Ok, since the wife has given me the green light to purchase a boat later this year, I have one problem. Do I get a fiberglass or aluminum hull boat?

My budget we are wanting to stay under is $15k and there are many options out there. I've looked at Xpress, Lowe, Bass Tracker, Stratos, and Nitro so far. I'm sure there are many others out there I haven't looked at yet. So far the front runners in my quest is the Bass Tracker 175 TXW and the Stratos 175. The BT is an aluminum and the Stratos is fiberglass. All of these I'm looking at have 50hp 2 strokes, so engine really isn't my problem. What are the upsides and the downsides to aluminum and fiberglass?

The options on these boats are pretty much the same, the only difference besides brand names of the trolling motors, fish finders, etc. is the hull material (and design).

Since this will be my first real boat (jon boat so far only) that I have owned, I want to do the due diligence in researching and making the best choice for me. Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions/guidance!

You need to ride in one to really tell the difference. I do not that a Fiberglass is more stable than an aluminum. When they are in the water, stand on the edge of the boat and see how far it tilts, now do it with two people. If you will be doing a lot of standing when fishing, then go for the one that is more stable. You don't want someone standing on the edge and then the other person decided to move to the edge and that person takes a swim.

Aluminum: Pro-lighter weight better fuel mileage (both boat and truck) Con- don't handle rough water as well

Glass: Pro- smoother rough water ride, usually more storage space
Con- heavier usually so lower fuel ecomony

One thing to keep in mind in reference to the motor. Get the motor that the boat is rated for, you may not be happy with a greatly underpowered boat.

Good luck with your purchase

Where are you going to keep your boat? If you do not have a covered storage place (a garage or barn) you may want to consider another factor. Fiberglass boats do not do well exposed to hot Texas sunlight. Within a couple 4 or 5 years the gel-coat will begin to fade. Also, if the boat fills with rainwater that cannot drain (leaves and twigs have blocked the drain hole) and you don't catch it, the wood in the transom can rot.

An aluminum boat does not care. They are lighter and are easier to tow. But since they are lighter they tend to bounce over the waves rather than plowing through them and they can be punishing in rough water. My brother (a big guy) says he needs a "sports bra" when riding with me in rough water. I bounce him around for the fun of it.

I am very happy with my 16' Lowe Aluminum and 50 Mercury
and the price was right

Thanks for your ideas and suggestions!

Texasbass you nailed the idea of what I was looking for, and Pvilleangler, that was good info. I will be storing outside so that is definately an issue.

Badassbaits - pretty boat, and that's almost exactly what I'm looking at 16-18' with 50 horse on it. I wasn't impressed with the Lowe boats though for a few reasons; they are not completely welded and have a few rivots in them, and the construction just seemed "cheap" to me. I did like the fact that they are MUCH wider than the Bass Trackers and others, but width being the only advantage I saw, I decided to pass on the Lowe. If Bass Tracker ever catches the "wide" idea from Lowe... holy cow that would be awesome!

I would really like to have a much larger engine, perhaps around a 75-90hp (which is what most of these are rated for) but due to cost, I'll probably have to start with a 50hp for now. Is 50hp really that under powered for an 18' boat though?

Don't forget to look at the used market. Boats depreciate quickly, and somewhere nearby there is some poor guy with a new boat and an adjustable rate mortgage. When the mortgage resets, the boat is out of there.

Whether it is a canoe or an elephant gun, I only buy exactly what I want. If what I want is out of my budget I wait until my budget grows. Buying a "starter" and trading up is very expensive. If you buy used you can get the horses you want at the other guy's expense. The 18s I've been on were v hulls, not bass boats, and the big lake is at 7500' (which costs HP) but I thought even a 90 was a bit soft; a 125 would have been about right. However, when you have a 20 lb lake trout on you really don't care how big the motor is and I'm sure it is the same with bass.

Have fun!

i have a tracker 175txw and it is a great little boat. saves me a ton on gas and it really rides well. much better than the older boats. i fish media teams out of it and me and my partner have no problems at all. rocks a little, but any boat under 20' will do the same thing. i have the 50 4 stroke and i may not get to the fish the fastest i still get there. i just have to make sure i get an early draw so i get a little head start on some people.

Blue 175, that's exactly what I'm thinking. The 50hp either 2 stroke or for $1500 more the 4 stroke will still get me there. I don't care to rocket at 80mph across the water. I looked on Craig's list and found a couple 1 year old 175 TXW's for sale with really good prices, one had a 40hp but it was that really pretty blue color my wife and I love, and the other was red with a 50hp. Both were about $4-5k less than brand new and only 1 year old. Thanks for the tip Hicountry!

Any other tips reguarding the fiberglass vs. aluminum?

Keep looking at the 1 yr old boats and be patient. You will find something very clean and just like you want if you take your time and you may save as much as 20% or more.

I would go with aluminum they last longer in the long run i had a 1984 bass tracker 17 foot and it has lasted a long time i recently sold it for 2grand and it was still in good shape my uncle has a tracker 175 and a few weeks ago he ran it up on an old bridge stuck the baot on the old pylons all the damge it did was scratch the bottom of the baot a little bit if he had been fiberglass it would have knocked a whole in the bottom

sent you a pm natedogg

Deep V for shure what ever you chose.
My alum Tracker handels rough water very well.
Down side of mine the storage ,rods etc leak
make shure you get dry storage boxes.
Just a heads up !

I've always run a fiberglass but I think in a few years, due to rising fuel cost, not to mention boat and vehicle maintenance, licenses, tackle increases, etc., we'll all have aluminum with smaller outboards. And that'll be the ones that can afford THAT.

As an ex-owner and soon to be new owner of a Tracker,

Another pro for aluminum....

You'll be able to get to places the bigger boats can't.
Less draught.

BTW, the baitwell in a Tracker is the only "dry" storage on the boat. We never keep fish.