Hey guys,
I am going to be in the market for a new(er) boat next season. Curious what thoughts are on boat size for fishing lakes like Mille Lacs and Red and being able to handle windier conditions? I’ve heard that width of boat is more important than length?
I’m not going to go and spend 40+ on a boat.
Thanks!
And here I thought you were talking about big lakes. 
I’m only partly kidding. To be comfortable, you really only need a 16’+ boat to fish in bigger waves on those lakes. 18’ seems to be all the rage right now.
If you are gonna store it outside, I wouldn’t even consider an aluminum boat. Unless of course you don’t mind rotten wood floors and transom. If you Store it inside and take good care of it, by all means get an aluminum boat. You’ll usually get better bang for you buck if it lasts.
I’ve been in very few other boats and can say that Crestliner and Lund boats are very stable. My old 1750 fish hawk was more stable than my current glass CC. But the ride doesn’t compare. Nor does the durability of the deck.
I’m not much help regarding brand/model though.
If you are gonna store it outside, I wouldn’t even consider an aluminum boat. Unless of course you don’t mind rotten wood floors and transom. If you Store it inside and take good care of it, by all means get an aluminum boat. You’ll usually get better bang for you buck if it lasts.
Are you talking older aluminum boats when it comes to rotten woods floors?
I have had Aluminum boats stored out side if you have a floor it will rot even with cover on The construction of those aluminum boats has ridges that trap water and never dry out causing dry rot. Transoms seem to be more of a mounting bolt allowing water into transom situation. Depending on type of boat replacing floor may not be a huge issue. Just remember you cannot use pressure treated wood as it it will cause a galvanic reaction to aluminum. Causing all sorts of structural issues. DO not buy a used Aluminum boat that has had floor replaced or transom unless you know what kind of wood was used. IF done properly it will be marine plywood or fiberglass covered plywood. I used to have a lund s-18 with removable floor and a 16 ft starcraft with permanent floor and wood transon i had to replace booth. and a princecraft 18 ft with aluminum decking and carpet. All of those boats were used on Lake Superior , vermillion, Lac Seul LOTW. S-18 was stable and safe but rough ride Starcraft was stable and a little better ride in rough waves, Princecraft was very deep v and worked great in all waters.
Good luck in your search
Mwal
Mwal
If you are gonna store it outside, I wouldn’t even consider an aluminum boat. Unless of course you don’t mind rotten wood floors and transom. If you Store it inside and take good care of it, by all means get an aluminum boat. You’ll usually get better bang for you buck if it lasts.
Yes…all aluminum boats have rotted floors and transoms. And if they don’t already, they will certainly someday.
Also keep in mind that you can’t take them out in rough water or big waves, otherwise they’ll break apart. 
Yes…all aluminum boats have rotted floors and transoms. And if they don’t already, they will certainly someday.
I disagree. There’s a pretty good population of people that almost never fish in rain, never store it outside, and take meticulous care of their boat. If you keep it dry and store inside, it’ll last many many decades before anything rots. I’ve seen it.
I’m the alter ego though. 
mine rot out in less than a decade.
I am glad alweld does it right and uses no wood in there boats but I can’t say they build a big water boat though.
So far, the consensus is aluminum boats are junk. 
which is fine, because fiberglass boats are pretty cheap these days. 
Buying the wrong fiberglass boat can be even worse. Had an 07 ranger. I think it was meant to be under water with all the waves it speared
I get my aluminum boat shrink wrapped every year and it is stored outside. I guess we will see if the floor rots on it. My grandpa stored his 1980 starcraft in the backyard every year from 1980-2009 and the floor was just fine.
A few years back I had a Pro-V 1775 and my buddy had a medical emergency while we were houseboating on Saginaw Bay on Rainy Lake. I had to drive him back to our car at RLHB and it was directly into 5-6 footers. And it was plenty of boat to make it back, but that ride wouldn’t have been fun even in a 21′ glass boat. My boat was a 1995, stored outside (correctly and well covered) it’s whole life, and still had all original wood in it. So to answer your question, I’d say 17-18 foot minimum, but length/width isn’t as important as hull design imo. And the hull design varies a lot even within companies. I’d guess we are looking for similar boats and I’m leaning toward an 18′ Lund, Crestliner or Alumacraft, along the Impact or Pro-V hull styles.
This thread about big water boats or problems almost every single boat can have in it’s lifetime?
Imo the wider the more stable it will be while fishing, but it’s going to smack big water waves that much harder. A deadrise and custom fiberglass keels will only get you so far.
Some like more length to span the waves that certain lakes put out, others fish bigger lakes that put out shorter ones. Mille and red are typically longer waves than leech and Winnie??
My 19′ crestliner is a fish ski model so it’s a much narrower beam than the typical big water boats I’ve been in nowadays. But when those waves pick up man those boats pound hard. I can gun mine on top and the width allows me to really cut through rather nicely.
Good luck with the search, gets exciting!
I’d say 17-18 foot minimum, but length/width isn’t as important as hull design imo. And the hull design varies a lot even within companies. I’d guess we are looking for similar boats and I’m leaning toward an 18′ Lund, Crestliner or Alumacraft, along the Impact or Pro-V hull styles.
Thanks Werm and calling put hull design. There is a reason boats like Lund have been as successful as they are. Yes, I’d we are looking for very similar boats. Leaning Alumacraft or Lund. Dad had an Alumacraft Dominator CS growing up, it was a great boat. Dominator replaced by Competitor now.
Good luck in your search and thanks for the input.
This thread about big water boats or problems almost every single boat can have in it’s lifetime?
Lol! 
