Aluminum or Glass

Just looking for any thoughts on switching from a Large Fiberglass boat back to a aluminum Hull Boat.
Has anyone made the switch and if so, do you have any opinions/regrets on one over the other.

I went from an aluminum Lund to a fiberglass Tuffy.

My reason was that I simply wanted to fish water that required longer runs and didn’t want weather dictating when and where I fish. The first lady also wasn’t a huge fan of the ride in a 17′ aluminum boat in 3′ waves. I’m not sure now how I could ever go back to aluminum for anything more than a shallow river rig.

I just went back to an aluminum boat. This is my 4th Al and I’ve had 5 glass. The glass were the prettiest and provided the most comfortable ride. If I just fished lakes with good ramps and floats and didn’t put in after floats are pulled for winter or before they are put in in the spring I’d stay with glass. Problem is that doesn’t fit my profile. I fish the river till it freezes and then start again as the ice is breaking up. I don’t mind pulling the Al boat up on the concrete if there isn’t a float and am more comfortable using unimproved launch sites. High water the last few years seems to be the norm and that floats a lot of junk. I’m a careful guy but I have hit stuff floating at or just below the surface that you just can’t see. In my experience the Al boats fare better with those encounters. It seems like the glass in general take a little more work to keep them looking good. The perfect boat for every application does not exist. Pick the one best for 80% or more of your needs and you’ll be happy at least 80% of the time.

Tuffy didn’t just switch hull materials, he switched styles of boats. Apples to apples, aluminum is a better choice for longevity and performance.

Last 2 boats were glass – a Ranger then a Yar-craft … just switched to an aluminum Lund this year. I don’t run big water very often but some. The aluminum is a deep V so it will get you there but maybe not as smooth as a glass boat.

I do fish some shallower rivers, Canadian Shield rocky lakes … so the tin is good for those. I’m not as paranoid with tin.

The deciding factor this time was layout. If I could have found same in glass… would have really been a tough decision —

SuperDave1959 wrote:

Tuffy didn’t just switch hull materials, he switched styles of boats. Apples to apples, aluminum is a better choice for longevity and performance.

No. I’ve had both. If both are properly cared for one will not outlast the other. Also aluminum will not out perform glass. But, it’s all personal preference and I promise you I have owned my last alum. boat.

I will never go back. Glass all the way! Chances are if it’s going to scratch glass it’ll scratch the paint on a tin boat.

Dutchboy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>SuperDave1959 wrote:</div>
Tuffy didn’t just switch hull materials, he switched styles of boats. Apples to apples, aluminum is a better choice for longevity and performance.

No. I’ve had both. If both are properly cared for one will not outlast the other. Also aluminum will not out perform glass. But, it’s all personal preference and I promise you I have owned my last alum. boat.

You’ll have to take me to physics class and explain how a boat that weighs 1.5 times more than the other performs the same both on the water and while towing on land.

You will need to show me a modern day glass boat that weights 1.5 times more. I’m not going to argue the point. I have owned both and know many who have owned both. I can truthfully say I don’t know anyone that has switched back to alum from glass over performance. But as I said before, everybody’s opinion is different.

The glass and aluminum boats I’ve had were the same size. Both weight about the same.

Yea,I have had both,my current boat at the time was a tournament quality boat. The tournament fishing has been over for several years. I had a 18′ aluminun at one time,now I have a 20′-6″ Skeeter. I am torn about what to buy to replace it.
I truly liked both boats.I can honestly say that other than increased length on the current rig,which I puchased because of being in some hairy weather conditions out on the Western resivors. I can’t say that one was a better ride over the other.
Is my current 20’glass boat a better and safer ride in rough waters,over my 18′ Aluminum? Absolutely! The quetion that perplexes me is would a same size Aluminum handle those hairy situations as a glass boat?

Not necessarily. Glass in most cases can be shaped into more of a performance hull than tin. It can ‘slice’ through the waves better, ride more efficiently, plane differently, etc. A larger tin boat would most likely handle hairy situations better than a smaller tin version, but usually not as well as glass.

Think about rough seas where the aluminum hull ‘slaps’ the waves. The same waves in fiberglass make a ‘whoosh’ sound instead of smacking.

A molded, shaped glass hull can do a lot of things…

Jeff,
My aluminum hull has 30″ deep gunnels and has handled 8′ – 10′ ocean swells. This is not a Lund or Crestliner quality boat. But I don’t know if premium aluminum boats are available in your part of the country. Duckworth, North River, Thunder Jet and Rogue Coastal are all brands of boats that would exceed your needs in aluminum.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

Jeff,
My aluminum hull has 30″ deep gunnels and has handled 8′ – 10′ ocean swells. This is not a Lund or Crestliner quality boat. But I don’t know if premium aluminum boats are available in your part of the country. Duckworth, North River, Thunder Jet and Rogue Coastal are all brands of boats that would exceed your needs in aluminum.

How does yours compare in 8-10′ swells when put against a Hatteras or Yellowfin?

CW

c_w wrote:

How does yours compare in 8-10′ swells when put against a Hatteras or Yellowfin?

I’m pretty sure in 8-10′ swells it won’t matter. You won’t be going faster than 15mph so it’ll be simply riding up and down the waves and not cutting through them.

