Aluminum boat recommendations

[tuffishooker]

16 hours ago, bulletbob said:

Been going back and forth for decades with the same problem.. A well designed 17 foot fiberglass boat { I had an aquasport 175 Osprey], will handle heavy seas better than most 20 foot aluminum boats.. However they also weigh twice as much... It all depends on where you are going, and what you have to tow with... Some guys have trucks that can tow a 25 foot glass boat with ease, other guys try and tow with compact SUV's or pickups that  will tow a small aluminum  boat, but have a hard time with even a 17 foot glass boat... I had a  18 foot Starcraft Islander, and old one, and miss it terribly.. It was light for the  size and space it offered,  yet took  rough water remarkably well... Overall, don't expect an aluminum "compromise" boat to handle rough conditions  close to as well as the same size glass boat...   I now own an older  aluminum17 Grumman CC.. Very heavily built, and designed for salt water use... I bought it because I tend to believe what I read... It  is mediocre at best, no where near as good as a comparable glass boat despite its very wide beam, and not as good as that old Islander... Personally, I would  stay with a glass boat if you can deal with the weight....... bob

What about fuel consumption ? Glass as compared to aluminum plus resale value and we all have to pick our days no mater what boat we buy ?

[bulletbob]

1 hour ago, tuffishooker said:

What about fuel consumption ? Glass as compared to aluminum plus resale value and we all have to pick our days no mater what boat we buy ?

An aluminum boat will always get better fuel economy  foot for foot against a glass boat.. It doesn't matter for some, but is a big concern for others.. lets say you bait fish for panfish, and rarely travel more than a very few miles in the boat...  economy is of lesser concern.. However, if you put a lot of water miles on the rig and run good distances at speed, an  18 aluminum boat  will need less power and will use less gas than a glass 18.. However, if you are in rough water a lot, the glass boat will get you where you want to go  faster and safer..  I went to aluminum mostly because I rarely tow less than 50 miles each way because of where I live, and often have to tow between 200 and 500 miles round trip, and aluminum simply tows a lot easier with less gas than glass.. however, the aluminum boats I use today get me pounded into submission in any kind of a chop, whereas my glass boats knifed easily through ... Lets put it this way.. Here in the Finger Lakes which are always windy, I spend a LOT more time off plane and  quartering into the wind and waves than I ever did with the glass center console boats I used to have... Another point,,, I can handle the aluminum rigs easily by myself, no help needed.. It was a LOT tougher with heavily built glass boats... Each one must think about about what type of fishing he does,  how much rough water he will encounter, how fast he needs to get where he wants to go both in the boat and with the tow vehicle, how much fuel economy matters  etc etc... bob

[tuffishooker]

" can handle aluminum rigs EASILY by myself " ! A major point which I forgot to mention ! I fish solo a lot and this can be a major factor for me ! Re. fuel consumption I have rescued 2 glass boats who had run out of fuel ! You did not mention the deterioration of fiberglass esp. if the boat had been in salt water ! A great topic thanks for you detail response !

[marinecrafts]

On 9/20/2020 at 8:37 PM, greenhornet73 said:

I have seen Starcraft Fishmasters that look to be 20’ or maybe 21’ that are loaded up with 2-4 downriggers and set up for big water. Does anyone have any input on those?

 

[marinecrafts]

I have a Starcraft Fishmaster 196 (19' 9") running 2 riggers and it works good.  With the aft deck design it is made for trolling.  The boat is very deep and handles waves as good as any other aluminum boat but you have to watch the installation of a kicker.  The little motor placed on the port side will cause a slight list but it runs an even keel when planing.  My Yamaha kicker control cables were too long, created a pinch point and broke because you have to get that kicker out of the water to run.  It could be that the marina where I bought the boat (Bloomsburg, PA) had no experience with a forward control set-up.  Also the seat was set too close to the gunwale and every time I turned, the arm rest would hit the kicker control.  This boat is so deep that it is a real effort to change the bilge pump or change the water separating filter but it has high gunwales that are wide for mounting equipment.  Maybe a big Lund would be better, IF you have that kind of money.

[bulletbob]

 I  mentioned my Starcraft Islander.. It was 18 feet, and as i said, it was remarkable in how well it powered through rough water  for such a light boat.. I had it in the ocean once in an inlet that was churning with big rollers, and high waves coming from multiple directions.. I was fishing in this mess, and the boat was remarkable stable, and under power  just knifed through with ease...  That boat just didn't pound at all in rough water... It was an old boat too, not some "modern design" hull.. a 1972 ... Other aluminum boats??.. Not so much... My  17 Grumman which is a center console  that  was  supposedly design for rough water pounds like hell in a chop..  The only way to know which hull is most desirable for  is probably to ask questions from owners, get every bit of information you can find as to the performance qualities or lack therof of  any boat you might be interested in , new or used... bob