Explosion of Aluminum boat builders

[kaelc]

Yup, SS is likely my first choice but amazing to see all the other builders from Past Sooke to Campbell River. Lots of great work being done.

 

[cracked_ribs]

A fabricator on the island? Mostly I'm just interested in looking at smaller aluminum cuddy's and figuring out the ideal layout and power. Really interested in lighter motors so I can run with a kicker and have a long range, it would be great to do some northern family fishing in like black jack. Likely end up buying SS or other BC built boat in a few years.

He's actually in Alberta but I would think that there'd be closer people.

 

[Wild Bill]

Alberta check out Explorer in Edmonton
http://www.explorerindustries.com/index.php?area_id=1000&page_id=1029

 

[kaelc]

Has anyone been on the Australian boats with Water ballast? It looks like a few aluminum builders are doing this also in NZ https://www.barcrusher.com.au/technology/quickflow-water-ballast-technology/

 

[Whole in the Water]

Strange. Why would you need water ballast in a small boat? Why would you want salt water in the bottom of your boat on a regular basis? If your boat is too unstable at rest when out on the water then maybe you need to go in. Seems like more maintenance issues over time to me.

 

[Wild Bill]

AlberniFisher's project is a water ballast hull. There is also a company on the island that installs water ballast hull extensions
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/index.php?threads/im-a-addict.64848/

 

[Whole in the Water]

I would think that a water ballast hull on a glass boat is even more of a maintenance issue.

 

[TheBigGuy]

The Ausi and Kiwi aluminum boat manufacturers are light years ahead of us in their designs. I just drool at some of their boats. Don't get me wrong, we produce some nice boats here, but theirs are outstanding by comparison.

 

[agentaqua]

The Ausi and Kiwi aluminum boat manufacturers are light years ahead of us in their designs. I just drool at some of their boats. Don't get me wrong, we produce some nice boats here, but theirs are outstanding by comparison.

They seem to like double hulls/catamarans there, too - guess it's because it is "rougher" there? I don't have any experience to compare double w single hulls...

 

[Andrew P]

Did anyone else check out this thing at the Victoria boat show last weekend?! Very interesting design. Like a lot of New Zealand style designs. The truly impressive part was the fact that the Cuddy extended all the way under the whole deck and would be perfect for sleeping. Love or hate it....this certainly stood out from the crowd.

http://www.mcncanada.com/

 

[spring fever]

That is certainly different!!

 

[kaelc]

AlberniFisher's project is a water ballast hull. There is also a company on the island that installs water ballast hull extensions
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/index.php?threads/im-a-addict.64848/

Nice, I missed that in his thread! I'll have to bribe him to take me Sockeye fishing to try it out.

 

[kaelc]

Did anyone else check out this thing at the Victoria boat show last weekend?! Very interesting design. Like a lot of New Zealand style designs. The truly impressive part was the fact that the Cuddy extended all the way under the whole deck and would be perfect for sleeping. Love or hate it....this certainly stood out from the crowd.
http://www.mcncanada.com/
http://www.mcncanada.com/

I climbed into it after going to the gym, it was locked so couldn't check out the cuddy. I can't figure out why someone on the west coast would build a wet deck and the walk through gunnels. Ideal for Australia, maybe but the gaps are too small for a diver to get though. Will adding doors to the gunnels help it sell?

 

[Wild Bill]

Face only a mother could love. Lol!

 

[Whole in the Water]

I looked at this boat as the Victoria boat show - pretty strange layout above and below deck. Seems like a patrol style boat that needs more design work to make it practical for sport fishing IMO.

 

[Fisherman Rob]

http://www.mcncanada.com/

LOL... The photos on the site can make the boat look quite stubby depending on how wide your browser window is. They distort the photo to match the full width. Reminds me of a boom boat... I don't think that was intended.

 

[bones]

LOL... The photos on the site can make the boat look quite stubby depending on how wide your browser window is. They distort the photo to match the full width. Reminds me of a boom boat... I don't think that was intended.

View attachment 31581

i did same off my phone, looked like an ugly stubby duckling.

 

[cracked_ribs]

Did anyone else check out this thing at the Victoria boat show last weekend?! Very interesting design. Like a lot of New Zealand style designs. The truly impressive part was the fact that the Cuddy extended all the way under the whole deck and would be perfect for sleeping. Love or hate it....this certainly stood out from the crowd.
http://www.mcncanada.com/
http://www.mcncanada.com/

They're doing something different, which is interesting.

I'm not going to say it's my thing but I respect guys who go in a new direction and who's to say that the third or fourth iteration doesn't end up as graceful as it is functional?

And while as a recreational boater I get to concern myself with "graceful", if I were an institutional buyer, I'd be exclusively concerned with function. I've gotten organizations to buy stuff in the past purely by appealing to concerns about occupational safety claims about hearing loss. Sometimes it comes down to a really mundane factor that the individual buyer doesn't even factor in.

That said, topsides are the only part of a boat which, in my experience, don't need graceful lines. And even then, when you drive the bow into a big cresting wave, there's something to be said for lines which appeal to the traditional eye. I've crammed a few boats hard into waves that couldn't be avoided, and in the process, sometimes noticed that smooth, clean, classic lines cope well with being driven into several tons of moving water.