Lund Renegade

[michiganoutdoorsman]

I like how the Lund Renegade (1875, 1975) is laid out, but can’t find much on how they do in bigger waters. I know it’s an aluminum, it’s lighter and will not handle rough water as well as glass. I have searched far and wide and find guys love them, but never say how they are on bigger water. It would occasionally be on Grand Traverse Bay, the glacial bodies of water in the greater Traverse City area, and LSC. I’m not currently going to buy a new boat right now as I just bought my Lund Rebel last year. But in the next few years I’d like to upgrade. I would love a Pro V Bass, but that’s crazy expensive for me right now. 
 

Should I consider the Renegade for what I’d like to do, or should I look at older, more reputable glass boats? I would consider looking at Ranger, Skeeter, Triton, etc. for a new (old) boat. And if I could find a Phoenix for the right price maybe that also, but I doubt that I’d be able to track one down that would be in the price range I’d have. Thanks!

[gim]

The Renegade is a mod v aluminum boat. It’s not going to be very good in rough water.

 

I have a Ranger RT178 that is built almost exactly the same in terms of hull design. The only difference is that Lund is riveted and mine is welded.

 

If you want a boat that will handle big rough water, a mod v is not the solution.

[michiganoutdoorsman]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

The Renegade is a mod v aluminum boat. It’s not going to be very good in rough water.

 

I have a Ranger RT178 that is built almost exactly the same in terms of hull design. The only difference is that Lund is riveted and mine is welded.

 

If you want a boat that will handle big rough water, a mod v is not the solution.

I totally get that. I don’t fish crazy weather too often. I do know that at times the weatherman is wrong with his wind speed predictions and sometimes an unexpected storm can come on in an instant. I was just curious if anyone had experience with it in moderately rough waters. 

[A-Jay]

10 minutes ago, michiganoutdoorsman said:

I totally get that. I don’t fish crazy weather too often. I do know that at times the weatherman is wrong with his wind speed predictions and sometimes an unexpected storm can come on in an instant. I was just curious if anyone had experience with it in moderately rough waters. 

The question you really need to ask yourself is

Can you safely navigate an 18 or 19 ft boat in rough water ?

If there answer is yes then you should already know what size hull & design it takes to do this.

When folks ask 'what boat should I get ?" 

It usually because they do not have experience in big water and are hoping the boat will make up for that.

Here's a little tip.

Boats don't 'handle big water, boat drivers do.

My advice is to get more experience on the water and then select the right tool for the job.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

[gim]

10 minutes ago, michiganoutdoorsman said:

I totally get that. I don’t fish crazy weather too often. I do know that at times the weatherman is wrong with his wind speed predictions and sometimes an unexpected storm can come on in an instant. I was just curious if anyone had experience with it in moderately rough waters. 

It’s a nice line of boats. I would have considered it when I bought mine in 2015 if they were available. They were introduced a year later.

 

Given the size and potential magnitude of the waters you originally stated, I don’t think any mod v is going to be a very good option. I think @BigAngus752 might own an 1875 Renegade so maybe he can offer his experience with it.

[BigAngus752]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

It’s a nice line of boats. I would have considered it when I bought mine in 2015 if they were available. They were introduced a year later.

 

Given the size and potential magnitude of the waters you originally stated, I don’t think any mod v is going to be a very good option. I think @BigAngus752 might own an 1875 Renegade so maybe he can offer his experience with it.

RT188 is my current.  I agree with your mod V opinion.

[Obi_Wan]

14 hours ago, michiganoutdoorsman said:

I like how the Lund Renegade (1875, 1975) is laid out, but can’t find much on how they do in bigger waters. I know it’s an aluminum, it’s lighter and will not handle rough water as well as glass. I have searched far and wide and find guys love them, but never say how they are on bigger water. It would occasionally be on Grand Traverse Bay, the glacial bodies of water in the greater Traverse City area, and LSC. I’m not currently going to buy a new boat right now as I just bought my Lund Rebel last year. But in the next few years I’d like to upgrade. I would love a Pro V Bass, but that’s crazy expensive for me right now. 
 

