Aluminum vs Fiberglass????

I am looking for a bass boat and I am not sure what would be best for what I want to do. I have looked at the Ranger 19ft aluminum boat and a nitro z6 fiberglass. Both seem like nice boats and are reasonably priced. I will be fishing smaller lakes in the DFW area. Is ther any big advantage to either one. I do plan on fishing some tournaments eventually. Would love a skeeter but not in my price range.

Iron boats take a beating, easier to tow, and take less horsepower.

Fiberglass rides better, is faster and shiny.

I have had a Nitro and now have a Tracker. I like the aluminum better but there are pros and cons to both. Here's a few things I considered when I bought mine. There's a lot more than this but these were major points to me.

Aluminum pro's:
1. Will never rot. You will never have to replace a transom due to water damage.
2. Lighter, more effecient with a smaller engine but if you buy one of the larger boats, they are plenty fast for most people.
3. Looks decent but not near as pretty as a glass boat. The new ones look much better than the older ones.

Glass pro's:
1. Looks better.
2. Some may ride better.
3. May have better resale value but that is subjective.

Here's my personal opinion. If you're looking for a good boat that will fish well and still be somewhat reasonable, buy a larger aluminum boat, either the Tracker Pro 195 or the Ranger RT188. I have the Tracker Pro 195 with a 150hp Mercury 4 stroke and it runs extremely well. Tubers are no problem and we are picking up a wake board in a week or 2. My boat is 18'7" long, is 98" wide and when I fish from it, the platform feels no different than the platform of a glass boat, and the fish don't care what you fish from.

Look at the specs on the Z6 vs the pro 195 aluminum. For about 10% more, you can get a boat that is over a foot longer, 8" wider and has a 150 4 stroke vs a 115 4 stroke on the Z6. The pro 195 is lighter than the Z6 and has more power. I've never been in a Z6 but can tell you my 195 runs great and will most likely be faster due to more hp and lighter weight. The 195 rides well due to the mod V hull and splits the water well when in rough water.

The RT 188 is also a good boat for about the same price as a 195 Pro. It is 1" longer than the 195 Pro but 6" narrower. It also has a max hp of 115. Consider the HP difference though from the Ranger to the Tracker. The boats are essentially the same size and price but the Ranger has 35hp less for about the same money. If you ever want to sell it or pull a tuber/skier, the Tracker will be better for that due to the larger motor.

couldn't be happier with my boat. Wind might be a problem some times because it blows aluminums really easy but if you get a terrova or the xi5 trolling motors you will be able to fish fine with the wind blowing.

you will not go 65mph on the lake with the aluminum but you will be between 40 and 50 mph.

The Ranger is no doubt a fine boat but for me personally, this is where hp is king as both boats are very similar in size and weight. I get a gps indicated 59 mph in my Tracker with the 150 hp 4 stroke, loaded with 3 people.

The RT188 would have had a 50/50 chance vs the Tracker had they offered it with a 150, but since it is limited to a 115, I couldn't go that way and pull a tuber and skier like I want to. If you have no desire to pull a tuber or skier then the RT 188 may be the boat for you as it is a fine boat. If in the back of you mind you even think that you may someday want to pull a tube/skier/wakeboard, you will be much happier with the extra hp.

If it matters, both Ranger and the Tracker are owned by Tracker Marine.

I routinely go out and bash the heck out of oyster reefs, nobody is going to do that in a plastic hull.

I have the Tracker 190 as well. My pro's on this boat are,

1) Very large deck, no problem having 7ft rods laying out on both sides, check the deck on the Z.
2) Very smooth ride, I fish Falcon, Amistad, and other big lakes, no problem.
3) 115 Pro XS runs 48 to 50 gps with 2 and all gear.
4) Fuel mileage is incredible.
5) I get into tree's and in place's the glass boats won't go.

That's just my 2 and 1/2 cents.

Thank you guys for all the info that definitely gives me more to think about.

I have also been very pleased with the fuel mileage on my boat too. The Merc 150 4 stroke seems to run very well at 3500 rpm's which equates to approximately 35 mph. I like this speed as the motor is plenty quiet to talk to my son and for me is just a good cruising speed. To get the 59 mph I have to run full throttle which like any boat, burns a lot more gas.

The Xi5 is absolutely the #1 item on my list. All it takes is money.