Lund 1875 Pro V Bass Ride

[Great Scott]

Very sorry to hear of your health issues Mr Scott....your advice regarding your V18 helped me with my boat. Thank you and I hope you are feeling better....

I feel fine, I guess. Its COPD, Just to much work getting the boat in and out of the lake
by my self. Plus the carp have just all but ruined Barkley Lake. I should have quit when I had the TV18,
but the LUND was on my want list, now it sits unused and beautiful in the garage.
LDS

[FryDog62]

Hey I have read alot about the 2075, but less about those whom have the 1875. Last yr with my Triton, kids have really taken to fishing, so I need the extra space the 1875XS can offer for seating and versatility. How are guys like the 1875, I love the jump seats they should work perfect for the kids, prolly not as comfortable for adults. What is everyone experience with the 1875 Pro V Bass, how is the ride. I fish Champlain a lot so curious how it rides. I have read great things about the 2075, and watched videos of the 1875, just curious real world reviews.

I posted this on another forum a year ago... review still holds true after 4 years of use, hope it helps ~

I've had an 1875 PVB for 3 seasons and overall I'm very happy with it... Actually coming from the fiberglass world, I'm surprised I like it as much as I do.

I have the XS seating with the pedestals and rear flip up seats. Not often I have 4 people in the boat but the set up is a lot better and more versatile than a traditional bass boat. You can pull tubes/skiers if you want.

It is like a traditional bass boat in that the seating is farther to the rear of the boat, so you will get more side spray when quartering than you would with a high sided Deep-V boat with seats that sit further forward and a full windshield. But as far as going straight into bigger waves, its Deep-V hull is better than my Ranger was. The first year I would hold my breath and brace myself just before I'd hit a big wave. But I didn't need to, the Deep V does well in rougher seas, straight on the same as a Pro-V would. That's a definite plus in this boat.

The layout is great for fishing - I'm primarily bass/muskie, but I have used it some for trolling/jigging for walleyes. If I were mostly a walleye fisherman I'd be in a different boat, but unless your fishing in waves over 2 feet it does fine. It seems to track better than a typical bass boat too, and doesn't get pushed around in the wind like other high-sided walleye boats can.

The front deck does sit a little higher up than most bass boats. But the floor comes up almost to the gunwale so its a slight advantage and gives you a little more room/clearance if you fish jerk baits, flip, roll cast, etc. You may have to adjust if you skip lures a lot since you are a little higher above the water, but just modify your trajectory a bit and you're fine. I skip a lot of plastics and the angle is second nature now...

The storage is phenomenal. Honestly, I would have a real hard time going back to a traditional bass boat storage system. I can organize gear/tackle so much better in the PVB. The hazard can be that you store too much stuff and weigh the boat down, so I'm careful not to over do it.

I've always been a big proponent of maxing out the hp rating. This was a holdover 2016 boat and already rigged with a 150 when I bought it. I don't fish many tournaments or travel great distances very often so I don't feel the need to go 60 mph. I top out at about 50 mph and don't have a problem getting up on plane at all. I usually cruise relatively effortlessly at about 35-40 mph. If you fish a lot of tournaments, travel great distances regularly, or usually have 3-4 people in the boat then I'm sure the 200 hp would be a better option.

I did max out the trolling motor with a 36 volt Ultrex 112. I wouldn't consider anything less. I use the TM 90% of the time I'm on the water and it lasts all day even in stiff river current. Wide open I go approx 3 mph which is plenty fast IMO. The Spot-lock on the Ultrex was improved over the Ulterra I had on my Ranger, it works well. The cable drive is so much better too. The one modification I did make was the length of the shaft on the Ultrex. At the time I bought the only shaft length sizes available were a 45 inch and a 60 inch. Since I do fish big water occasionally, and the bow sits up slightly higher, I went with the 60 inch. The problem was when fishing shallow the head of the motor really sticks up high. I ended up glancing my rod/lure off it a few too many times when skipping or roll casting. It became a real pain and limited my casting angles just a little too often. I took the motor to a certified MinnKota dealer and had the shaft cut to 52 inches (a size they offer on the new ones now!). It seems to be a very good compromise. In true 3 footers the prop will sputter above the water at times, but I don't fish in those conditions very often. I do fish calm shallow areas regularly.

I added a jack plate and it has been a huge plus. I wanted this boat for big water but also for shallow rivers and no wake zones. With the jack plate up, the hull stays level and I only draft approx 12-14 inches of water depending on speed.

Only misgivings I have are:

*The cover it came with is custom made for the boat, fits great but the pole system to hold the cover up in the bow simply doesn't work. It flops over every time and will also pool water if it sits outside in the rain. At first I used a traffic cone as a prop up front but once the sun gets hot that would wilt over too. I ended up using a Christmas tree stand to prop the bow pole up and it actually works great believe it or not, but kinda silly I had to resort to that!

*The cooler is a joke. I don't know what Lund was thinking when they made an otherwise very good quality and somewhat expensive boat but designed it with a $9 cooler. Its a hollow-sided, non-insulated, cheap Igloo that holds ice a couple hours at best. I get it they wanted the cooler to fit inside of the step to the bow, but they could have done this better or reconfigured the step slightly to accommodate a different/better brand of cooler. I don't need a Yeti, but I would have gladly paid the extra $50-100 bucks for a better quality cooler that holds ice at least a day. I now use the bow step for line storage and bought an Rtic cooler I slide under the driver's console. Not ideal but its pretty much out of the way and holds ice for a couple days.


*It seems 80% of the stains I get in the boat are in the cockpit area. If anyone is ordering this boat new I would recommend vinyl covering for the cockpit but not necessary for the rest of the boat. (I believe this is what A-Jay did). I did put a “semi-custom” Lund carpet/mat in the cockpit to reduce staining if anyone is interested in an after market option PM me. Vinyl would be best however IMO.

*Last nit is a plus/minus - its an aluminum hull. Its superior in terms of occasionally scraping the bottom in rivers, where fiberglass would chip. I've pulled it up on a rocky shore on Rainy Lake for shore lunch and wasn't paranoid like I was with my previous fiberglass boats. But the freeboard on an aluminum boat scratches easier than fiberglass. It just does. Even if you're careful you'll scratch the freeboard or peel up the decals over time when you nudge a dock or tree/brush. But if it looks a little beat up in a few years, I can always take it in for a cosmetic re-fresh. Heck I'll be 60 then and no doubt will need one too, if not already ~

Overall, I would give it a 9 on 10 scale. I've had buyer's remorse with other boats I've bought and have traded them off after a couple years. No thoughts of that at all with this boat. I can think of only one other possible boat I would consider buying and it is twice the cost. Not worth it in my opinion. And there would be that issue of having to adjust to the lack of useable storage again, or lack of comfortable seating for 4 passengers occasionally, etc.

A very versatile boat which is what I wanted...