I’ve been in 5-7′ waves with the occasional 10′ out on superior in my glass boat. I’ve also been in 3-6′ in my crestliner fish hawk. It’s all about the operator at that point.

Just a Ford vs Chevy thing. Neither side will ever convince the other.

Had an 18 foot Lund and now have an 18 foot Skeeter. Both had a F150 Yammie hanging on the back. Skeeter has 9.9 on back also. Skeeter is 500 lbs heavier. On water top speed is within 1 mph. Towing my truck gets the same mpg. The Skeeter ride is smoother and dryer. There are times I miss the aluminum boat but not often. Glass for me yet.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

This is not a Lund or Crestliner quality boat. But I don’t know if premium aluminum boats are available in your part of the country. Duckworth, North River, Thunder Jet and Rogue Coastal are all brands of boats that would exceed your needs in aluminum.

No, in general, the top level of aluminum brands are not sold and rarely seen here. It’s all the lower end brands.

Willie Boats, North River, Alumaweld, etc are just not seen in the numbers here that they are out east and west. The ones I do see are mainly in commercial use, for example I think the Kettle Falls hotel uses a North River as a shuttle.

Mid-continent walleye guys seem mainly interested in plush interiors, lots of carpet and vinyl, etc. Hull strength and quality rarely are a concern here, plus people just don’t use their boats here where the lakes are forzen for 4-5 months, so for an average freshwater guy, even the beer-can hull thickness that is the average around here will last forever. Nobody’s flying up a river with a 250 jet drive on the back skipping off of rocks and skimming over rock bars in 3 inches of water.

I laugh every time I see “quality” used in connection with the common freshwater brands. Compared to the top tier aluminum and glass saltwater boats, well, there is no comparison. Walleye boats have hardly advanced at all in build quality since the 1980s and are, on average, laughably bad.

Grouse

Kettle Falls runs Hewescraft but it’s along the same lines as those mentioned. There also is no need for the super heavy duty alum boats seen on the west coast. Nobody is shooting rapids like on the snake river, nobody is out on the ocean in legit 8′ swells. We are plinking around on mid size lakes with the occasional forays into Canada or Superior. Most guys here who say they have been in 6′- 8′ waves on Leech, Mille Lacs and the other inland lakes would shi# their pants in legit storm waves.

Like I said, Ford vs Chevy for the majority here.

And we really didn’t get into differentiating between fishing platforms like bass boats versus big water deep V boats. Too bad we all aren’t at a lake together debating this over a beer at the campfire.

There are no quality aluminum boats with a dealer network in mn. There are quality glass boats with dealer networks in mn.
As far as performance there isn’t a comparison. Glass is far superior in ride looks and strength.
Compare a Lund transom to a ranger. Again no comparison

So Lund, Alumacract or Crestliner aren’t quality aluminum boats?

I don’t understand your logic.

Please enlighten me.

Did you happen to see todays add from Rapid Marine?
Two boats a Lund Pro V and a Large Barron listed slightly under $100,000.

Are you “Frn Serious”?
I feel my children will never have the joys of owning a quality Boat?

Sadness overcomes me, I fear for the Future of the outdoor adventures for those who wish to follow in our footsteps.

Instead of leaving cash or land to our kids we will leave boats.

koldfront kraig wrote:

So Lund, Alumacract or Crestliner aren’t quality aluminum boats?

I don’t understand your logic.

Please enlighten me.

Have you ever seen a Hewescraft, Alumaweld or any of the other boats mentioned?

biggill wrote:

May 28, 2017 at 8:41 pm#1696429
koldfront kraig wrote:
So Lund, Alumacract or Crestliner aren’t quality aluminum boats?

I don’t understand your logic.

Please enlighten me.

Have you ever seen a Hewescraft, Alumaweld or any of the other boats mentioned?

^^^ This.

Look in person at a Hewescraft, North River, Alumaweld, etc and the truth shall set you free. Look closely at the build specs too.

The fit and finish of the common Midwest bands are laughably bad.

The best “that sums it up”, I’ve heard about the difference between the quality aluminum brands and the stuff that is common around here was a post I read in the old Drake forum. A member posted that his 20 year old North River was in desperate need of an overhaul after guiding thousands of days running west coast rivers and keeping the boat in the water for months at a time. So he put in new seats and bought 100 feet of new anchor line.

Grouse

… and I sold my 10 year old crestliner because the deck and transom were rotted.

im curious Grouse, where would a guy get a look at these quality east/west coast tin boats that you speak of? Is it feasible to get one in the state of MN without having to drive to timbucktoo?

Glass boats look great in other peoples driveways. When I look at getting one, just can’t get over the urge to use camo rattle cans to hide the glitter paint

crappie55369 wrote:

im curious Grouse, where would a guy get a look at these quality east/west coast tin boats that you speak of? Is it feasible to get one in the state of MN without having to drive to timbucktoo?

My guess is that there aren’t any dealers in mn. Unless you find a used one. I have seen a couple used ones.

When people say quality, please understand that you’ll be hard pressed to find any carpet and below deck rod locker in these boats. They are made to last so they don’t use materials that deteriorate. It’s not going to look like you’re Lund pro v inside.

If you want a tin boat that’ll outlast a glass boat and handle some serious abuse, then don’t buy a boat in mn.