Aluminum or Fiberglass

[maisie]

I am in the market for a used fishing boat. i plan on selling our 17ft. Starcraft Supersportsman. What i was wondering if the best way to go is Aluminum or Fiberglass? what are the pros and cons for each? We plan on getting at least a 19ft boat for lake ontario. All you professional fisherpersons and non professional fisherpersons should have an opinion.

thanks

[ray koziatek]

hmmmmm,well 19 ft is still a tad short to level the waves good 1 to 2 ftrs for moving very fast .. my alum.22ft cuddy cabin realy is nice old but nice 4 to 5 ft swells are very doable and the cuddy protects any water with a roagh wave,now toss in a 15 to 20 mph winds still doable but the fun is over ,even 3 ftrs with wind is challanging setting rods and maintaining good speed going into the waves but again doable if you must. but i average 800hrs a year on the water.cant help on the fiberglass but some hull designes will take the bumpy water very well. the length on either would be my main concern and a cabin will pay for itsself the first time things get a little bumpy . Mine is a sylvan with basicly flat bottom 13 deg deadrise(i think),starcraft has some nice cuddies. dont get one (Alum) overpowered a 140 hp 4 cyc is plenty might only get 26 to 33 mph out of it (depends on prop pitch and weight) but that is pretty good for a fishing boat and good fuel millage then ya got the towing thing if thats a concern with vehicle size.If i can find a nice 24 ft alum that will be my next boat ,,,,but the right fiberglass deal wouldnt be out of the question

[CBish]

My recomendation would be to look for a 20'-22' Penn Yan. It is a glass boat. Can be pulled by a pickup and is a great Lake Ontario boat. You should be able to find one for less than $5K. If you have a bit more money to put into a boat, get a Grady White. If you are buying new the Sea Swirls really look great.

The alumn is ok, but I like the weight of the glass boat. Plus you won't get called a 'tin can"

CC

[jimski2]

A very important factor in the purchase of a new boat is the future cost and availability of fuel. Not just the fuel costs for the boat but your tow vehicle enters the equation. If you buy a heavy barge that can not be towed, you are stuck in the port where you dock it and lose the ability to travel around the lake or lakes wherever. An 18 foot aluminum hull with a trailer weighing less than 3500 pounds gives you a lot of freedom to travel and store the boat at home. If the water conditions are too rough for an 18 footer, they are too rough for all boats unless you are a charter boat needing to make a living and your customers are paying the fuel bill. Look at the professional walleye and bass anglers who tow boats up to 22 foot with diesel pickup trucks and find out what their fuel costs are. If you do not cash a check, it is back on the job soon.

[K Gonefishin]

A glass boat will typically ride better in any chop and keep your drier, reason being they are typically heavier and manufactures can shape the hull to deflect water and spray away from the hull when riding through the water instead of the standard shape of almost every aluminum boat you see on the water and on the market. I have been in many of each and I can't stand the way tin boats pound you when traveling into any sort of waves over even 2 fters, glass boat typically land much easier and allow you to travel faster with the waves and against the waves and 10x drier when your troughin the waves. They do require a little more maintence as far as cleaning goes but I'll take the good with the bad. nothing worse than getting your teeth knocked out and a sore back after traveling 10 miles in 3-4 fters in a tin boat, not to mention if it's windy everyone in the boat needs rain gear unless it's calm out. If it's hot in the summer and the wind is blowing, now you have sweating and soaking wet passengers...not happy fisherman. For me it's glass all the way and I will never own an aluminum boat. I fish Erie 90% of the time and it's always choppy and rough and I can usually get out alot more than guys in tin boats and I never get beat to snot if it's rough, not to mention a quality glass boat and quality aluminum boat cost about the same. Compare a 20 ft Lund to a 20 ft glass boat of your choice and you'll see.

[maisie]

thanks all you guys who wrote. now the looking begins. haven't had much luck, but with fall coming maybe our luck will change. we do want to haul the boat around so i guess a 20 to 21ft is what we will look for. i would like to get an outboard. thanks again maisie

[Recutter]

Well, there are aluminum boats...and then there are heavy aluminum boats. I have a 16ft Crestliner which is light and gets blown around a bit when the wind picks up. It is also tough to steer when docking. I use it on Seneca and Cayuga, but I would not think that it is enough boat for Ontario on any but the nice days. However, it is a dry ride and a very well designed boat that I believe will last me a very long time.

I also own this:

This boat is a heavy plate alloy boat. It does not get blown around and maybe doesn't belong in this discussion because they are not very common on the East Coast used boat market. It can handle ANYTHING with confidence and safety, will last me the rest of my life, and is tougher than any fiberglass boat ever made. Drop an anchor on deck, slam the side with a 15lb weight, beach it on the rocks...no problem.

[maisie]

great boat!!! maisie

[big easy]

Nice boat recutter.

As he said there are aluminum,and then there are real aluminum boats.Check out these by Rock Salt Boats.Go onto videos,and watch the third one down.

http://www.rocksaltboats.com/

[K Gonefishin]

Lake Assault, Hewscraft and a few other west coast style river runner type boats are similar.....those are not your typical tin boats like Lunds and Starcrafts...a league of there own you can say....not the same whatsover.

[holy mackerel]

I moved up to a Lund from a Starcraft 4 years ago. Both are 22' boats. The lund ( with cuddy) ride is equal in my opinion to glass boats in this size and weight. The starcraft was a tin can and had a slightly rougher ride, but served me well for over 20 years. I haven't missed any

fishing because of rough water in either boat.

When the government outlaws recreational boating, I will be sitting on $3000 of recyleable aluminum!! Glass $0.

[motoman]

Get a 23 or 24 ft glass boat , easy too tow and will do what you want ! and the deals are out there to be had , good luck hunting.

[chinook]

I agree with Capt. Carl and Moto, I have owned both and have friends who have as well. They mostly all say that once you fish out of a glass boat you won't go back to aluminum. Don't get me wrong for there are many good metal boats, but for my money I'll go with glass every day. I currently fish out of a 24' Penn Yan, small enough to tow easily, yet large enough that if it is to rough to fish out of it then, I don't care to be fishing on that particular day, due to current back and neck problems esp. As mentioned there are plenty of good deals out there, just do your home work-Best of luck in whatever you choose- Duane