, and you'll never run out your batteries. No one I know who has moved to a Terrova (or the competition's copy) and who has not tried to use it like a cable steer has had any 2nd thoughts about making the switch.

I had to go look up the Anchor Wizard...I like it...It's an improvement over a standard drift boat anchor system, easier to manage and doesn't leave a pile of rope in the boat/canoe/kayak.

Here's how I'd look at it: If I liked my existing boat and motor, and it worked well for the kind of fishing I do...enough storage, handles the kinds of water I fish...all that "stuff"...I'd keep it forever. If I had motor issues I'd put a new motor on it before I'd get rid of it...and I'd hand new electronics on it every so often. If I was "getting by" just because the boat was paid for - if it ticked me off while I was fishing, which means it's cutting into my enjoyment...I'd swap it up to another rig that was closer to what I wanted. I won't buy new...can't stand the depreciation...but I understand the folks who like to do that.

THey are correct - #6 will be fine. I'm just nuts.

...I used #4....

I can never think of a good reason for going with thinner wire...

That's what I do, then rig it myself. I save a bunch of $$$, and I enjoy the work.

My boat is light for an 18+ footer (<1,100 pounds empty) and does not have high sides, so it doesn't get batted around in the wind much...and there's still no way I'd go with less than a 36 volt system for exactly the reasons you mention: I don't want to get blown all over and that 101 will hold me in all but the worst wind, I want that long battery life - I often fish 10 or 12 hour days and always have plenty of juice left. A couple of other things: I fish a lot of current, that 101 will hold me in some pretty decent current. If I really need extra power I've got it. We had to run back about 5 miles on LOTW last summer because I had a problem with my starting battery...took about 2 hours on the Terrova, fishing all the way... It probably costs me an extra 75 - 90 lbs. between the extra battery and the 4 bank charger, but it's worth it to me.

Very nice rig!