Aluminum Bass Boats

[shadowcreeper420]

hello all have a question about fiberglass bass boats vs. aluminum bass boats. I'm strongly considering buying a new boat this winter and I've been looking into purchasing a aluminum bass boat instead of a fiberglass boat for a few reasons. I want to purchase a new boat first of all but really don't want to spend the amount it cost for a good new fiberglass boat. I have a few buddies who have purchased used boat (fiberglass) who end up with transom problems down the line this is something I want to avoid if possible and I was wondering if aluminum boat have transoms that last longer? I've heard that welded boats are a lot better and longer lasting than riveted boat I'm not really sure if this is true either . I've also heard that aluminum boat move to fast and can be tippy. I love fishing the delta and if I make this purchase will probably be fishing 90% in the delta and I know if this is true then this may cause a problem for me in the delta with the current and everything. I m also wondering if noise will be a factor in an aluminum boat that's carpeted? Hey any input is appreciated guy's thanks in advance

Abner

[bassindon69]

Mine would be a used glass boat so I guess I wont ask..

You get what you want. If you can fish , you will catch fish, period.

[adman]

Would someone PLEASE...PLEASE! buy bassindon69's @#%@$#^ boat so he will quit hijacking EVERY thread on this board!

Now to your original question: You will be much happier with a used glass boat than a new aluminum on the Delta. No question about it. There is no reason to fear transom problems if you stick to brand name boat that is say no older than late nineties.

Fighting wind, current, wave action and staying relatively quiet in the shallow water of the Delta will take all your focus and leave nothing for your fishing.

[calworks]

Therefore buy Bassindon's boat, its what you need, and gets you a ton of stuff with it

[acm95301]

If you don't buy Bassindon's boat, And like me decide that an aluminum is a good choice then here is what I think.

I have owned two aluminum boats a 2002 Pro team 165 a 16 foot bass boat witha 25hp 4 stroke engine.....it traveled 24 mph, sometimes a little faster.

And now I have 2009 Pro team 175txw 17.5 ft boat with a 60hp 4 stroke engine it travels about 37mph.

a friend has a lowe 18ft striker or something and it has 115hp and goes about 50 mph.

The advantage of Aluminum is that if you dent it , it doesnt amount to a significant damage. The advantage of fiberglass from what I understand is that its a smoother ride and its faster.

The Delta doesnt need one type or the other, it all works.

Although, If your like me and new to the delta...damn it has alot of submerged hazards, so advantage aluminum. But your prop wont care what your hull is.

A finished bass boat aluminum or fiberglass has front and stern decks, making transfered noise irrelevant...if you drop pliers bass hear it either way.

My pro team 165 cost 10k, my pro team 175 cost 20k, but that also included new electronics..an HD7 lowrance(1250) and a bimini top (550).

a 17ft ranger from C and C marina is probably in the neighborhood of 20k...ask JIm Moulton about his inventory.

Bassindon is trying to sell his rig...8k which includeds gear from what I've heard.

pm if you have more questions.

[calworks]

I have a 17.5 foot tracker, granted its not a bigger wider model that weighs more, but mine blows across the lake like a cork. I wish I had a heavier boat that did not do this.

If it were a even match in weight between a aluminum and a fiberglass, I'd take the aluminum because its lighter, therefore towing would be easier on gas, but the ride is as already stated not as good as a fiberglass because the fiberglass is heavier in the water, it doesn't blow in the wind as much as the aluminum

Kinda have to weigh the pros and cons for each.

[FishDiver]

I have a 17.5 Tracker also. It is easy to tow and launch alone but it is a rough ride on the delta. It is also tough to maintain boat position in the wind or current. I spend as much effort keeping the boat in the right place as I do fishing.

I am considering buying a bigger and heavier aluminum for more comfort and range. I am afraid that the high gunwales will still catch the wind and make it a challenge to control while fishing.

[Phil]

If serious, I would buy the biggest Lowe you can get; 19 ft'r at the least. Heavy, stands in wind (ok) ? with at least 80lb trolling motor. I would not go in anything less than 19ft Aluminum.

My .02

JIGS

[acm95301]

on advatage of aluminum, especially on other bodies of water than the delta is the ability to run up onto the beach, and get out and shore fish, or fish a tight creek without a panic attack. I like to fish inlet creeks alot.

