Alumacraft V14

[Windsweptcoast]

Anybody running one? Wondering what hp motors guys are using, and how is the performance and stability on them.

[ab_hunter]

I would like to hear some feedback as well. Friends and myself have had issues with Lund boats leaking.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by ab_hunter

I would like to hear some feedback as well. Friends and myself have had issues with Lund boats leaking.

Seems to be more and more common with the Lunds.

Europa Canopy & Marine in Edmonton carry Marlon Aluminum Boats and a good selection of outboards including Mercury. All their boats are welded, so leaking won't be an issue there, and they are a CDN company, and dealer which is more important than ever. Guys talk great about the service and prices they give too.

I am looking at this 14'er right now with a 20 hp Merc...

https://www.marlonproducts.com/produ...uctID=725-0018

[Topshot]

Hi, I have one. It has a 20hp Mercury four stoke electric start, wood floor, 2 batteries, front storage, side storage, fish finder, electric motor, 3 new high back seats and canopy. It is very stable and good on gas. I had at pine lake with the big boats making waves. Didn,t use it last year and was maybe thinking of selling. I have a old 14' sears with 9.8hp that I use more.

[EZM]

I'm always going to steer guys to Lund, Crestliner and Alumacraft boats. For tinners, Lund or Crestliner in particular. I have run dozens of tinners over the years.

I'm also going to suggest running a Yamaha or Honda outboard. Bullet Proof, smooth, reliable and, in the case of the Honda, simple to fix or work on of every needed.

Having said that, a buddy and co-worker bought a Mirrocraft from Europa canopy some 8-10 years ago. The boat has been well used, is dry, layout is excellent and treated him well. It's also HALF the price of a Lund or Crestline of similar size. So, I agree with SNS, these are worth a closer look.

His original motor was a Tohatsu and was very good (it was stolen a few years ago) but ran like a top too. Again, cheaper compared to other brands.

oh - to answer your original question - it's a 14 - so likely maxes out at 25.

A deeper heavier hull with a flat floor and 20" transom (on some models of Lund and Crestliner) get you up to 40hp which is nice for bigger water.

If you can fit 16' into your storage garage or whatever, go that route. Seems to me when going from 2 to 3 guys, the extra couple feet (and larger motor to match) is a blessing.

[Osky]

Originally Posted by Topshot

Hi, I have one. It has a 20hp Mercury four stoke electric start, wood floor, 2 batteries, front storage, side storage, fish finder, electric motor, 3 new high back seats and canopy. It is very stable and good on gas. I had at pine lake with the big boats making waves. Didn,t use it last year and was maybe thinking of selling. I have a old 14' sears with 9.8hp that I use more.

This. Lots of this type of set up down here. Very good boats, so are the other big players. 20ho seems to be the big favorite for those, and it works well.

Osky

[SamSteele]

There’s a 14 foot Princecraft with a floor, livewell, and 25 hp Merc 4 Stroke on the showroom floor at Barry Jay’s. May be worth a look as well.

I’m a firm believer in looking at them all and picking the one with the layout and features you want. Look at aluminum grades, thickness, and hull warranty as well.

SS

[Windsweptcoast]

Topshot, how was the performance with the 20 hp?

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by SamSteele

I’m a firm believer in looking at them all and picking the one with the layout and features you want. Look at aluminum grades, thickness, and hull warranty as well.

X2 on this.

In my opinion, when shopping a 14' tinner, the "big names" don't mean much. I've been in a lot 14' tinners, and a whole lot of different brands - yes, Lund, Crestliner, and Alumacraft make good boats, but so do Alumaweld, Naden, Smokercraft, Sears, Lowe, Mirrocraft, Misty River, Marlon, etc... It's a very basic boat, so look at all the options and see which one you like the look of and layout the best, compare the fit and finish, and then once you narrow it down, compare prices to decide which one is the best value.

Same goes for the outboard in my opinion. 15-25HP outboards are pretty simple machines, and all the manufacturers make very reliable motors these days. First off, MAX the HP, you'll never regret it for the minor added cost. I'd look at displacement, weight, and price, brand would be my last concern. If there's a package deal to be had buying a boat and motor combo, I don't think you can wrong with any of the manufacturers. If you're going with an older used boat, I'd try to avoid the 2 strokes, but that's just me.

The only other thing is picking a dealer you trust and want to work with. The chances of anything going wrong are small, but a good dealer is always worth a few extra $$$$ in the long run.

[AlbertanGP]

I just picked up my tinner last week. After a lot of research on the internet, posting for feedback on other forums, and some phone calls, I wound up with a Lund SSV-16. TBH, it's bigger than I wanted and looks huge next to a SSV-14. But I am using the boat primarily for mapping by myself and the extra two feet will come in handy on some of the bigger lakes so that I don't have to plow around off plane in the Warrior.

Back to the topic at hand. Some random thoughts below...

