The
Legend Alpha 199 Series Bass Boat Handles like a Sports Car
(continued)
Fish-ability:
While the Alpha 199 cut through rough water better than similarly sized Rangers
and Tritons it wasn’t able to match the other brands when it came to offering as
stable a fishing platform. We noticed with two people on one side the boat would
lean a bit and with three anglers on a side there was noticeable tilt. A single
angler was able to rock the boat a bit, something that would be very difficult
on a Ranger VX of the same size. The Alpha 199 seemed to fish a little smaller
than it actually was, but then again with multiple TackleTour editors on board
there was an overabundance of tackle on board.
Gel inserts make the bucket seats
extremely comfortable
We ranked the Alpha 199’s
fish-ability factor as good, and with a beam of 94” it was possible to fish
multiple anglers both up front and back. We had plenty of room to stow rods and
swing away, and the cavity section in the middle of the boat was able to stow
all of our oversized tackle bags….barely. In the updated 2009 boat the front
deck extends slightly further back to increase room for two anglers up front, we
think this is a major plus as the Legend will fish nicely with three adult
anglers, with four its going to feel crowded.
Hydraulic lifts make it easier to
access tackle quickly in storage compartments
Trailer:
As you would expect with a rig at this price point a lot of time has gone into
personalizing the trailer to match the boat both in design and quality. Standard
trailer features include: hydraulic disc brakes, aluminum wheels that would look
right at home on a pimped out truck, a side mounted spare, Fulton winch,
retractable Imco tie-downs, Laser cut lighting, and a heavy duty jack. We towed
the boat on the same Nissan Titan that I normally tow my everyday boat, a Triton
TR-186, and while I could feel the increase in overall weight on the back of the
truck I found the dual axle trailer easy enough to manage and even easier to
stop thanks to the hydraulic disc brakes.
A 47 gallon divided livewell keeps
fish healthy during tournaments
Price & Applications:
As rigged our test boat retails for right around the 40K mark, this is
significantly lower than similarly priced competing boats. How much are anglers
paying for a brand on their boat, quite a lot. Each and every boat has its
benefits and weaknesses but for 40K the Legend Alpha 199 is a very good value
for a serious tournament ready boat.
Pulling out of Clear Lake at the
end of one of our test days
The particular boat that
we spent over 40 hours on is a 2008 model and while the hull has not changed the
company has made some minor upgrades to the currently shipping 2009 models.
These include chrome instead of black plastic handles, a chrome versus the
current plastic gas cap, a chrome oil cap, improved gel seats, longer rod
storage doors to even better accommodate swimbait rods, though we had no trouble
with our 8 foot swimbait sticks.
Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):
|
Legend
Alpha
199
Ratings (?/10)
|
| Construction/Quality |
Great
build
quality
that is
up to
par with
rigs
costing
up to
25%
more,
the
attention
to
detail
and
components
are
excellent |
8.5 |
| Performance |
We rated
overall
performance
as good
in this
category.
A very
good
ride and
a great
layout
with
plenty
of
storage
and an
excellent
exotic
feeling
cockpit.
Only
weakness
we
encountered
was that
the boat
was not
as
stable a
fishing
platform
as a
comparably
sized
Ranger |
7 |
| Price |
Bonus
point in
this
category!
Great
price
and a
great
value
for a
boat
that you
wont see
everyday,
definitely
a head
turner |
9 |
| Features |
A good
balance
of
features
and
choices
for
anglers
to pick
from,
excellent
cockpit |
8 |
| Design (Ergonomics) |
The
overall
design
reminds
us a
great
deal of
how
Champions
ride and
are laid
out.
Overall
a very
clean
easy to
fish rig
but
fishes a
little
smaller
than it
looks |
8 |
| Application |
A great
tournament
rig that
can
handle
the
rough
water,
if you
put a
premium
on the
ride
comfort
and
safety
then
this is
a good
choice |
8 |
|
Total Score
|
8.08 |
Ratings Key:
1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus Minus
|
| J
Extremely
stylish
and
plenty
of room
to
customize |
L
Not as
stable a
fishing
platform
as some
brands |
| J
Excellent
ride
even in
rough
water |
L
Not as
many
dealers
as some
competitors |
| J
Attention
to
detail
is
superb |
|
| J
Great
value in
comparison
to other
brands |
|
| J
Not a
"me too"
fishing
rig, has
an
exclusivity
factor |
|
Conclusion:
Legend has put
together a fine
package with the
Alpha 199 and the
company’s attention
to detail is
excellent, the value
of the boat is
undeniable, but what
we like most of all
is the ability to
customize the boat
from everything from
the powerplant to
the fades in the
color scheme. I
personally pilot a
Triton, and while I
like the boat one of
the things that I
don’t like about my
personal boat is
that it lacks that
specialty factor.
There are days on
Clear Lake or the
Delta where I see
nothing but Rangers,
Tritons, and
Skeeters on the
water, but coming
across a Legend may
not happen for a few
trips. Does that
make Legend a better
boat? No, but it
does make it a more
exclusive one, even
if the price is
significantly less
than some of the
comparably equipped
big boat brands.
Time to pack the
tackle, strap down
the rods, and tow
home
With any boat there
are strengths and
weaknesses and
anglers need to
decide what they
deem are the highest
priorities. With the
legend Alpha 199
anglers will get a
boat that rides
well, and can
confidently cut
through bigger
waves, but if your
looking for the
ultimate in platform
stability than a
Ranger will likely
be worth the extra
money. The Legend
Alpha 199 radiates
both performance and
style and if asked
the question would I
personally consider
the Alpha 199 as a
possible next rig
the answer would be
a resounding “yes.”
For more information
about Legend visit
the
company's website.
Next up on our boat
reviews…stay tuned
for the latest from
Triton and Lund
