NYBasser

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.

I would definitely go with 2 screens, you can maximize the information that way. Split screens don't look great imo and you're gonna get a much much smaller picture of each going split on a 16" vs 2 12"s.

Can't go wrong with spybaits, jerkbaits, c-rig, ned, dropshot, keitech, and hair jigs

I’ve had some decent success up north here with the keitech. They bit really well early in the morning but then wouldn’t hit it the rest of the day. Could be any number of reasons, weather conditions, time, color, etc. On sunny hot days they usually prefer a slower presentation over a moving bait.

I did in my 920 Elite, makes it way easier to put away and take out rods and I can fit a ton more. The rods toward the bottom are a pain to get but it’s the same with the tubes anyway imo

Same as any other medium heavy rod, Carolina rigs, small swimbaits, flipping, jigs, etc. Adding 2 inches to a rod isn't going to change that much

I would go with as big of a boat as your budget allows. Longer and heavier (glass) boats are going to ride and handle better in rough water. Fwiw, my buddy fishes erie and ontario out of a 17ft glass triton and does just fine. Just gotta know the limits of yourself, your equipment, and pick your days. Take a good look at the Lund warranty/customer service before you decide to buy one. My buddy just got burned by Lund as the original owner of a 4 year old Fury 1600. The boat was not involved in any accidents, and the transom cracked and the retaining wall on the side completely split from the transom. Lund wants him to cover 30% of the repairs now, about $2000 according to them. Their quote to fix the transom is $6000 on a boat that was $13k new 4 years ago (including the engine that’s at least half the price of the boat). So much for a lifetime hull warranty. And no the dealer said they can’t do anything due to the extent of the transom damage so it has to go back to the factory, (they said Lund should’ve just sent him a new boat). If you read the fine details of their warranty, the coverage is only good for 3 years, and after that they prorate the repair costs starting at 70% coverage year 4 and 10% reduction for every year after. Most other companies that I know of offer lifetime hull and structural coverage and will fix the boat on their own dime. Just some food for thought.