Any tall guys with a Lund?

[Windrider67]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and currently looking at a new aluminum in an 18'5 or bigger size. I like the Lund boats I've seen very much, more specifically, the 1950 Tyhee, and the 2000 Fisherman (both 2007 model year).

The trouble I'm having is that I find the driver's seating position to be very uncomfortable. Both units were equipped with the captain's chair option, but I also tried a "standard" seat in another model. In all cases, I found that:

1) I didn't have any leg room. There is a solid "wall" blocking the footwell. There is a speaker mounted in the wall. I don't need a speaker there nearly as much as I need a place to put my feet!

2) The seat was much too high relative to the position of the steering wheel. My knees were actually higher than the steering wheel itself when seated. The seat would was not able to adjust up or down to accomodate.

3) The seat was positioned too far away from the starboard gunwall -- my left leg was actually centered on the center aisle/console separation wall.

4) The mounting pole has what I would consider to be a lot of "play" in it. I expected a solid, secure attachment to the floor, but I found that every time I shifted my weight the seat would "rock" much like a dining room chair that isn't leveled properly. I can only imagine how much of a problem this would be if on the water.

Neither of the seats had the air ride option, nor was I able to try that because the dealer didn't have any boats equipped with it, so maybe that's better.

Now, I am 6'4" tall, and while that's obviously above average, it's not exactly rare. The Princecraft I tried on the same day easily accomodated my height. I'd like to hear from other Lund owners who are also tall. How is yours for fit? Are you comfortable? Or are all the Lunds basically the same.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

You are not alone with your height and seating position. In the last few years many manufacturers have installed fixed pedestals for the captains seat which have locking mechanisms to keep the seat from rotating, and some are height adjustable. The problem is that the pedestal is too high so the downward travel of the seat does not get low enough for us taller dudes. These changes are made to an existing hull design so if you look at some of the newer boats, the consoles have been raised several inches above the side of the boat which raises the helm thus providing more leg room. Crestliner and Alumacraft are two manufacturers that have done just that. As for the under console foot space, that's something you either live with or modify after purchase. I realize this doesn't solve your problem but it at least explains why the problem exists. As for air ride seats, they are nice but certainly not necessary. As for the slight wobble on the seats, that's fairly normal and also not an issue. Remember the seats must swivel so a little wobble is to be expected.

 

[Windrider67]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

Hi Silvertip,

Thanks for the reply. I didn't really expect any solution to the Lund problem. I did suspect that this might be a problem with the recent model years only, and thought that maybe owners of an older model might chime in with a "no problem for me" response.

The wobble in the seat may be normal for a Lund, but it certainly doesn't have to be that way. My Sea Ray has pedestal seats as well, and while there is some flex if enough pressure is brought to bear on the seat, there is absolutely no wobble.

Thanks for the tip about the Crestliner and Alumacraft. I'll take a look at those boats as well.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

Lund does have hight adjustable seat mount, I just checked out a new Mr.Pike 17 that had the air ride on the captains seat and it had a good 5" adjustment range. Every aluminum boat I've been in with a plywood floor and removeable seat mounts in the floor seem to have some "wiggle" to them. I just got done restoring my 87' lund pike (alot cheaper then buying a new Pike!) and even with fresh 3/4 plywood I still have a bit of seat wiggle.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

Rancherlee -- nearly every boat on the market these days has a height adjustable seat -- the problem is not the adjustment. It's the relationship between the helm and the seat. Tilting helms help, but for tall folks, the helm is simply too low even with the seat dropped as far as it will go.

 

[ziemann]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

I own a '05 Mr. Pike 17 and am 6' 5". My previous boat (a '04 Smokercraft 161 Stinger) had a ton of room beneath the console for me to stretch my legs- and I miss having that feature. However, I have found the high seating position on the Lund helps with my long leg issues. In addition, my dealer moved the seat base back about 4 inches then added a seat slider. Then if you take the tilt steering into consideration, I really am pretty comfortable. If you really want to stretch out, the Lund can be a bit limiting, but I have found that I have adapted to the Mr. Pike's console really quickly.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

We are restoring a 1974 Lund fish n ski (aluminum). I am 6'2" (I am 14, am supposed to be 6'5" in 2 years) Dad is 6'3". In order to keep the original windshield and console design, we could only raise the steering wheel about 2 inches. Even at 6'2", I look straight over the windshield. We did deepen the console a couple of inches to increase leg room, which gave us the room to raise the wheel. Had the console in this weekend for a test fit, and I can still stuff my knees beneath the wheel, but cannot reach the throttle and wheel standing, which I like to do when docking/beaching.

 

[ziemann]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

Bassboy-

You will have to post some pictures for us when you get her restored- I love to see old Lunds restored. Take care fo her and she will take care of you.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

Bassboy-

You will have to post some pictures for us when you get her restored- I love to see old Lunds restored. Take care fo her and she will take care of you.

Might be a while! We bought this thing May of 2006, and are probably halfway done with a complete restore. Moving, dads long job hours, and 4 kids with busy schedules really slows crap down. Once we do, I will get pics. By then, I might be old enough to start my own. Heck, at this rate, once we get done, I might be signing up for AARP benefits. And, I am 14 right now

Man, watching paint dry is more interesting than the effects of this project.

 

[marty f]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

i have an 1995 lund tyee 1750 GS AND I HAVE NO PROBLEMS BECAUSE YOU CAN RAISE AND LOWER THE SEAT AND HAS TILT STEERING THE WALL IS FLAT BUT YOU CAN DEAL WITH IT!!!!!!!

 

[Nikster]

Re: Any tall guys with a Lund?

Got a older Lund, 91' TYEE 1850 Gran Sport; WITH A 6'4'' FRAME.
Having my legs always bent & scrunched I just made do.
I had to put in a new radio & removed a storage compartment wall. that is below the dash, It has a dinky door (1.5' by 1.5') w/a lock. To get better working room I removed the whole wall section that had the storage type area. It made working under the dash a whole lot easier.
I just left that small wall section off, & found it gave me that much more room (6"/7") in total. It's fully carpeted, does not detract from looks, gave me the extra room & left it. That storage area that was there was like I said dinky I think a lame excuse to even waste the money in putting in a lock.
WORKED FOR ME! Nik