2003 Lund Pike 18

[Kilroy]

I was just curious if anybody has bought the new 2003 Pike, and if they are happy with it? How does the 18 handle the rough water? Does it control fairly good on the windy days with the troling motor? I really like the layout of the boat, and the size,but want to make sure it is the right boat for me. I plan on useing it alot on the Missouri River, and want somthing that will last for a good while. Thanks for any input.

Kilroy

[pike18]

Mine handles rough water really well. I deliberately went looking for some rough water during my trip to LOW last week and my boat was steady and stable in it.

However, there is a lot of freeboard (distance from the gunnel to the water) and it catches a lot of wind and tends to sail.

I would look at this boat as a lake boat, not a river boat, unless the river you were talking about is Missouri-Mississippi class. If you are talking about smaller rivers, the Pike 17 or ProV 1775 would probably be a better choice, if you are firmly fixed on a Lund.

[Kilroy]

Thanks Pike, I plan on fishing the larger lakes as well. The 18' Pike looks great, and I liked the idea of being able to go to at least 150 HP on it. Like I say I plan on useing it on the Missouri River mostly, but we have more windy days here than not,lol. I see in past posts, that the 17' Pike has gotten great reviews, and was just curious how the 18' Pike compared to it. Thanks again.

Kilroy

[pike18]

My bow mounted 65# 24 volt trolling motor handled even fairly strong wind well. I would not go lower than that however. I bought a 60" shaft and might have gotten by with a 54" but I bet I will need the extra length in rough water. I was fishing rocky water so I kept the motor as shallow as I could to avoid banging rocks.

I regard the 18 as a completely different boat than the 17 now that I have been out a few more times. The 18 is only 3 inches wider but is a foot longer and a lot of that is bow space. I banged my knees on the console of the 17 but don't even come close on the 18.

My 150 Opti pushes me at 50.8 mph gps (best so far) with 2 people, 3 batteries, and 2/3 tank of gas. Add a full tank of gas, a full front livewell, and 20 pounds or so of baits and weights and I top out at about 48-49 but that full live well really cuts down on the bounce, which is a good thing. The IPS hull does a good job of cutting water rather than bouncing over it, too.

Mine has the dual console and my wife loves that. That is the reason I bought this boat. I got sick of her being wet all the time. We will both still get a little wet on windy days but those dual console wraparound windscreens do a surprisingly good job at blocking both wind and spray. I fished in 50 degree weather with it and was glad to have that screen. A windproof fleece jacket was sufficient even at full speed.