Need advice on a good Utah fishing boat.

[obifishkenobi]

Hey gents,
I’m in the market for a new boat in the next few weeks. Grew up skiing in AZ so decent boating experience but not much fishing boat exp. Had a Crestliner 1600 Fishsomething with a 50hp Merc 12-15 years ago. Mostly fly fishing so sold it after 2 years.  I live near Willard Bay so will fish there but want to be able fish Strawberry, Flaming Gorge, Powell as well as the local stuff like Mantua and East Canyon … I’d like to be able to tow a tube with the grand kids but fishing is tops. Right now I’ve narrowed it down to Vexus ADX 180 and Lund Impact 1875 XS. Both with Merc 150hp. Scary thing, both are in the $72K - $75K price (out the door). Not interested in bass boats. I like a little deeper V for bigger water and more seats for people.  Need a walk thru windshield for the wife and a top for sun or rain. The Vexus dealer is 90 min from my house in Utah County. Lund 45 min in N Salt Lake. The biggest complaint I’ve read on the Lund is the thin freeboard dents too easily. It’s .063 vs .1 on the Vexus. Don’t really know if that matters.  I like the Lund track system.  Vexus has rails or screw an aftermarket track to the gunnel. Another question is single vs dual axle trailer. I’ll get it with a 9.9 kicker. Loaded for camping at FG or Powell do I need a tandem? $75K is my max so the next size up is too $$.  Did Lund lose their soul when Bass Pro bought them? They were the gold standard in aluminum boats. Vexus is new so a little less known.  Any thoughts from more experienced folks who fish these waters would be greatly appreciated.

My two cents is I would consider getting larger welded aluminum boat like myself, Twoknotts and several other members fish. With in your budget you could get a used boat with a kicker, trolling motor, down riggers and electronics, they have a wider beams, have a lot of room with plenty of seating and will do everything you want them to do. I love my Wooldrigde 20’ Supersport  Off Shore with a semi hard top that keeps us out of the wind and weather the offshore platform on the back of the boat makes getting tubers and skiers in and out of the water easier, with lots of room to fish in the front and back.






Out