Alum Verses Fiberglass

[harvey lee]

Why would I want to buy a Alum. boat or a fiberglass boat? Looking for pros and cons.My buddy wants to buy a new boat and doesnt know which would be better.Thanks

[harvey lee]

ttt

[John McCann]

you have mail

[delmuts]

the better part?? i feel it is mostly a preference. the one thing to remember is , if you are fishing areas that you deal with rocks alot, or even stumps. the repair bills get higher on a glass boat. i still prefer a glass boat for the ride , but that is just me! performance wise i don't think there is much difference . it used to be that a glass boat weighed alot more than a alum. one. but after watching a thing on TV comparing a triton to basically the same thing in a alm. one; there was only a few pounds difference.

[Northlander]

Glass means heavier and bigger motor and more $ in gas. Also more often than not a bunk trailer. Issue only at small shallow landing or where you arent allowed to power load. Plus is a much softer ride.

Alum is lighter wich means smaller motor, less gas cost and can have a roller trailer. Ride isnt as soft.

If I had the $ and was looking at another boat I would go glass and probably a Triton or Ranger. Maybe a Yar Craft or Warrior. I really liked the layout of the new Triton at the boat show. Lots of $ in gas on those big 18' and bigger glass boats.

[ChuckN]

Well....

My glass boat that is shy of 19' with a 175 efi 2 stroke gets about the same gas mileage as my previous 17' Alumacraft 115 2 stroke.

Glass is heavier, it will cut through waves a lot better than aluminum, faster than aluminum boats, ride is 100% better than aluminum....but, when it comes to gas consumption buy a motor that is more fuel efficient.

A glass boat simply moves through the water with a lot less drag...but that's my $.02, I am no expert, just my experience owning both.

I also launch my boat on several private beaches with very little problems in shallow water. As long as the bunks get a few inches under the water you can easily push the boat off and crank the boat back on without power loading.

I might add...I will never own another aluminum (big water)boat.

[PerchJerker]

I'm in the same boat as Chuck (figure of speech)

My glass boat with 175 Opti is a litle bigger and heavier than my previous aluminum boat with 175 EFI, but my gas mileage is way way way way way better with the Opti. If you have similar size and weight boats, the glass boat will not be worse on fuel and might even be a little better.

The ride from a glass boat is superior to aluminum.

I also see myself always having a glass boat for my main fishing boat.

A lot really depends on how big of a boat your buddy is looking for and where he's going to use it. If he's looking at glass boats he's pretty much stepping up to a fairly large boat with a fairly large motor and a fairly large price tag on it. But if he is looking for a boat that size, I'd think glass would be a good choice.

[eyepatrol]

I'd have to agree 100% with Chuck and PJ. Glass can really handle the water a lot better. My previous boat was glass, and last week I was riding in a couple alum's. If it's ride you want, glass is the way to go. Shallow water and/or shallow launches, speaking from experience, alum would be the way to go.

Of course, this all depends on the budget and what one is willing to spend too. As for me, I'm a 'glass guy and our next boat (early next year) will hopefully be a 'glass boat. I've looked at a lot of alum's and they're really set up nice, but I always come back to the ride factor.

Just my .02

[Whoaru99]

Only a little experience in a glass boat, but I can say that my aluminum is pretty solid i.e. translates into rough when on heavy seas trying to make some good headway.

Also, I'd have to agree that while glass may be a bit heavier, the smoothness offsets that compared to all the rivets in the aluminums - unless you get a welded aluminum boat.

[redhooks]

I've been following this thread and just thought I'd pipe in a little as well. If your fishing big water water and want a smooth ride, glass is by far the best way to soak up the pounding choppy water can dish out. I live in northern mn and fish some smaller waters so aluminum opens up alot more options for pulling up to shorelines for shorelunches, unexpected bathroom breaks and boat camping. It's also easier to load/unload w/ a roller trailer as mentioned earlier. I tend to be hard on all of my equipment and would rather not worry about scratches caused by dock rash, unexpected logs/rocks while trolling shallow and rough gravel roads. To me the decision was a lot like buying a corvette that would be awesome on the highways or a suburban that your willing to go thru some brush with. If you can afford glass and handle the upkeep, by all means do it. Smooth boat rides on rough water are worth every penny and I sure love riding in my friends warriors and rangers. Otherwise if your boat is going to take some abuse, look into aluminum. There is a reason that alomost all DNR boats, sherriff department rescue boats and resort rentals are aluminum. I don't think there is any perfect boat to handle everything so now I'm pretty sure that I need at least one of each style boat for different applications after all in a land of 10,000 lakes 15 different boats doesn't seem all that unreasonable.

redhooks

[Bushwacker]

I have a glass boat and I don't think I will ever go back to aluminum. Mine is a bass boat and it gives a very stable and fast ride. My boat is heavy, but doesn't perform like it is. I can literally fish in 6" of water because it floats so shallow and it loads in very shallow lakes. I was concerned about that when I first got the 19 foot glass boat, but I can actually get into lakes that I couldn't with my 17 foot aluminum boat.

[Fishin4Life]

Quote:

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I have a glass boat and I don't think I will ever go back to aluminum. Mine is a bass boat and it gives a very stable and fast ride. My boat is heavy, but doesn't perform like it is. I can literally fish in 6" of water because it floats so shallow and it loads in very shallow lakes. I was concerned about that when I first got the 19 foot glass boat, but I can actually get into lakes that I couldn't with my 17 foot aluminum boat.

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What make and model boat is it?