Aluminum boat suggestions

[BertG]

Hi all,

I'm new to this and this is my first post. I saw another post about "recommendation to buy a aluminum boat" and didn't want to step over what he was asking.

I'm in the market for a used aluminum boat but due to limited storage space I'm leaning toward 16 or 17 ft aluminum. The boat will be used mainly for a quick day trip fishing, crabbing and prawning around Vancouver/sandhead area.

- pros and cons between center consoles vs side consoles (with full windscreen and soft top)
- quality between custom build vs brand like silver streak, lifetimer and hewescraft

I'm in no rush of getting one and have seen a few (well maintained) 16ft Hewescraft that came up and sold for mid 20K in the last few months (I didn't jump on it quick enough). With the covid pricing priced in for the last few years have you guys seen prices coming down at all? and/or will it come down??

Any suggestions/recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

[Alison2]

Welcome to the forum. I've learned a ton from others way more experienced than me here. Never had a center console but things I liked about our smaller soft top was related to comfort;
- getting out of the sun and wind
- using a little buddy heater for the colder months and dropping the back curtain down, while leaving the middle part open for a quick rod grab. It has to be pretty calm though as the safety switch kicks in and shuts the heater off when you hit a wave.
- I've found looking at the same size boats of different brands is necessary. It depends on what you want in the boat. ie: head room, options, design, layout, etc. I liked that our 18' Hewescraft had a larger fishing deck than the same size & year Kingfisher. The Kingfisher had "prettier" welds and a few other small options but that wasn't important to me.
Good luck on your hunt!

 

[kaelc]

Welcome, who will you be going out fishing with? I had an 18 foot hewescraft searunner and my dad had a 16 foot starcraft.

 

[BertG]

Welcome, who will you be going out fishing with? I had an 18 foot hewescraft searunner and my dad had a 16 foot starcraft.

Hey I will be going out with family and my fishing buddies (max 3-4 people on the boat). I saw a couple of 16ft Hewescraft and they are quite nice and comfortable even with 3 people on the boat.

 

[BertG]

Welcome to the forum. I've learned a ton from others way more experienced than me here. Never had a center console but things I liked about our smaller soft top was related to comfort;
- getting out of the sun and wind
- using a little buddy heater for the colder months and dropping the back curtain down, while leaving the middle part open for a quick rod grab. It has to be pretty calm though as the safety switch kicks in and shuts the heater off when you hit a wave.
- I've found looking at the same size boats of different brands is necessary. It depends on what you want in the boat. ie: head room, options, design, layout, etc. I liked that our 18' Hewescraft had a larger fishing deck than the same size & year Kingfisher. The Kingfisher had "prettier" welds and a few other small options but that wasn't important to me.
Good luck on your hunt!

I was thinking the same about having soft top and back curtain for getting out of the weather. I find Hewescraft a bit nicer than Kingfisher tbh and the boat will be use for fishing so I'm not looking for any fancy options on the boat.

 

[ab1752]

Ok wtf, this posted on the wrong thread sorry about that! Samsung OS ghosts strike again



Looks like you have lots of room to access stuff in your bilge. How was it shifting before? You'd be surprised how often a no start condition is due to shift cable or neutral safety switches. As for beeps, my VP of the same generation beeps twice too. You could also try to bump the starter directly off the batter with jumpers, in a hey hold my beer moment. Coolant in the bottle looks ok, make sure the oil isn't contaminated with coolant or gas so you have an idea if it's hydrolocked or not. In fact, first thing I would do is pull a plug out to see how it looks.

 

[Smellslikefish]

I was thinking the same about having soft top and back curtain for getting out of the weather. I find Hewescraft a bit nicer than Kingfisher tbh and the boat will be use for fishing so I'm not looking for any fancy options on the boat.

I've got a soft top on my 22' walk-thru windshield - if you zip it up tight and run the 5.7 GM inboard engine it has a school bus heater that'll keep you nice and warm - but if you're running the kicker the top only provides shelter from the elements. I dress warm. Frankly, I don't go out on a lot of days when a heater would be needed, in fact >90% of the time I unzip the entire back panel off before heading to the marina. With the back zipped off a person can duck in and out to get out of the sun or rain, grab a piece of gear and so on. The top and sides keep you dry when you're out in the chuck and zipping the back curtain on and buttoning everything back up when you're on the hard keeps the interior clean and dry.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Most practical design in IMO is a hardtop. You get a proper windshield and roof against the heat, rain, wind and rough seas and you don need to replace your roof every 5-10 years. Very practical and cost effective in the long run.

 

[Smellslikefish]

Most practical design in IMO is a hardtop. You get a proper windshield and roof against the heat, rain, wind and rough seas and you don need to replace your roof every 5-10 years. Very practical and cost effective in the long run.

The I think it dep

Most practical design in IMO is a hardtop. You get a proper windshield and roof against the heat, rain, wind and rough seas and you don need to replace your roof every 5-10 years. Very practical and cost effective in the long run.

