Gator Hull

Any of you guys have a gator hull on your boat?
Do you like it?
Is it worth the money?

I don't and never have. They may be awesome but I had a guy at the glass shop explain to me the pitfalls. The main one was if you get a hole through it and the water leaks in between the gator hull and the glass. That's going to cause all kinds of damage. That and the added weight. I think it would be very useful if you fish shallow and ease over a bunch of stumps all the time but, other than that, I see no benefit, personally.

Well, there are some negatives as mentioned above, but I got one on my old 17ft boat I use only for shallow water site fishing and I love it.
Lifetime warranty is great
I am really hard on that boat and bash into stuff all the time, no worries so far
Performance may be less but it only added 22 lb to my small boats weight, and let's face it, my site fishing boat is not for speed or comfortable rides.

Tough as advertised. Almost indestructable. It will reduce speed a little.

My fishing partner has one on his 91 Basscat. Lake Fork Fiberglass installed it years ago and we have never had a prob.
It is espically good now the lakes are so low and you need to run it on the shore. It is a little heavier but, we pretty much go any where on Fork with out any worries.

FACE DOWN IN CABO

thanks for the info guys
These are some pictures of my boat hull.
fiberglass is still solid but have some gel coat damage.


was thinking about getting the gator hull, but not sure.
might just get gel coat fixed.
not sure what to do?

In your case I believe gel coat over the bad spot is all you would need.I'm no fiberglass expert by no means,however most of the folks on lake fork that I personally know have not had any issues with the gator hull.In my case on my 14 year old guide boat at the time,Mike at Lake Fork fiberglass said it would be cheaper to have the gator hull put on,than re gelcoat a big area were I had beached the boat over 14 years and rubbed off all the gelcoat.Again I had no holes in the hull.The boat still preformed well for me,I may have lost a few mph on the top end.Just My

go with a gorrilla hull from toledo fiberglass

Judging from the pictures you need to do something. You're already through the gel and into the fiberglass.

Give us a call tomorrow morning man! Are signature thing we do
Is called the StumpShield! We offer a lifetime warranty as well! were open 7:30 am to 5:00 pm M-F

I have a gorilla hull from Toledo fiberglass for 12 years now and never had an issue with it. made the boat a little heavier but the lifetime warranty that transfers to anyone who ever owns the boat speaks for itself. I personally see more advantages than disadvantages just my 2 cents.

I have a gator hull and it is the best money you can spend on your boat hands down! I fish fork a lot! I do not worry about going over stumps at idle now, nor do I worry about putting my boat on the beach or even the boat ramp. It made my boat handle better and more solid. Crossing boat wakes before was bone jarring. Now just cuts right through them. I have a 21 ft Skeeter. Mike at Lake Fork Fiberglass did mine.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that a lot of fiberglass guys wish there was no such thing as the Gorilla Hull.

please elaborate?
because they're so good?

Well i think he means that once you have one you wont need a fiberglass man for your hull anymore. You have any issues at all its fixed under warranty. Sounds like a no brainer to me I would do it especially if the cost is close to the same.

cool thats what i was thinking too.
the gorilla hull is about $1000 more than the gator hull, I wonder what the difference is?

Had a friend who got the gorrilla hull and said his boat runs 2-3 mph faster.. it took the hook out of his old hull..

I dont know the difference i think that Toledo fiberglass was the first to come out with this technology (at least around here). I first hand know of several boats that had the gorilla hull and noone complained about loss of speed. Al at Toledo fiberglass told me he can change the angle on the back edge to get you more lift and speed if you were not happy with the performance. Call Al at Toledo he would be glad to to you anything you want to know Pros and cons if any.

My 191 champ has a gator hull installed by mike at lake fork fiberglass. In my case it was about the same cost to have it repaired or have the gator hull installed. The only reason i had it installed was the warranty. If you plan on keeping the boat for an extended period of time like i do, its a no brainer imo. Now i never have to pay that $500 deductible ever again. Mike went out of his way to gain my business. I live in arlington and to help me out he met me in mesquite and towed the boat to and from his shop. When it was completed, all i had to do was meet him back in mesquite to pick it up. Give him a call to discuss pros and cons. Imo the pros outweight the cons.

we've had a gator hull on our 18 year old procraft for 5 years now. Still fishing in the heavy timber that caused the original holes.

Mike did a great job putting it on and also adding the Hambys on the keel.

We lost 3 mph. But since speed is not a concern to us that much so what?

A friend swares by the guy from LA. But why drive all the way over there when you can get it done in Emory?

And will cost some mpg and be a little harder to plane out too.

I have a 521 ranger.Last year I spent Around 3000 on the hull after knocking a hole in it.This year I spent 2100.I have got to do something different!! After putting two talons on it I'm not going to be able to get back up in shallow water in March on lake Palestine.I'm going to have do something to.I'm starting to look at some hulls to.I like the info that was in this posting.

i have a 99 basscat jaguar with gorilla hull 250 vmax and top end 76 78 mph the guys at toledo fiberglass are great

I gained about 3 mph on my javelin with the gorrilla hull also

So how much is the gorilla hull?

Insurance claim paid for my hull which at the time was 3200 dollars of course this was about 12 years ago. If you have significant damage this would be cheaper in the long run than just fixing the damage only. I swear by my gorilla hull and have actually run it on concrete( hidden under the water) on accident trying to get in an area with the water down and didnt even hurt it. I know Toledo fiberglass is a drive from the metroplex but I have only had to make one trip in 12 years, so i'm fine with that.

