Fibreglass vs welded aluminum

Matsutake

Matsutake

Active Member
Looking to upgrade from my 16 ft riveted aluminum and it's leaky hull. Old boat, what are ya gonna do. I see a ton of used fibreglass boats in the 16-18 ft range a good price points vs the high cost and rare welded aluminum.
I know there are a ton of variables out there but here are a few of my considerations......
1) fish solo a lot so I don't need passenger space.
2) trying to keep it 'light and portable'. I moved down from a first boat 18.5 DE with a gas sucking pig 150 evinrude of a motor. Didn't have the vehicle to manage it so I went to the 16 ft tinny.
3) I'd LOVE a 16-17 ft lifetimer or silver streak type but....new cost is pretty high compared to the many sturdy looking glass boats.
4) thinking a console for safety but fishing solo, I find, is easier with the tiller. Any glass boat would be console here.
5) fishing out of bamfield and as of last summer winter harbour (not offshore).
6) I currently get out about 3-4 weeks per year. More time on my hands later on.
7) I know, it all depends on the $ budget. There is not one currently but for sure do not have the 25-30K for the new welded yet. I probably can squirrel away 10k in the next year.

Just looking for any thoughts. Save the $ and get the best deal on a sturdy glass boat (for value) or save and get the 'last boat you'll need' welded aluminum.

There is no right or wrong answer, staying with 'ol leaky for this summer. Just would appreciate other people's opinions, ideas or experience.

Thanks a ton!
 
Keep an eye out for a campbell river style (tiller steer) 17' whaler. My 1977 catches fish, feels safe in big seas, and is easy for solo launching (no bow rail to climb over/under). Should be about 8-12k with a 10 year old 4 stroke. I also would love a boat like jeffywestcoast's.
 

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We currently fish out of a 20'DE with a pod. Great boat but more than you need based on your comments. Our last boat was a Campion Explorer 19' CC. I loved that boat and would have probably kept it but we wanted a hardtop to escape the rain and a cuddy to overnight here and there. The Campion was a great hull, road well, we fished offshore with no problems, it had a head, was economical to run, and trailered well. You should be able to find one used for $10,000 - $25,000 depending on year, condition, motor etc.

Great boat and if we ever look to downsize do to the dismal fishery it would certainly be a boat that I'd consider again.

If you are happy with your 16' you could also look at the Campion Explorer 16' CC. it's a little small for my liking but it's also a great mid range boat.
 
IMO there isn't one answer that fits all situations. I've had both glass and aluminum boats over the years both in fresh and salt water; fishing lakes, rivers and our west coast here since I was a kid. Have fished off of Pursuits, Whalers, Grady's, and several aluminum's including Hewe's, Kingfishers, North River's, Duckworths, Custom Welds, Weldcrafts, Thunderjets, etc.. I have traded up my own boats several times over the years getting a bigger, better model/type each time and I have ended up with two aluminum's; one for fresh water and one for salt. I own a 24' North River Commander jet for fresh and a Weldcraft 260 Cuddy King for the salt.

I have had two incidences on the water that lead me to and will keep me owning aluminum boats. One was on the Fraser River in my 15' glass run about where a dead head hit my boat and ripped a crack going across my whole transom of my boat. We barely made it to shore that day as the boat was taking on lot's of water as we were sinking as the boat barely made it to shore. The boat needed a whole new stern re build. The other was also with a dead head but in the ocean in my past owned Kingfisher 2525. Hit it going about 20 and put a big dent in the side of the boat. The dead head was bobbing up and down in a few feet of chop. Had it been a glass boat that would have been a massive hole in the bottom side of the boat and would have sunk us.

Saying that, it's just the overall ruggedness and durability and West Coast lifestyle I live that will keep me in my aluminum boats. If later in life I want a long distance large cruiser type boat then I will most likely add a glass cruiser boat to the list. But for now we are very happy what we have. The Weldcraft is an amazing boat, cuts through large waves/chops, allows me to fish off shore in very rough West Coast weather, gives me everything I need for visiting all areas of our coast while feeling very safe doing so and has all the sleep on board necessitates as well. I've been in gales with it several times fishing and transiting and cross the straight to go to our gulf island cabin in even the worst of weather with it with no hesitation to do so. The hull design cuts and rides very nicely through rough water conditions. Even with very rough weather where not many boats are out and about I am crossing over traveling at 20-25K through nasty stuff. Self bailing deck and closed cabin that sheds even very large waves that come right over the boat.
Air ride seats are a great addition to any boat on our west coast. Trim tabs and motor trim will help any boat get that bow down and cut through rough water as well.

Just my 2 cents about why I ended up with my boats.
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. There are some great thoughts. I going to keep it in the 16-17 ft range and see where the best deal/fit is. It's still a year away so many cost comparisons and craigslists to view yet. Always open to a good deal!
 
I had a 15’11 Arima sea chaser before my SS. Hands down a FANTASTIC economic boat with an 8’ beam. I would find an older one and repower for around 15k total. They don’t have wood stringers so the age isn’t really a big issue if you end up repowering.

Check out the 15 and 17’ sea chasers, you will be happy you did!!
 
AndrewH said:
I had a 15’11 Arima sea chaser before my SS. Hands down a FANTASTIC economic boat with an 8’ beam. I would find an older one and repower for around 15k total. They don’t have wood stringers so the age isn’t really a big issue if you end up repowering.

Check out the 15 and 17’ sea chasers, you will be happy you did!!
Click to expand...

Love the look of those Arima boats. Don't see too many in Canada, more on Seattle craigslists. Thanks for confirming my thoughts on them.
 
I think the engine on the back is the most important factor - as new as possible, something that a good shop in your area will work on & that parts are easy to get.
 
If you beach your boats aluminum is the only way to go. If you launch and only use docks then glass boats offer a good bang for the buck. Pro for aluminum they are generally lighter and require less power making them more economical to run. Glass boat tend to be heavier and require more power as a rule. Glass boats due to weight and most hull designs will ride smoother and have a quieter riding hull where aluminums tend to pound due to weight which is why most have air ride seats and they for the most part don't have as sharp of entry as glass hulls. Aluminum doesn't rot and tend to be less work to maintain vs some wood structure and maintenance a glass boat will require to keep looking nice. I think the best bang for the buck in a quality nice riding boat is the 17.5 DE they have a wide transom so you can put a kicker beside your main not to mention there pretty beamy and roomy for a 17ft boat. There are some good deals time to time you just need to keep your eye open. Aluminum such as Lifetimer and Silver Streaks are nice but if your not beaching the boat it's a lot of extra cash your going to have to put out.
 
Agree with everything @uclueletcharters said. Ideal boat for me is a fibreglass boat with a pod so it doesn’t take up too much of the dance floor. That’s pretty rare, so might as well get an aluminum boat that mostly come with pods.

And if you’ve ever had a boat rot out on you, you will wish you were pounding away in an aluminum boat
 
Not all aluminum hulls pound!
I run a Weldcraft OceanKing 260 and have had many on my boat mention they can't believe how well it cuts through the water..
 
whatever gets you out on the water.......aluminum, glass, canoe, kayak ,jon......whatever works best and you enjoy.......you make do with what you have/ can afford. I (like many others here) started in a tinny.....caught lots of fish, got wet, didn't care. its not about how much we spend on a boat but how much time we spend on a boat. its about the experience....and sometimes its more fun in a small boat.
 
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