Hardtops make sense for >30' boats (>$200K) operating offshore in bad weather - but Bert's thinking about a 16 or 17 ft boat and the loss of space, added weight and aerodynamic impacts of a hardtop on on a small boat like that seems like more of a pita than a benefit. My soft top is 20-years-old and it's starting to fade but it doesn't leak and I'm more impressed with them after owning one. How long it lasts depends on whether the boat is stored indoors, under cover or out in the sun and rain. I figure I can replace several canvas tops for the price of one hardtop. I'm not sure if it'd meet the hardtop proper standard but my windshield and side glass are Diamond Sea Glaze commercial duty boat windows - they seem fairly robust.

 

[Samnjoe]

18 foot Hewescraft soft top. 110 Yamaha.
My buddy has one.
Awesome boat for the money.

 

[Samnjoe]

Get a hardtop if at all possible you won't be disappointed. Soft tops are great in some sea conditions, but in rougher conditions you may find that if you get heavy seas over the bow it may collapse or you may get some or a lot of water between the glass and the canvas top. Been there and done that. Hardtops are also great for storing extra things like traps, radar, lights, etc. that can stay out in the weather.

I totally agree on the hardtop if you have the storage space but I think you have to go to the 19 Hewes for that option.
Not sure about other boats.
If waves are wiping out your soft top you should have stayed home IMHO.

 

[Aquaholic]

Go to a saltwater fishing lodge in BC, most of the boats the guests operate themselves are aluminum centre console design, and in the 17-18' range, right in your wheelhouse. Once you fight a fish and are able to use most of the boat to move around in, you will be hooked. Pun intended. Side consoles restrict the use of all the space available.

 

[Samnjoe]

Go to a saltwater fishing lodge in BC, most of the boats the guests operate themselves are aluminum centre console design, and in the 17-18' range, right in your wheelhouse. Once you fight a fish and are able to use most of the boat to move around in, you will be hooked. Pun intended. Side consoles restrict the use of all the space available.

My days in open boats in the pouring rain and wind ended in my mid 20's.
Mustang suits with helli rain gear.

 

[Aquaholic]

My days in open boats in the pouring rain and wind ended in my mid 20's.
Mustang suits with helli rain gear.

okay, but this is for the guy that started the thread though, and he specifically asked about those designs.

"The boat will be used mainly for a quick day trip fishing, crabbing and prawning around Vancouver/sandhead area".

 

[Clint r]

Go to a saltwater fishing lodge in BC, most of the boats the guests operate themselves are aluminum centre console design, and in the 17-18' range, right in your wheelhouse. Once you fight a fish and are able to use most of the boat to move around in, you will be hooked. Pun intended. Side consoles restrict the use of all the space available.

Our work boat has a side console and it’s a pain in the butt. You’re correct in saying a Center console will allow you to use the entire boat to move around in.

 

[Whole in the Water]

The I think it dep

Hardtops make sense for >30' boats (>$200K) operating offshore in bad weather - but Bert's thinking about a 16 or 17 ft boat and the loss of space, added weight and aerodynamic impacts of a hardtop on on a small boat like that seems like more of a pita than a benefit. My soft top is 20-years-old and it's starting to fade but it doesn't leak and I'm more impressed with them after owning one. How long it lasts depends on whether the boat is stored indoors, under cover or out in the sun and rain. I figure I can replace several canvas tops for the price of one hardtop. I'm not sure if it'd meet the hardtop proper standard but my windshield and side glass are Diamond Sea Glaze commercial duty boat windows - they seem fairly robust.

True on a 16-17 ft. boat a soft top most likely will provide more useable space. I have a 20 ft. welded aluminum with a hardtop and it works great for all types of fishing in all types of weather with lots of deck space. My hard top is 20 years old and will never need to be replaced in many lifetimes.

Comes down to specific boat design, personal choice, comfort levels and how much one wants to spend on initial purchase price vs ongoing maintenance costs.

 

[RiverBoy]

does anybody know how the 17’ or 18’ Daigle welded boats ride?

 

[Aquaholic]

does anybody know how the 17’ or 18’ Daigle welded boats ride?

Many early models had an after thought deflecting rail welded on the bow entry, assumably to keep spray from getting the crew wet.

 

[Aquaholic]

Eagle Craft/Daigle on the left, Bridgeview on the right. Not as much deadrise on the Eagle Craft either. It’s an all-around smaller boat, but they built lots of them for lodges and they are still hanging around. You can see the deflector rail added at the entry area. That's my boat on the right, the Eagle looks like it will fit inside mine when you stand behind them.

 

[Kinetic]

Here's some unsolicited advice from a sports fisherman that spends 10 months a year fishing Sooke to Ucluelet (averaging 150-170hrs on the water). Get a hardtop and don't look back. I've never been too cold in my hardtop in the winter, and never been to hot in the summer. I've also never been bothered by the height of the roof, I'll jump from the captain's seat to grab rods (I'm 6'-4"). I would never go back to soft top boat.