Lund Customer Success Stories

Jean and Dawn Grenier, Lake of the Woods, Ontario/Manitoba, Crossover XS

After years of fishing as a family in a Lund Fisherman owned by Dawn’s parents, and with friends who are die-hard Lund owners, Jean and Dawn Grenier never questioned whether to buy a Lund. Instead, they wondered which model would best suit their active, on-the-water lifestyle.

Serious multi-species anglers, the Greniers sought a boat with hard-core fishing features, ample storage, and a reputable, well-constructed Deep-V hull to ensure their safety and comfort on Lake of the Woods. They also wanted a boat with a tow bar and other amenities, like a boarding ladder, for tubing, waterskiing and swimming. Upon entering the showroom at WSL Sport & Leisure in Winnipeg, Manitoba, they quickly realized Lund’s the Crossover XS was the ideal long-term choice for their family.

“With Lund, we have absolute faith in the craftsmanship and safety,” Dawn said. “We have been in big water, rough water, and maybe a storm or two, and have never been worried about getting home safely.”

The family is also thrilled with the Crossover XS’s versatility. This applies to being able to fish for walleye, trout, bass, pike and crappie, as well as enjoy other recreational pursuits.

“Our Crossover gives us the ability to ‘lake’ as a family,” Dawn said. “Both my husband and I grew up fishing, and so that is something that we do together. It’s literally our date nights and where we celebrate our anniversary. We can easily pack for the day, and that can mean so many different opportunities. Kids and dog with us? Pack the floaties and snorkel gear, a good book or magazine, towels and snacks, and a few fishing rods. We can fish along the way until it is time for a swim or swim until it’s time to fish. Other adults? Pack the rain gear just in case, lunch, and a few extra rods and tackle. There’s always room for something else, even gear for shore lunches.”

The Crossover XS’s longevity has also impressed the Greniers. Dawn concluded the conversation reflecting on a few memorable experiences the family’s shared in their Lund in addition to lots of bent rods on their fishing adventures.

“It has truly been were we have spend the most time together as a family, where we could be together, having fun and doing what we love to do,” she said. “Being on the water is just a different experience and something we don’t take for granted. We have taken kids tubing for their first times and hearing them laugh and scream is so much fun! We have been water skiing…. and fishing. An after supper night swim before the sunset is one of our most favorite things to do. Finding a quiet bay and floating while the sun sets until the day is done is something else.”

Marqui Blaylock, Lake Fork, Texas, Impact XS

Marqui Blaylock, a passionate crappie, bluegill and catfish angler, never imagined he’d be able to own a boat. However, everything changed in 2019 when he and his wife, Theresa, visited their local Lund dealer, Fish And Ski Marine in Sanger, Texas.

“We have a large family with three kids and a dog and, initially, I thought if I got a boat, it’d have to be a pontoon so there would be enough space for all of us, but I also knew it wouldn’t work because I didn’t want to be towing something that big down the highway,” Marqui said. “Chris Hicks at Fish And Ski Marine listened to what I wanted in a boat, and then he showed us the Impact XS. The space in the bow and stern just blew us away. Then he started going through all the features, like the back jump seats and ski tow base, rod and gear storage, and I realized this was the boat for us.”

Fast forward to today, and Marqui remains enthralled with his Impact XS, and its many fishing features, recreation capability and overall versatility. He continues to be impressed with the Deep-V, IPS hull’s performance, and how its shallow draft combined with big-water capability enables him to fish for crappie, bluegills and catfish anywhere from the bank all the way offshore on Lake Fork.

“That Lund handles some rough water. When there are 15 to 18 mph winds, I’m still going fishing. I almost always got the lake to myself, too, since bass boat owners don’t like going out in that kind of wind. But what a lot of people don’t know is how a Lund will float in shallow water. I’ve taken it into under 3 feet of water to catch bedded bluegills.”.  Another of Marquis favorite features is Lund’s SportTrak mounting system. He explains.

