Legend Boats

Post by **dgd** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 4:33 pm

For those of you who own legend boats, what do you like about them and what do you wish was a little better? How do they handle? What is the company like to deal with (or is this really a dealer question as opposed to boat manufacturer)? From what I have seen, they are not up to either Princecraft or Lund, but seem comparable to Tracker (although the finish seems better on a Legend than a Tracker). Your feedback appreciated.

dgd

Post by **Wall-I-Guy** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 6:05 am

Well, having had a Legend Viper 151 for a couple years. I absolutely loved the boat. Only had one issue with it. The bloody screws kept popping out of things like the dash, rod holders, seat holders etc.

Even this wasn't a major issue, more a nuisance. It was easily remedied though in that whenever it would happen, I learned to replace stainless steel screws with s/s bolts where I could.

I bought a larger boat, Sylvan with full windshield etc for the kids for skiing/tubing etc, as well as using for Lake Ontario when time permits.

I would have no issues going back to Legend, if I ever decided to do so.

Post by **SALMON** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 7:38 am

I have a 16.5 scorpian..it has the rivettted smoker craft hull. I pound waves on the great lakes and I have managed to loosen enough rivets on the front that I have to get it in this fall to replace them. The inside screws also vibrate out. Those that I can ,I replace with bolts and locking nuts. Mine is equipped with a 50 hp 4 stroke merc.. Handles well and rides well. My old boat was a lund..never popped a river in 16 yrs on it. I hear the new welded hull design works better on the legends. In my opinion any of the other boats you mentioned are a better bet. Just check for double rivetting like the lund and check hull warranty if you are buying new. Hull warranties dont pass on to a second owner with the legend..even if the boat is only 6 months old.

Post by **eye-tracker** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:14 am

I am glad to see a few Legend owners voice their opinion and also mention what they like or dislike about their product from real experience of ownership.

When purchasing a boat you get what you pay for...if you compare entry level (price points) from all the manufactures they are very close in price and finish, with the real price difference in main motor and options. Just like purchasing a vehicle the options at a marine dealer are very expensive. With the motor technology today you can easily purchase a boat where most of the cost is in the motor.

The number one issue you are going to face with any boat is the dealer, as the dealer does all the servicing, maintenance, warranty work and represents you and your boat to the manufacturer.

Just ask the same question about any Car or Truck on the market and see the answers you get. Ford is better than GM etc.

Good luck, and don't buy a boat unless you get a test drive or demo ride on the water...any good dealer will arrange this.

-Sheldon

Post by **xcal** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:09 am

dgd
I have owned 2 boats made by Legend. One was a 1999 178 Sportfish which was unfortunately stolen and a 2003 185 Excalibur. I have not had any issues with either boat. The first one was used quite often in big water and did not have any problems with rivets. The excalibur has a welded hull and I have not had any problems with it either. I have found this boat handles better in larger bodies of water due to it's design.One thing I have noticed on both boats is even when you have bow cover on and top and sides up you still get water in boat due to design. Where the canvas snaps it still allows water to enter boat. Most of it drains into hull. On Princecrafts and Lunds where the canvas attatches, it does not allow water to enter, making them more waterproof. Besides this, which is quite common in most boats, I have been very happy. I won't say where I purchased them, but one was bought in Gatineau and one was bought in Manotick. I never had any problems with either dealer. One thing I found out is when purchasing new is that this is the time to get the largest motor that is recommended for boat providing you can afford it. It is very expensive to upgrade later. After 2-3 years most dealers will not give you much on trade in even if your motor has very few hours on it. Good luck with your purchase and happy shopping
Xcal

Post by **getnjiggywithit** » Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:47 pm

Some very good points
-Do some research before you buy. Check to see what used ones go for so you know what kind of resale value your boat will have....
-Take the boat for a test ride...I didn't when I bought mine and I regret it!!
-negotiate motor options before buying! I didn't and I regret it. The dealer I bought it from said that I'd be happy with the 75hp that it was prerigged with.... I ended up spending another 4grand + taxes to upgrade to a 115hp....
-location because I live in Kingston the closest crestliner dealer was in Perth over an hours drive away....My boat has been back to the dealer several times for a lot of small stupid things and it's an hours drive every time....
-service this is a huge issue with me since the motor upgrade it's been back twice and they still can't get it right

Now it seem whenever I call they never have time to look at it...

I don't regret buying a crestliner but I do regret buying it where I bought it.... This was my first boat purchase and overall i'm happy with my boat I'm just not happy with the dealer... I recently learned that a dealer close to me started carrying crestliners and is way more helpful....