Thanks for the input. What I was looking for.
So to answer your question, I’d say 17-18 foot minimum, but length/width isn’t as important as hull design imo. And the hull design varies a lot even within companies. I’d guess we are looking for similar boats and I’m leaning toward an 18′ Lund, Crestliner or Alumacraft, along the Impact or Pro-V hull styles.
BigWerm points out perhaps an overlooked design difference in the hull. Not just length/width but how deep. I have a 1650 Tyee II which is on the short end for length a bit but it’s just a smaller version of the big hulking Tyee so it behaves better than some longer/wider boats in rougher water. It has a very deep “V” for a boat it’s size.
Oh, and it’s a 92 and still not growing any mushrooms out from the floor. 
Just make sure you always use premium non-oxy, take it easy going over wakes, don’t park it under a tree, make sure it has an automatic bilge, and don’t for forget to put the plug in.
I learned all this in the last month. 
Just make sure you always use premium non-oxy, take it easy going over wakes, don’t park it under a tree, make sure it has an automatic bulge, and don’t for forget to put the plug in.
I learned all this in the last month.
For what it’s worth, if you read some of the great lakes blogs you will hear a lot more about the rise of the hull and position of the cock pit which seems to be inline with the true offshore guys for the nasty stuff. You won’t hear as much about Lund or alumacraft but that might be a regional thing or the fact there doesn’t seem to be as big of fasination with 50k+ boats in the GL. With that said, I spend stime on Superior and a little on Michigan and it’s all about the weather with 18 ft “walleye rig” and when the weather says more than 2 ft or less I don’t go out (well, very far..) 2-4 is miserable to fish in, so you should buy a boat according to what you want to get kicked around in. Plus inst ML only 15 miles wide, so I assume you could run with the storm if it got really hairy and find a port in any direction. That isn’t so true on the GLs.
tiller or console?
Just for clarification, my 2015 Ranger aluminum boat does NOT have wood floors so it will not rot.
Gregory posted a great question. Tiller or console? If your thinking about a boat that’s under 17 feet long, you would probably want to go with a tiller just to save space. A 16 foot boat with a wheel takes up a ton of interior space, which is short on to begin with. Also, if you plan to do a significant amount of back trolling, a tiller is also easier for boat control. It won’t be as nice going from point A to point B in those waves, however. Just something to think about.
Just make sure you always use premium non-oxy, take it easy going over wakes, don’t park it under a tree, make sure it has an automatic bilge, and don’t for forget to put the plug in.
I learned all this in the last month.
LOL! And find out how heavy it is…
If you are looking at big water boats, you should be look at fiberglass. The best build aluminum can’t compare with the worst built glass boat.
-J.
If you are looking at big water boats, you should be look at fiberglass. The best build aluminum can’t compare with the worst built glass boat.
-J.
now that’s funny
Dad had an Alumacraft Dominator CS growing up, it was a great boat. Dominator replaced by Competitor now.
The Dominator has actually been replaced by the Edge. The Competitor doesn’t have the carpeted wide gunnels like the Dominator, Edge, Trophy and Tournament Pro models do.
The Dominator has actually been replaced by the Edge. The Competitor doesn’t have the carpeted wide gunnels like the Dominator, Edge, Trophy and Tournament Pro models do.
Good to know! My mistake.
I would say 80-90% of my fishing is not on what some are thinking big water, like Superior. I have no intention of fishing those lakes, unless going with a guide. Big water for me is Mille Lacs.
Just make sure you always use premium non-oxy, take it easy going over wakes, don’t park it under a tree, make sure it has an automatic bilge, and don’t for forget to put the plug in.
I learned all this in the last month.
Big water for me is Mille Lacs.
Been fishing Mille Lacs 30+ years. Give me ANY aluminum boat and I can pretty much total it in one weekend. They just can’t stand up to the pounding that lake dishes out.
-J.
Leaning Alumacraft or Lund. Dad had an Alumacraft Dominator CS growing up, it was a great boat. Dominator replaced by Competitor now.
Note In the 2013 plus or minus years Alumacraft’s Dominator and Competitor use the same hull. The Trophy is considered more their big water boat and has more freeboard. Not sure if the Edge is the new Dominator in the line up now.
To the OP, are you looking for a boat that is capable of those lakes once in a while? Would ML or Red be the primary?
For other reasons I was shopping aluminum a couple years ago. My requirements were 80% small-medium lakes but had to be capable to comfortably go out on bigger waters, ML, Winnie, Rainy, etc. Bought a 2013 Dominator 17′. Had my requirements been reversed and my home waters were big then if I were still Alumacraft, the Trohpy would have been a better choice. Same true in Skeeter of MX vs WX hulls.
x2 that hull design can be more important than dimensions.
Last note and only a personal preference, to me once you hit 17′ in a v hull style boat that’s where I would start my shopping. Something about that jump above 16′ seems to be a different class but only an opinion.
Can you fish Mille Lacs or Red safely in an aluminum boat when its rough? Absolutely, thousands of people do. Would you be more comfortable and drier in a fiberglass boat? Most likely yes. The difference is in how the hulls can be shaped. If you look at the hull of any of the aluminum boats and they are all pretty similar. There are limits to what shapes aluminum hulls can be formed and still maintain its strength. Fiberglass can be formed any way an engineer can dream up which is where the difference lies. I have a Ranger 2050 Reata and love it when the wind blows however if you find a good deal on a 17+ foot aluminum boat I wouldn’t pass it up because you are concerned about the ride on bigger water. Buy a nice set of rain gear and maybe add some of those seat pedestals with a suspension and you will be fine.
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