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Thread: Fiberglass vs Aluminum

  1. #1
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    Default Fiberglass vs Aluminum


    New to the crappie world and looking for feedback and opinions on Fiberglass vs Aluminum boats. I bought a little bass tracker 175PT not knowing what or how I was going to fish. I have since gotten deep into the spider rigging scheme of things. I have managed thus far but have realized quickly that my BT is probably far from the best choice to rig out of. I know there are better aluminum boats with better stability or should I got with fiberglass. I wanna be able to fish 2 up front with out worrying about the wind when its only blowing 5mph and have the stability so that if one person moves towards the stern everything else up front is not out of kilter. Enlighten me.........

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    Everyone has their opinions on this subject and most folks are dead set one way or the other. Since you asked here is my view, hope it helps. I've owned both metal and glass boats. Used to be metal boats were much less expensive and people bought them to save money, not so anymore, cause their are some mighty high $ tin boats on the market. In my opinion glass rides much better, and depending on models, have low profiles to catch less wind. The glass boats are definitely much heavier crafts than the metal boats I've seen. Stability, comfort, and ease of use is what I look for in a rig. For me it's glass all the way.


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  3. #3
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    BAMA S is online now Crappie.com Legend and AL Moderator * Crappie.com Supporter
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    I'm voting glass. I have a bay 20 tin and hoping to move up to glass soon.

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    If money was not a factor , then no doubt it would be glass for me . The cost of larger motors keeps me in aluminum .
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    If money were not an issue I would go glass. However, in my world it's an issue that keeps me fishing in my beat up old flat bottom with a 25 Mercury.

    If I were looking to go aluminum I would look very strongly at the Edge boats. I have fished with a friend in his and have been very impressed. I never felt unstable, even with three foot whitecaps coming over the bow into my boots. And yes we still managed a boat load of fish.

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    If you ever launch where there is no dock aluminum is preferred. You can destroy a glass boat beaching it on rocks or concrete.
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    I'm a TIN man myself. . Have a 18' express and love it!! Handles the big water well and it works great for me because I fish a lot of skinny water .and launch at a lot of paces that don't have docks.so I can just pull er up on da bank. ( I wouldn't do it if it was glass) Also really like the Lowe boats . Both are very sturdy and are set up for 2 to fish out of the front.
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    aluminum for me. i have had both over the years. i go up in creeks sloughs shallow bays and even over log jambs a lot. the lighter boat allows me to man handle the rig when needed. my rig is an old lowe jumbo 16 semi-v with middle seat removed and floored off. i stumbled across this hull/boat by chance in a barn and picked it up for 300bucks. i wouldn take a 1000 for it. lol your situation mite be totally different from mine though. it all depends what you need. its just nice to have a heavy boat anymore ill tell ya.

  9. #9
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    This has been discussed many times, but I'll stick my nose in. I came from metal to an 18' bass boat that I have owned since '09. The comfort on rough days and speed of the reaction of the boat when moving inside at rest have me sold on glass. Some things I will point out are what I've found since buying my current boat. The term is "Carrying the beam forward". Kinda self explanatory but what it means is that it doesn't get skinny as you go forward, letting you fish side by side in the front of the boat. When a boat does this well, your partner can get up to put one in the live well or re-rig and you don't have to pay attention to his every move. It's one thing my boat doesn't do as it has a skinny nose. While talking about this, lets talk about seating versus storage. I see some boats that are plenty wide and don't make provisions for 3 seat bases and have storage laid out like a salt water boat that prevent adding seating later. As you look at different models you will see this. Access to pumps and fuel cell and inherent plumbing for all the mechanical stuff is rather handy also.

    Glass boats also take more ponies to make em go, and in today's market they are pretty pricey. Mine is an '88 150 Mariner with 3 carbs. I could upgrade to a 4 stroke and cut my fuel use to about a third of what it is now, but that motor is 80lbs heavier. Everything in my boat is in the rear, fuel, batts, live well, and so on. An extra 80lbs added changes the way the boat sits at rest. Talked with a man with a Skeeter that had done this and he said if he were to do it over, he would have gone with a 2 stroke Pro XS Mercury instead because of the weight. It sat noticeably nose high at the dock when he went to get the trailer. Point is to pay attention to weight distribution. It may not matter now but it will at some point.

    Having spent a while looking at what I would move into should the chance come, I am leaning towards an 1860 or 2072 aluminum rig with the lowest sides I can find, a minimum floor thickness of .125, all welded, 3 wide seating in the nose and rear. The 18 would have a 90 four stroke and the larger a 115. These aren't speedboats and would plane well at less than wide open throttle. I'm leaning towards the 20' for several reasons, one being the chance to go back tot he salt water that my current boat isn't built for. I could go with 150hp but just don't see the need for me. Battery storage for the TM is also something to keep in mind whether you go glass or metal. Rod storage is something you also have to decide on and most metal boats have a good box but I don't know of any maker that caters to the long rods we use.
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    Each has their advantages. The weight of glass and the ride are worth a ton, especially if you fish in places like I do where it seems the wind follows me. But on the other hand, if I had a glass boat, it would have sunk by now. I have hit every stump in every lake I think, and I'm still floating.
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