“I get a lot of questions from people at tournaments about the SportTrak System and how it works. I show them how easy it is to put rod holders anywhere along the track, and how I set the holders up at the bow for spider rigging crappie, and then put them closer to the stern for when I’m catfishing. That system’s the best. I’m so happy I don’t have to drill holes in my boat for rod holders, cup holders and my forward-facing sonar set-up.”

The SportTrak System also makes it easy for him to set up the Sport Top, which provides his family with much needed sun protection and relief from the heat.
“That top is one of main reasons I bought the boat. When that sun is up and it’s 100 degrees in North Texas, I can put up the top and it feels 20 degrees cooler in the shade underneath that thing.”

Marqui has also been pleasantly surprised by some features. One being the benefits of the custom dual consoles and walk-through windshield.

“It gets cold down here in North Texas, starting in October and all the way through to January, and lakes start white-capping when there’s strong wind. When you tuck in behind that console, you stay warm and dry. My cousin nicknamed the walk-through windshield ‘The Heater’ because of how the front windshield blocks all that cold wind from you.”The Impact XS has also checked all the boxes for non-angling water fun for the family.

“We have such a good time tubing, and my kids love those jump seats and boarding ladder for getting in and out of the water. Another thing my wife and I enjoy is getting some friends together, and boating up to the marina to listen to live bands on Fridays. I’ll bring the bow cushions and three seats, and we’ll all sit there, relaxing and eating snacks, and listening to music.”

Randy and Phil Engen of Lawrence Bay Lodge, Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan, Lund SSV and Alaskan

Nestled in a picturesque bay on Reindeer Lake in northeastern Saskatchewan, Lawrence Bay Lodge, a family-run business, offers first-class fishing opportunities for lake trout, northern pike, walleye and grayling. Hunters can also enjoy superb moose and bear hunting. Randy Engen started the lodge in 1971, and his son Phil now oversees much of its operations.

Since the lodge’s inception, the Engen family has relied on the ruggedness, reliability and versatility of Lunds to provide customers and guides with the best possible water experience.  Each morning, an armada of SSV18s, a fish-hunt utility model, greets the main lodge’s guests.  Additional SSV16s are stationed at Reindeer Lake and the outpost camps, and a 20-foot Alaskan serves as the lodge’s primary freight hauler for transporting gas, groceries and luggage.

“Lunds are high quality boats that are build very well,” Phil said. “We can get rough water up here and Lunds can handle it. They’re very rugged. You know, even just thinking about the way our guides will nose up onto land for a shore lunch. Sometimes that’s at a sandy beach, but sometimes it’s on granite rock, and this is happening every day, in multiple boats. The hull on a Lund is built very well, and has a big, reinforced aluminum piece up front that’s made to take all kinds of wear and tear. We bought new SSV18s for the lodge three years ago and none of them leak. And I have some fishing guides who don’t slow down in rough water.”

Lund’s reliability is further demonstrated by the fact that many of Lawrence Bay Lodge’s guides own Lunds as their personal boats.

“Every day they’re using our boats, and they see the quality and how a Lund holds up after 1,000-plus hours of guiding time. Familiarity and dependability breed trust.”

The SSV’s stable, IPS hull, fishing features and open layout are other reasons the boat’s the top-choice for the Engens.“They’re built for fishing. You don’t sit as deep in them as some other aluminum boats and feel like you’re trapped down in them and behind big side walls,” Phil said.

The Engens chose to outfit the lodge’s SSVs with the optional raised bow storage and drop-in floor features. These add-ons create more level, stable areas for casting and walking around in the boat, as well as more compartment space for holding gear.

Along with plenty of under-deck storage, the SSV’s open-concept, tiller design affords plenty of interior space for additional items. The boats also easily handle the all-important task of transporting a moose back to the camp for successful hunters.“I grew up fishing in Lunds because that’s all we ever had. I’ve caught the biggest fish in my life in Lunds and they’ve always got me back [to the lodge], and the water can get rough up in the north end of the lake. Everything I’ve ever done on the water has been in Lund boats, and I’ve always had good experiences. I’m familiar with them, know they are built very well and trust them.”