• First off, if you're even thinking about buying a boat this Spring, buy it now. There is severely limited stock (outboards are the worst) and it's going fast. Rainbow brought in four SSV-16s and the one I picked up last week was the last one they had...and they were closed through the holidays and only reopened a couple of weeks ago.
• Unless I misread something when I was contemplating buying the Alumacraft V14 leftover at a dealer in Red Deer, that boat is only available in a 15" transom, which is odd. That's a deal-breaker as far as I am concerned.
• The beam on that Marlon is very narrow at only 63", compared with 70" for a SSV-14, 69" for a WC-14, 69" for a Crestliner 1469 Outreach, and 68" for the Alumacraft V14. (I made a spreadsheet when I was shopping ) That narrow beam is why it's only rated for a 20HP and the others are 25HP.
• Nothing beats the resale of a Lund. Keep that in mind if you think you might want to upgrade at some point. I'm not saying that Lund is really any better than the rest, but I guarantee some new-to-fishing Covid newbie will pay more for the name alone.
• I can't offer much for recommendations on 20HP outboards as I only looked at 25-40HP. If you want info on them PM me. One thing I will say is Hondas are heavy and I believe still carbureted at 20HP and lower. Hondas don't do much for me at any HP rating tbh. Yamahas are good reliable motors but tend to be heavy for their HP ratings, and seem to get whooped performance-wise in comparison tests. Maybe they just aren't propped properly. Suzuki's are my first choice. They have the reliability to rival Yamaha, they're typically lighter, are priced competitively, and have a six year warranty. The only issue is their dealer network isn't very well built out in Alberta. Evinrude is done so an E-tec isn't an option, which is too bad because the torquey 2 stroke outperforms all the four strokes. Mercury is Mercury...good dealer network, questionable reliability, and more expensive than just buying a Tohatsu (which they are anyways).
• Any trailer is easily converted to a fold-away tongue with a Fulton kit.
• Once you get much above 20HP on pretty much any 14'-16' tinnie, you're going to put yourself out of the trolling range of the motor and will need a kicker, troll plate, electric, or some other means of trolling slowly.
• The only 14' Princecraft I noticed at Rainbow last Friday was a Yukon 140BT hull sitting on a boat stand with a $14K price tag on it. Lot's of stuff on the internet on how to build something similar and save yourself the money if you're interested.
• There aren't many things to compare on these small boats. You can look at the hull design if you plan to take it on some bigger lakes. A 20" transom should be a given for resale and a splash well is nice too, although few have one. A split bench in the middle is a nice option that some boats have. And 13" tires will ride better than 12", although I have 12"s for now and they were fine driving home to GP.
• When considering HP size for the SSV-16 I bought, I was told everything from 15HP is fine to 50HP(over the 40HP rating) is best. I'm still a bit lost tbh, but I'm looking for a 40HP throughout Western Canada currently. With a 20HP rating, yeah max it out. The cost difference between 15HP and 20HP is minor. If you move up to a 30-40HP rated boat, start factoring the cost of that motor, which will climb quickly. My SSV-16 with a 40HP motor is going to be approaching $20K. I'm not so sure that wouldn't be a tough sell later, if I cared.
• Nice two strokes of like 2008 or so vintage (towards the end of their production run) are very valuable. A 20HP 2-stroke will likely outperform a 25HP 4 stroke, so a nice 2008 Yammie 2-stroke 20HP that's been well taken care of would be a real find and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to use it. Better performance and less money IMO.

Well, there went my lunch hour. Good luck with your purchase.

[fish99]

Originally Posted by ab_hunter

I would like to hear some feedback as well. Friends and myself have had issues with Lund boats leaking.

i have lund that leaked the first year we had it , it was repaired that winter and has not leaked since .
but i did buy a crest liner now. still have the Lund it was in the lake all day every day until the end of oct.

[I’d rather be outdoors]

I’ve got a 16’ Alumacraft tinnier (coming up on 3 years old). 25 hp ETEC. No complaints. I found Lund sales folks to be very convinced of their own brand superiority when purchasing. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t go with them. Felt like they figured they were doing me a favour by even picking up the phone. Anywho, my almost still new Alumacraft & Etec are solid. I’m sure Lund is a fine boat, but not worth the premium they charge IMO.

[Topshot]

Hi, performance is great. The boat I have with the floor and front storage and all the bells and whistles makes it heavy. Thats makes it good for trolling boat and instead of speed. My 9.8 will beat it in race but not near in stabillity. The 20hp has long shaft and the 9.8hp has a short shaft. 20hp and boat bigger lakes and 9.8 small small lakes with no launch. Thats why I have 2 boats

[Topshot]

I found the pictures. I cannot upload them. The gods say no

[Garlicmarshmellow]

I have the alumacraft v16 for 4 years no issues came with a tohatsu 20 hp. So far motor runs great no leaks (knock on wood) built a casting deck on the front with storage below. Love the boat and lots of room with 3 anglers. Not a speed demon but can handle some good waves

[Topshot]

Had to resize pictures. To big pictures. Not going to sell, covid talk.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Topshot

Had to resize pictures. To big pictures. Not going to sell, covid talk.

Hey you bugger. We had a deal!

[Topshot]

I said thinking. You have my email, check back with me in April.