Should I consider the Renegade for what I’d like to do, or should I look at older, more reputable glass boats? I would consider looking at Ranger, Skeeter, Triton, etc. for a new (old) boat. And if I could find a Phoenix for the right price maybe that also, but I doubt that I’d be able to track one down that would be in the price range I’d have. Thanks!

I had some of the same questions.  I have a fiberglass boat and have been looking at aluminum.  I don’t fish in what I consider big water like guys in Texas or near the Great Lakes.  What I realized after getting some of the same advice as you, is that I really didn’t understand what rough water is.  And the true answer to it is, rough water depends on where you are.  Where I fish, it would be an extremely rare event to have over 3’ swells in the main part of the lake.  In the back areas where i fish, they are much smaller.  A mod V fishes there just fine.  We got in some 3-4 footers in Canada a few years ago in a Ranger glass boat and I am so happy we weren’t in a mod V.  It would have been disastrous.  

 

I say all that to say, I think thats the size of the swells, but don’t have enough experience in them to really know what size they really are. I just know that bigger water calls for a different boat design.  I think AJ is right about the driver making the difference.  However, its kind of like saying money can’t buy you happiness, but its hard to be happy when you’re dead broke.  Well its hard to navigate “rough water”, but its easier in a boat designed to properly take on “rough water”.  

[airshot]

Been raised on Lake Erie in Ohio all my 70 years, reading the weather and watching the forecast is far mire important than any boat or boating experience.  People have all kinds of options to know in advance what the weather will be.  If you plan on being out in rough weather then plan on having a boat that will handle it, and if you have a boat that will handle rough weather, you need to learn howvto drive it, boats don't drive themselves !!!   In my 70 years on the big lake, never had a storm just pop up, I always know the weather ahead of time and if it will exceed the capacity of my boat and skills, I don't go out...plain and simple.  Numerous folks at the ramp claim " well I thought I would chance it".   Chancing it is never a good idea !!  Yes, I have pushed my limits on a number of ocassions, probably foolish to do so, how much are you willing to gamble ???

[michiganoutdoorsman]

Appreciate the insight and information everyone. Airshot, to answer your question, I'm not willing to chance it much lol. I don't push the limits too often. I don't fish if I think I'll be risking anything. Like I said, just searching around for my next boat is all. We'll see what I end up with in the coming years.

[Obi_Wan]

I’ve decided to repower my BassCat because that is my only option right now.  But the next boat I buy will be a Lund Pro V Bass unless someone makes something better and I’m not sure that will happen.  I think its more boat than I need 90% of the time and exactly what I need the other 10.  I’m at the point of not caring how far I will have to go to get one.  Luckily, should only be a few hrs away when the time comes.

[BigAngus752]

5 hours ago, Obi_Wan said:

I had some of the same questions.  I have a fiberglass boat and have been looking at aluminum.  I don’t fish in what I consider big water like guys in Texas or near the Great Lakes.  What I realized after getting some of the same advice as you, is that I really didn’t understand what rough water is.  And the true answer to it is, rough water depends on where you are.  Where I fish, it would be an extremely rare event to have over 3’ swells in the main part of the lake.  In the back areas where i fish, they are much smaller.  A mod V fishes there just fine.  We got in some 3-4 footers in Canada a few years ago in a Ranger glass boat and I am so happy we weren’t in a mod V.  It would have been disastrous.  

 

I say all that to say, I think thats the size of the swells, but don’t have enough experience in them to really know what size they really are. I just know that bigger water calls for a different boat design.  I think AJ is right about the driver making the difference.  However, its kind of like saying money can’t buy you happiness, but its hard to be happy when you’re dead broke.  Well its hard to navigate “rough water”, but its easier in a boat designed to properly take on “rough water”.  

 

Great answer

[GaryH]

21 hours ago, airshot said:

Been raised on Lake Erie in Ohio all my 70 years, reading the weather and watching the forecast is far mire important than any boat or boating experience.  People have all kinds of options to know in advance what the weather will be.  If you plan on being out in rough weather then plan on having a boat that will handle it, and if you have a boat that will handle rough weather, you need to learn howvto drive it, boats don't drive themselves !!!   In my 70 years on the big lake, never had a storm just pop up, I always know the weather ahead of time and if it will exceed the capacity of my boat and skills, I don't go out...plain and simple.  Numerous folks at the ramp claim " well I thought I would chance it".   Chancing it is never a good idea !!  Yes, I have pushed my limits on a number of ocassions, probably foolish to do so, how much are you willing to gamble ???

