Ok guys I am about to head overseas again where I will be saving to buy a boat when I get back, so I need to start my research now. I will be mainly fishing crappie in texas lakes. Looking for something I can take anywhere IE.... shallow water, across the middle of the lake, up rivers. Basically I want something that will stand up if it hits a stump or something else and can handle a bit of wind. I have found a few I like but can't figure out wich is a smarter buy aluminum or fiberglass. Thanks for any imputs and other considerationns I should be thinking about.
Josh

Carolina skiff is a good all around boat. Its fiberglass.

Thanks for the reply, what I'm really looking for is why one or the other would be better. Thanks

Actually one isn't better than the other, it is a matter of preference. The smooth ride of a glass boat versus the durability of alum. I have a Lund boat, I like to run my boat up on gravel banks, slam a rock or too and not worry too much.

But around here I doubt that is a big problem. The price use to be a big difference I don't think that is true any more. Alum is light and durable, glass is durable and heavy. I fish alone sometimes, I like a smaller boat that can take rough water so I have a deep wide Alum boat 16'6" long, 88" beam. A tournament bass fisherman is not going to be in my boat.

I think if you had $40-50k to throw down on a new boat, get a new 21' glass bass boat. You want to push the boat off the trailer on some tough ramps, fish in some tough places, etc get a nice new 16' alum boat for $15k. That is how I looked at it, but again that is me. Personal preference.

Thanks for the great answer, I wasn't sure which one would last better being banged around against maybe stumps or some rocks or something again thanks for the reply

Aluminum bends, glass shatters and needs expensive repair. I have had both and both have their up and down sides. The usual upside for aluminum is light weight so less gas to push it and lower horsepower. The down you hear is that the wind blows you around more than a heavy glass boat. The upside for glass is heavy so more wind resistant but costs more to operate. Also glass boats are known to take rough water better than aluminum. I have had several aluminum boats and the above was true but the one I have now breaks the norm for aluminum boats. I Now have a LUND and I find it to handle rough water as well as a glass boat of similar size and may be a bit dryer ride than most 16' glass boats. It is a very stable boat due to it's width and can carry and fish 3 real men very well. It will do 32MPH with a 50hp 4stroke and I get between 8 and 8.5 MPG which just amazes me. With 19 gallons in the tank that is some kinda range. Also LUNDs are very durable because of the way that they are constructed. They weld in places where welding is durable and they double rivet where revets are best because welds would crack. Don't swallow the hype that all welded is best in all aluminum boats. They still rivit aircraft for a reason! The LUND I bought is 10 years old and doesn't leak. Also wood has excellent dampening effects when pounding thru waves. Viberation breaks welds. That is why they still use marine wood for the decks and the transom on LUNDS. I recommend you call Joe at Advantage Marine for more information about LUNDs. At least visit the LUND website.

You'll hear a lot about the LUND & CRESTLINER rigs on this forum and I'm telling you, they are both FINE rides and a dream to fish out of. Just to throw another idea into the mix, I bought my Stratos 176XT new in '07 and with the upgrade to a 70 Yamaha and several add-on's during the Dallas Boat Show that Summer, The rig rolled off the lot right at $16K. You can look at the current adds for the 176 & 186 models and the main selling point besides price is the stability comparred to the "Leading Aluminum" in the class. Let me tell you, I LOVE my Stratos and to confirm the adds, at 350#, I can walk around front to back and from 1 side to the other and the bubble doesn't hardly break the edge of the glass. I beach it at the ramp coming & going since I fish alone most of the time, navigate stump/timber fields etc. I just can't say enough good about it, but then I'm prejudiced.

chevy vs ford...

thanks guys for all the great info, i guess i will just have to check everything out and make a decision from there. thanks again

Don't rule out a Sea Ark...

I want to be the first to say Thank You! Thank you for your service.


I like both. I have a Champion and this weekend it proved itself to me when I came out of the creeks at the north west end of Ray Roberts and headed southeast. Never got wet running 35 mph at about 2/3 throttle. The deep v on the front cut the waves like a wedge. Hit one wave wrong and got a little air but other than that never felt unsafe at all. The better made deep V's in Aluminum can do the same thing. Lund's and Crestliner would be my choice in Aluminum and Champion hands down in fiberglass.

I agree Dad(bobcat1) those huge 3-4foot waves were ridiculous, and the boat seemed to handle it perfectly, i thought i was gonna be white knuckling it... haha gotta love the way a champion rides!

I really like the express set up, the 16 footer with a 90 on it, I have a 20 foot bass boat, but have fished out of a express a lot with a friend for both bass and crappie, i would consider getting one if i was in the market, just my 2 cents

I am happy to help buddy. One other thing in rough water. I have a bad back and you should look at these, I am looking into them.

http://www.smoothmovesseats.com/

Having a big walleye boat in rough water is a good thing but if you pound your back and feel bad, it is not so good.

karpbuster those seats look awesome, let us know how they work. teledo i was looking at the xpress, do you know how they handle the windy days? if i wasnt deploying i would buy the one that is on craigslist in dallas double console with a 225, speaking of which isnt a 225 hp kinda big for a aluminum flat bottom or semi v hull style boat?