If the Delta gets rough I doubt anything will be a nice safe ride, maybe a big boat makes people feel safe, but I still like the smaller boats for the above mentioned application.

[Derrick]

I have fished out of a 1994 pro 180 bass tracker 60 hp merc motorguide 50lb 24v motor for the past 8 years. I bought the boat to fish not run around. yes it is more tippy , gets blown around in the wind , my model ride like crap also. Its tough it can take sandbars , trees, stumps, even rebar, I don't have to worry about glecoat. The cost of owning an aluminum boat made more since to me. I also can make 5 trips on a 12 gallon tank of gas.
Derrick

[calworks]

Derrick,
all ture statements. But don't you find once in a while you yearn for something that doesn't move like a fether on the wind. You are right, you tend to spend as much time keeping the boat positioned than you do fishing, I broke my pitot tube because the wind was so bad at Lopez one day, had the motor on high and it still blew me into the bank. A friend has an aluminum but it a higher end model and is much heavier. Nice boat but don't think they are made any longer

[Rod Martin]

I started in a 15ft fiberglass boat, moved to an 18 then a 20 down to a 16 then settled in a 17
You can get a glass boat for a little more than a alum. and I have found that the glass boats hold my 330lbs better than standing on the side of a tin boat.
I bought a 17' tr177 from C&C in Modesto that I think has all the good stuff of alum and glass combined, plus rides the rough stuff like a much bigger boat.
Look at all the alums and glass boats you can , get rides in as many as possible and go by and look at bassindon69s boat unless you are set on a new one , you will not find a better deal than his.

http://www.westernbass.com/forum/ads_item.php?id=13229


http://www.westernbass.com/forum/ads_it ... 4e1b387b16

[Ringer]

I had a 1990 Alumacraft Pro-17 with a 115hp. That boat is still running and my buddy owns it. It was riveted but still doesn't leak. It is fairly heavy and has a deep v hull that does better in rough water than most of my glass boats. I have also had welded aluminum jet sleds. If it is a true aluminum deep v bass boat with decks it will fish fine even in wind as weight has a big impact. I prefer glass but nothing wrong with aluminum if you buy a real bass boat model with a good hull design. Stay away from the lightweight aluminum boats with flat hulls. I also tore off all the decks and rebuilt the interior and painted the hull so you can fix up an aluminum boat fairly easy. Good luck.

[bassindon69]

Would someone PLEASE...PLEASE! buy bassindon69's @#%@$#^ boat so he will quit hijacking EVERY thread on this board!.

Come on now. Im not hijacking every thread
But when it goes, you will never see me again. Promise.

[jcruz]

I have a Triton 186 Magnum (18 1/2 ft) with a 150 Yamaha. It's a great boat on the Delta which I fish most of the time. The only downside is the wind and big water, when its blowing over 20 MPH gusts -- running the channel and tract will be a little rough and wet. But if the Delta is blowing three footers in the Tract, I am either in front of the TV or fishing behind some protected water in the South or East Delta. That said, there are many good reasons to own an aluminum boat. They are great on gas and oil, easy to tow, quiet with full carpeted deck, have a shallow draft for accessing back waters and low tide conditions and fish great all the way around. I would suggest you look into a welded boat rigged with at least 18ft and with a 135-150 HP motor and over powered TM which is also key on the Delta with any boat.

jcruz

[Rod Martin]

Would someone PLEASE...PLEASE! buy bassindon69's @#%@$#^ boat so he will quit hijacking EVERY thread on this board!.

Come on now. Im not hijacking every thread
But when it goes, you will never see me again. Promise.

If you go away when it sells, I hope it doesnt sell

[adman]

Yeah. I quit fishing too, for almost 10 years,. Guess what? I am now tackle warehouse's biggest customer, looking for a team partner and spend all my evenings in the garage, leaning against the boat trying to figure out the next great technique/bait. Once it is in your blood, you have to die to get rid of it. I hope that is NOT the reason you are selling out, if it isn't I'll see you on the water someday. All the best.

[DAN]

And I promise you Derrick can Catch em too! I used my tin boat twice as much as my BassCat this year...