This is so true..  I tell people all the time at the ramp if you ask “Do you think it looks ok to go out, then the answer is No”

 

[Vilas15]

1875 renegade with the pedestal seats would be a sick ride for the northwoods here where the biggest lakes are only 1000ish acres. You could fish in almost any weather and be OK, maybe not the most comfortable when its rough. But i wouldn't do it if the main goal was great lakes fishing. You can get by with a smaller deep V on decent days but for a bass boat you need something sizable unless you really want to limit yourself based on weather.

[gim]

The 1775 Renegade is definitely going to be considered in the future when I upgrade boats.  I love my Ranger, but the Renegade in the same size mod v can handle a 90 hp outboard, has a center rod locker, and has a storage length of only 20 feet, 4 inches.  It will fit inside most standard size garages without having to angle park.

[Born 2 fish]

When I sold my Lund impact I wanted back into a bass boat the impact blew around way to much. The renegade was at the top of my list but the fact it still blows around in the wind and lack of dry storage and the way the mod v hull slaps the waves rather then cut them turned me to a glass boat and I went with Phoenix. Lund is a great boat but if your buying fairly new it’s not cheap don’t settle for something cheaper that you’ll regret buy what you want and be happy.

[michiganoutdoorsman]

I’ll continue researching and I know it’ll be a few years. Us men like to dream ? That’s all it is for now. I know I’ll need to get more experience with bigger water and what not, but I’d like to maximize my chances for a quality boat as well as being as safe as possible. Thanks fellas. 

[slonezp]

On 7/15/2023 at 9:00 PM, A-Jay said:

The question you really need to ask yourself is

Can you safely navigate an 18 or 19 ft boat in rough water ?

If there answer is yes then you should already know what size hull & design it takes to do this.

When folks ask 'what boat should I get ?" 

It usually because they do not have experience in big water and are hoping the boat will make up for that.

Here's a little tip.

Boats don't 'handle big water, boat drivers do.

My advice is to get more experience on the water and then select the right tool for the job.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

 "A good captain is not made from calm seas"-Proverb

[NYBasser]

I’d just like to add that my buddy has had some issues with getting Lund to help out with a cracked transom on a 2019 Lund Fury 1600.
 

He sent the boat to the dealer and was told that Lund would only cover 80% of the repair and that he would have to pay 20% of it out of pocket. This was after the dealer argued with Lund for a week getting them to take responsibility for the cracked transom.
 

I personally feel like this is kind of ridiculous especially on a 3-4 yr old boat that supposedly has a lifetime transom warranty. If you look around online, this is not the first time Lund has had issues honoring their warranty and certainly won’t be the last.

[michiganoutdoorsman]

That is a bit scary. I have heard that when management changed a number of years ago a lot of people started to have trouble with customer service and their boats. 

[Born 2 fish]

When I had issues with my Lund impact when it was 3 years old I never got a callback or even a email back from anyone. But in fairness they were not structural issues.

[A-Jay]

'Problems' with any customer service are all the rage.  Everyones got some kind of story, or half a story about somthing that didn't go their way. The good stories with perfect coverage or better yet the thousands upon thousand of rigs that operate flawlessly for years and years, somehow we never hear about those. And despite 'so many' negative customer service tales of woe, people keep buying the boats. 

In the end bass boats, motors and trailers are covered and most all have decent warranties. It helps to have insurance just like on your tow vehicle.  So at times we need the warranty coverage, sometimes we don't.  Either way, reciting about who did or did not cover in the past, does not change what may or may not happen in the future. For the record Lund Customer service has done what the contract I signed said they would do.

YMMV

A-Jay

[Vilas15]

I just had my lund transom replaced under warranty for free last year. 2016 model the last year they used wood.

[slonezp]

11 hours ago, NYBasser said:

I’d just like to add that my buddy has had some issues with getting Lund to help out with a cracked transom on a 2019 Lund Fury 1600.
 