Post by **orrsey** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:41 am

Hey Jiggy,
I see you have a crestliner did you know there is a dealer 20 north of Kingston? If you would like to know the name PM me.

Post by **Scumking** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:38 am

I have a legend V151 viper as well.In my opinion they are a great boat if you're not on big water.I experienced the same problems where the srews back out and have to be tightened every few weeks.

I also know 2 owners who've had the Hull split on big water.Luckily they were both the original owners and the repairs were covered

.

I've made the decision to stay away from places like Quinte but all in all I've been happy with Mine.Plans are in the works for something bigger next year

.

Ron

Post by **Boosterman** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:08 am

I got the v165. Had it for two seasons now . Prior to that I had a crestliner. I love my legend boat. I had it out on some pretty rough lakes and it handled like a dream. I run four stroke merc on it 75hp EFI. I mostly troll with the boat really slow with a trolling plate on it. I find it handles better than my crestliner at slow speeds in windy conditions. The boat is also pretty quick and light. 81" beam wich is wide for the size of the boat which is another good feature. On the negative side yes bolts came loose i replaced them almost all for the doors on live wells and compartments. The cable ties that they use to hold control cables down are cheap and i replaced all those also with rubber lined brackets. I dont like the way they designed the bilge and livewell pump area. to crammed. I'm not sure what im going to do there.
Forgot to mention three weeks ago I jumped a stump on three corner lol. Not a dent. any questions give me shout

Post by **getnjiggywithit** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:22 am

Nice boat booster One thing that i've herd is that four strokes don't like trolling plates! No personal experience thats just what I was told by more than one person! Something to do with the motor not being able to breath properly..... Might be something to look into

Post by **Haybay Larry** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:38 am

I have owned a 1991 legend sportfish 17.5' model. It has been an excellent boat. At the time i bought the boat there was no local dealer in Ottawa. I purchased the boat from the legend distributor company Duhamel and Dewer in sudbury. It is powered with a 60hp mercury 2 stoke engine.
My only problem with the boat was fooged up guagesthat were grudgingly sent from Duhamel and Dewer after many phone calls and heated discussions. They werent very accomodating.
Soon after my purchase they acquired a local dealer in Manotick. I wanted a trailer bunk replaced. They replaced it with a regular spruce 2x4! I replaced it myself! They also tried to force me into the 20hour check-up. The engine had 10 hours on it and i was more then capable of changing the spark plugs, lower unit oil and making sure it was running normal. They were going to charge me $125 for this check. Parts were about $20 and the rest was labour! Anyone could spend less than 1 hour and accompish the same task. Needless to say they will never see me again!
I don't follow get the largest motor your boat will take. Most people don't run along distance from their launch point. You will also save a huge amount of money on the purchase of the smaller motor. You will also save significant money in fuel savings. Depending on the motor you purchase you may not need a small gas trolling motor, another significant saving.
I boght the boat with this engine because it would troll very slow[1.2mph] Top speed is 35mph. It will troll all day long as well.
Soory for being a bit long winded. I really liked the legend boat it was a repackaged smokercraft Fazer model....Larry

Post by **Boosterman** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:51 am

I did do alot of research on ways to slow donw a boat without adding a kicker motor. I used to do the old two 5 gallon pails out the side of the boat which worked great for years. Could of went with the sock. The type of fishing I do i need alot of menouvreability however ya spell that lol. The reason for choosing trolling plate is for the opposite of what you said. It keeps the motor from overheating because you can run at higher rpm's while trolling. Maybe i'm wrong.

Post by **rgs** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:17 pm

bought a 2005 somkercraft stinger 161 with a 50hp mercury 4 stroke at lake & trail in perth had planening problems at first they told me there was no problem i insisted there was as the boat traveled back all of may & june L&T hired a new service manager things started to happen admitted there was a problem they called S/K for a rep.to check for the problem who never showed back home came the boat pickedup and delivered by L&T it is now mid july 2006 so many calls back and forth i was getting tired finally fired a letter off to S/K and L&T told them wanted somethig done by august 8 2006 august 9 got a call from L&T new boat was on way recieved anew 2006 stinger 161 mid august happy ending but not a happy summer

Post by **Boosterman** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:05 am

Sounds like the 50 is a little small for that boat. One thing is that legend/smokercraft always put there boat packages together under powered that is why I upgraded I new the 40hp wouldn't push the 16 footer.

Post by **getnjiggywithit** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 2:54 pm

When I first got my boat I had issues with the way it planned out. The motor was sitting to high so the dealer lowered it 2 bolt holes, and now it planes out perfectly. I think now it's to low because it seem as though ive lost a bit of top end... I cauldn't believe what a huge differance this small detail made....

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