[Paul Cormany]

If you're considering a new aluminum boat, you need to see your local Stratos dealer. The 176XT is the same price as a Tracker Pro Team 175, but it's a fiberglass boat. No need to put up with the negatives of aluminum for the sake of price.

I've sold both Tracker and Stratos brands, have driven and fished from both. No question in my mind, Stratos 176XT all the way, unless the budget will allow a 186XT!

[mark poulson]

Abner,
I fished from a 17ft Tracker for five years, until it was totalled on the freeway.
When I went to replace it, I checked out the 18' Tracker, thinking the extra length would translate into weight and stability.
Turned out, the extra foot of boat only weighed an extra 50 lbs.
My old Tracker blew in the wind like a cork, which was a pain to fish from, and I figured the 18' would just be a bigger cork.
So I bought a 177TR Ranger, 17', and I was amazed at how much easier it is to fish from.
I don't think the fiberglass is much quieter than the Tracker, since both have raised, carpeted decks. If you drop a pair of pliers in either the fish will hear it.\
And I was surprised that the waves slap the hull of my Ranger just as loud as my old Tracker.
So neither is a stealth machine, but I still catch fish....sometimes.
If the wreck had never happened, and all I had was my old Tracker, I would have been happy, but, now that I've fished from my Ranger, I would never go back to aluminum.
And, unless you drive like an idiot, the fiberglass is not fragile, and it's easier to clean. A keel guard will let you beach when you want to.
I have a friend with a 17' Stratos, which is also fiberglass, and he is happy with his boat, too.

[bselsor]

I fish from a 17ft Tracker that works well for me. I could afford it, some of the rest would be in my dreams only. I fish by myself alot ,so it is easy to handle & launch - single axle trailer. Does move around in the wind, but goes into shallow water where others won't.
I go around docks & rocks & consider it bullet proof. All depends on what you want out of the package. Mine purchased new, maybe paid to much, but didn't want to turn into boat mechanic - just wanted to fish with it. My 2cents worth.

[bassindon69]

I fish from a 17ft Tracker that works well for me. I could afford it, some of the rest would be in my dreams only. I fish by myself alot ,so it is easy to handle & launch - single axle trailer. Does move around in the wind, but goes into shallow water where others won't.
I go around docks & rocks & consider it bullet proof. All depends on what you want out of the package. Mine purchased new, maybe paid to much, but didn't want to turn into boat mechanic - just wanted to fish with it. My 2cents worth.

I do all this with mine Single axle also
Even comes with gear and more

[mark poulson]

I fish from a 17ft Tracker that works well for me. I could afford it, some of the rest would be in my dreams only. I fish by myself alot ,so it is easy to handle & launch - single axle trailer. Does move around in the wind, but goes into shallow water where others won't.
I go around docks & rocks & consider it bullet proof. All depends on what you want out of the package. Mine purchased new, maybe paid to much, but didn't want to turn into boat mechanic - just wanted to fish with it. My 2cents worth.

I do all this with mine Single axle also
Even comes with gear and more

Don, maybe you ought to throw in some guide trips, too.
Good luck on selling your stuff.

[Tracker18]

I have a Tracker now and am looking at fiberglass. I have a hard time with boat control and am hoping the heavier boat will help. I like the aluminum because I don't worry as much about bumping into things. Good luck with your search.

[brambo0311]

A welded boat is way better than a rivited boat, no seams to leak. I sold my aluminum a few months ago. Aluminum was to light, hard to hold the boat even on lakes if there was wind. The delta was even worse with the wind and the tide. Almost couldn't get in a locker and retie before I got pushed into something. But I did catch allot of fish out of it. I bought a 96 procraft for 7 grand 3 years ago and fish out of it 3 days a week. I got my money out of it already, and it still looks show room and works fine.

My opinion is a glass boat for bass fishing. It's just less work to hold it on a bank.

[FRANK D. LOZANO]

Hey Guys,
This is best value for your dollar. Starting at 13k. By Wellcraft.
90Hp Yamaha, Electronics, Minnkota and 5 year Warranty.

$148 a month $1,500 down

Give me a ring.

Frank

http://www.inland-marine.com/FINCRAFT.html