Do aluminum boat sink very often?

Do aluminum boat sink that often. My dad is looking for a good bass boat but doesn’t want to spend $60,000 and the guy told him that he wouldn’t recommend an aluminum boat because they have a tendency to sink. I have never heard of this but I am by no means an expert.

That’s bullsheet.

Complete bs

Was “the guy” a fiberglass boat salesman?

Not if you use the plug.

But....seems as though all the sunk boats I find are aluminum.

Smallish aluminum boats like 14 foot Jon’s may swamp easier but to say as a whole they are prone to sinking is absurd.

I managed to keep one afloat with a tear in the bottom and half the lower unit gone , 17 miles back to the ramp

Depends on how many holes you drill and if there’s any foam

Buy a Ranger 198P good boat for the money.

Tips and Tricks by Tiltman

We tore a hole in my dad's 14" years ago running trotlines when the wind got up on Rayburn!

We had the 15 horse Johnson running it as fast as it could which wasn't very fast at all.

We both had big coffee cans dipping as fast as we could and were just about holding even when we made it back to the marina!

I wouldn't have any fear of mine sinking anymore than if it was a glass boat.

No!

most aluminum boats are filled with foam so they might be tough to sink but not impossible lol I know it doesn't matter what boat you are in when it starts blowing 25+mph with 3ft rollers.....

No kidding. I wouldn't be buying a boat from that place now regardless

That doesn't sound like a very good day on the water!

Really depends on how much floatation foam they have in them I think. My old aluminum rig had nearly none and the hull tore open on me. But I would assume the newer/nicer models are equipped with a lot of closed cell foam inside.

I know nothing about boats....BUT when i was doing my research before buying my Tracker, i read about how they HAVE to have "x amount" of foam or something like that so they would not sink. Im assuming you all are talking about something like a Tracker or Crestliner....and not a jon boat topper type deal?

Cant say anything about one being more prone to sinking than the other since i have limited experience...but from reading about foam requirements, and redoing the carpet on my boat and seeing the foam...I figured the foam was there as a countermeasure to aluminum rigs being more likely to sink if there was no foam in there. I figure the commission on a glass rig is better than if he buys a tracker...unless he goes Vexus 😂🤷‍♂️

may not sink but can still swamp and be recovered.

The smaller the boat more likely to swamp in rough conditions regardless of material made of.


Foam has zero to do with floating if no water inside of gunnel, a boat with no foam would float as well but just sink faster if swamped or breached.

They sink more than fiberglass boats and certainly are not as good in rough water.

Sounds like the kind of salesman that I would run from.

Dang. That boat sits so low in the back, I’d be scared a jet ski would idle by and swamp the rear end.

I wonder if that is after he tore the hole in it?

It's full of fish.

Better put a basketball in the jackplate!!!

Anything will sink with enough water in it.ive almost sunk a fiberglass boat a few times

They don't sink very often. Usually only once. Sorry, couldnt resist.

The correct answer to your question is a fact based on statistics.

.22 LR has killed more people in the USA than a 6.5 Creedmore. That does not suggest that .22 LR is more dangerous or more likely to inflict a fatal wound if shot in the head with one.

^^^exactly.
There are a lot more aluminum boats, so more aluminum boats have sunk.
I’d guess, those small bathtub 10-12 foot Jon boats with no bilges and no secondary floatation are the ones that sink the most—-probably what every teenager has as their first boat. I remember being a teenager.

I do remember and I did a trick last summer with my old 16' jon boat and 4 hp merc. I hauled it to Florida in the back of my truck to visit my Daughter, she lives right on Stick Marsh. almost got swamped several times by pontoons slow rolling by me. I caught about 30 in 2 days , most were over 4 and 2 were over 8. A couple dragged my boat while reel was pulling drag. Crazy fun but I was skeered of the gators I heard growling behind the sticks.

I have a 1997 Tracker Pro team 175 with a 2020 Merc 75hp 4stroke. A much heavier motor than what those boats were intended for. They will not sink unless you do something ignorant in them.

The only issue I have ran into with a riveted aluminum boat was 2 leaky rivets . Very slow leaks , but I imagine if you tied it to a dock and left it without a bilge pump it would probably fill up with water within about 8 hours . Many of the newer boats have floatation foam per coast guard requirements . Unfortunately I tested my floatation foam once . Not a good time but the boat didn't go to the bottom of the lake . Some people remove the floatation foam from their boats for one reason or another so make sure the foam is still in the boat you are looking at to avoid a surprise .

We had a 12' Sea Nymph back in the 70's that had foam under all the seats... You could swamp it but you couldn't sink it... Dan

aluminum or fiberglass my Dad couldn't swim so he always wore one of those orange life preservers and ski belt just in case. can you picture it

The Aluminum boats usually only sink once.

They do when they do and don't when they don't

The Coast Guard give every boat a rating as to the floatation and max weight/people. I owned a Lund for many years great boat and never crossed my mind, I would think those heavy glass boats might sink first.