I THINK i was quoted $200 per foot on the gorilla hull.
I went with the gator hull. LOL

If you have a severely damaged hull I think you will find that the Gorilla Hull will be substantially cheaper and probably better over the long term. I say probably better because with the Gorilla they do the fiberglass repair and then overlay the hull with a coating so you get extra reinforcement. I would expect that a lot of the expense in traditional fiberglass repair has to do with cosmetics, which is eliminated with the Gorilla. With the Gorilla it is obvious that your boat has been worked on and so may bring less at resale depending on the mindset of the buyer.

toledo fiberglass said around 3000$ and can be do in colors

What size boat did they say for $3,000?
Al at Toledo told me Gorilla Hull would be $3,500 for a Champion 198.
Lake Fork FiberGlass said Gator Hull would be $2,450 for a Champion 198.

mike did my champion and that [censored] was strong. holeshot was the same but lost 5 on the top.

well 2 years ago on price but with that price diff. i would go to fork

What is the pricing on these hulls?

Champion 198 - It may be a long drive (Central TX) but call Cliff Brown (www.Texasboatxorld.com) and talk to him about getting it Line-X'ed. They prep your hull and then spray about a 1/4 inch of the same stuff as bed liner, about 8 ft down and about 6 in up each side. I can drive my boat right up on the ramp to pick up my partner or what ever. Iv'e had mine on since 08 and if I had an airboat engine, I'd drive it to the lake and back home. Rocks, Stumps, it don't mater, this stuff will NOT fail you. Because it's sprayed on, there will never be any separation from the hull. Best $ I ever spent on a boat!!!

Bump

Just found this link. Anybody else have an opinion on Gorilla Hull, Gatorhyde or is there something better out there now?

Gorilla is the original at Toledo

I just got one and love it. They did a great job down at Toledo Fiberglass.
Good hole shot still, and have touched 70.8 in my Champion 198. I may have lost 1 to 1.5 MPH. Lifetime warranty that is transferrable and total peace of mind.

What is the cost?

Makes one wonder, what damage was repaired and covered up by one of these type add-ons, maybe none, but does make one wonder.

I have had 2 Gator hulls on boats in the last 15 or 20 years. I think the naysayers have had no personal experience with this hull. First the additional weight is less than 50lbs.It is not slower out of the hole and you will get about the same fuel mileage. The hull does not change the contour after the Gator hull is applied. It has a rough texture(like a golf ball). That is why a golf ball goes further than a smooth ball, less friction. So the boat is still easy to move thru the water. I have never heard of water intrusion between the hulls, I don't think that is possible. One boat I lost about 2 mph and the other one I gained about 2 mph. IMO no negatives, all positives. The peace of mind alone is worth the cost. Contact Mike at Lake Fork Fiberglass 903-473-4161

I checked both out several months ago, for a 18'-6" boat.
Gator Hull (Lake Fork) started at $2,100.00 with an increase for additional prep or unseen damages.
Gorilla Hull (Toledo Bend) started at $3,300.00 with an increase for additional prep or unseen damages.

You might call ProGator Boats in Shreveport, La. I think they will repair hulls with a similar process.

I am going to be sure and take lots of pics before I have it done, if I do. Boat was in a storm and got blown up on some rip rap. No structural damage at all, just lots of gel coat chips and scratches on the bottom. Not to mention is a black bottom so shows everything anyway.

For more that $1k less, Gator is sounding really good to me?

I lost 3-4mph on my 99 model Champion 203 but still run with the best of them. If you are planning on keeping that boat, it is money well spent! The advantages out weigh the disadvantages. Toledo Fiberglass did a wonderful job for me and it is a pleasure doing business with Al and his crew.

Had some minor repair work needed & decided I was keeping my boat for awhile, so had the Gator Hull applied to my Skeeter by Mike at Lake Fork Fiberglass. They did a great job & to me the boat rides better now in rough water. Fishing Ray Roberts, Fork or Toledo I no longer worry about damaging my hull. I was a little hesitant at first but after having it for a year I have no regrets!

I'm on my second Gorilla Hull from Toledo Fiberglass. It is a drive and I did not know about the Gator hull back when I did the first one about ten years ago. Both hulls were put on after damage was done to the fiberglass. Both times I did not see any noticeable decrease in performance.
The reason I went back for the second time, CUSTOMER SERVICE! I'm sure that is available at Lake Fork but I know it is the standard at Toledo. Al and his team do great work and stand behind it 100%. I give them the highest marks available.

I am going to get mine did a Toledo. I will pay the extra for the life time hull and as several people have said and Al also said on some boats they can adjust it and get a few extra MPH over a stock glass hull.

Just found this link. Anybody else have an opinion on Gorilla Hull, Gatorhyde or is there something better out there now?

They work, you’ll have to drop a pitch in prop and it’ll most likely slow you down 2-3mph. But I’ve ran over T-post, rocks and stumps without messing up my gator hull.

I've had a Gorilla hull on since July 2018 (I found one of the many stumps on Lake Welsh). I thought about a Gator hull from Lake Fork Fiberglass but I was a little concerned because at the time, Mike was a one person shop and not really young so I was worried about my "lifetime warranty". Was it Mike's lifetime or the boat. I now hear he has at least another person there.

Also, Toledo Fiberglass was the original tough hull provider (I think since the 80's). They have done lots of boats and they have a full staff of people (some are family) so it is a thriving business. It cost me $4,363 dollars for my 21 foot BassCat Cougar (hull is actually 20'6"). It was actually going to cost me more to fix the fiberglass. The only thing (and it is not a small thing) they did wrong was install my trolling batteries incorrectly. TM would not work (right GTrigg). Once that was straightened out everything is fine.

Very tough hull. I'v bounced off of many stumps and even some rebar with no scratches just a few scuff marks. Boat is a fraction slower but I'm not into going was fast as the boat will go.

I'd do it again if I needed a new hull.

What is the turn around to have something like this done?

I told them I wanted one and it was about a two month wait for them to call me and then a month for them to finish it after I dropped the boat off.