He sent the boat to the dealer and was told that Lund would only cover 80% of the repair and that he would have to pay 20% of it out of pocket. This was after the dealer argued with Lund for a week getting them to take responsibility for the cracked transom.
 

I personally feel like this is kind of ridiculous especially on a 3-4 yr old boat that supposedly has a lifetime transom warranty. If you look around online, this is not the first time Lund has had issues honoring their warranty and certainly won’t be the last.

Lund try's to get the dealerships to handle the warranty issues. Took me 2 years to get my Predator repainted. Paint started peeling off the bottom on its maiden voyage. The dealer was very happy to sell me a $50K boat and not too happy they had to cover the warranty issue. After months of waiting, dealer says he got the approval from Lund to have the boat painted. I go to pick it up and I'm guessing the salesman or mechanic crawled under the boat with a brush and some touch up paint. Dealer said that's all Lund would authorize. I call BS and tell him I'm getting an attorney. I had people from multiple fishing and boating forums blow up Lund's FB page in my defense. I also told my story on walleyecentral. A guy who owned one of their larger volume dealerships had connections with the higher ups and was able to facilitate sending the boat back to the factory for the repaint. He told Lund I would be getting an attorney if they didn't take care of it. Boat was purchased new in March of 2013, sent back to the factory in October of 2015 and returned to me in March or April of 2016. 

 

Aside from that, it was the most solid, well laid out, most fishable 20' boat I have ever fished from. 

[NYBasser]

20 hours ago, A-Jay said:

'Problems' with any customer service are all the rage.  Everyones got some kind of story, or half a story about somthing that didn't go their way. The good stories with perfect coverage or better yet the thousands upon thousand of rigs that operate flawlessly for years and years, somehow we never hear about those. And despite 'so many' negative customer service tales of woe, people keep buying the boats. 

In the end bass boats, motors and trailers are covered and most all have decent warranties. It helps to have insurance just like on your tow vehicle.  So at times we need the warranty coverage, sometimes we don't.  Either way, reciting about who did or did not cover in the past, does not change what may or may not happen in the future. For the record Lund Customer service has done what the contract I signed said they would do.

YMMV

A-Jay

I'd agree that most if not every boat company has stories like these about warranty issues, but there has to be better ways of dealing with it than what Lund is doing here to my friend and to others who have posted. Timely communication and customer service are key, and in other industries, can often make or break a business. One of the major reasons I went with Phoenix is because of all the really good experiences other owners have had regarding customer service and getting things fixed and covered by the company.

 

I understand that a lot of the time, warranty fixes are up to the dealer, but in the case that the dealer refuses to help, the company has to step up and make things right, especially when guys are spending upwards of 50k-100k+ on a new boat. Also, it is true that others' experiences may not be directly applicable to another person's, but it highlights a negative and worrying pattern. Why do they selectively choose to help some of their customers out but not others?

 

As a customer, we shouldn't allow companies to treat us like this and personally, I would not purchase any boat from a company that doesn't honor their warranty across the board and treat their customers as they should.  

[A-Jay]

12 minutes ago, NYBasser said:

I'd agree that most if not every boat company has stories like these about warranty issues, but there has to be better ways of dealing with it than what Lund is doing here to my friend and to others who have posted. Timely communication and customer service are key, and in other industries, can often make or break a business. One of the major reasons I went with Phoenix is because of all the really good experiences other owners have had regarding customer service and getting things fixed and covered by the company.

 

I understand that a lot of the time, warranty fixes are up to the dealer, but in the case that the dealer refuses to help, the company has to step up and make things right, especially when guys are spending upwards of 50k-100k+ on a new boat. Also, it is true that others' experiences may not be directly applicable to another person's, but it highlights a negative and worrying pattern. Why do they selectively choose to help some of their customers out but not others?

 

As a customer, we shouldn't allow companies to treat us like this and personally, I would not purchase any boat from a company that doesn't honor their warranty across the board and treat their customers as they should.  

In a perfect world, everyone would be happy.  Reality doesn't work that way.

People do crazy stupid stuff and expect someone else to pay for it. Seen it first hand. Unfortunately we aren't going to be able to find the solution here.  So I'm done.

Good luck moving forward and I hope you don't have to build your own boat.

A-Jay