Hull Cracks and Problems

[Panama]

Lately there have been some threads at different forums about aluminum boat cracks. I am sure it has some aluminum owners agonizing about their boat and what they fish from.

I did a search here related to boat hull cracks out of curiosity. There are a LOT more problems with fiberglass hulls than there are with metal boats if you look. I know there are probably more glass boat owners, but the ratio of hull problems is significant. They have spider cracks, stress cracks, transom cracks, scratches, blisters, and through the hull cracks. And they have a lot of examples.

I have had several boats. I had a scratch in the gel of a glass boat that went into three different colors of gel with sparkle in each. It was bad. With a metal boat, you can match the paint and get an airgun and paint it.
I had fiberglass blisters on the hulls twice. They won't warranty that anymore. Why?
I got on a stump and scratched the living heck out of the bottom.
I was at the ramp the other day and there was a guy with a glass boat crawling all under it. He said he hit a stump and the bilge was pumping out water steadily and he had a hole in the hull.

Yes, you can have a problem with a metal boat. A human being welds and mistakes can happen. Some manufacturers give the first owner a lifetime warranty and are good about replacing it with a new hull. Try getting a new replacement glass boat. Try getting a warranty for fiberglass blisters past one year. The new aluminums are great as far as ride, control, design and functionality. They are 100 times better than what was available 5-10 years ago.

Like most people here, I could drive a glass boat if I wanted to. They definitely have their place, like big water. But if you are a new guy or even an old guy like me considering a metal boat, I think you will find most owners here would buy metal again. All boats are susceptible to problems, but if metal boat fits your style, do it. I would buy mine again and most would.

[Great Scott]

Absolutely. LDS

[King_Fish]

Nicely written and well put, Panama...

Your knowledge and insight is always appreciated.

[bass8]

Nicely written and well put, Panama...

Your knowledge and insight is always appreciated.

X2

[Pipercub]

Good info. I’ve hit more stumps than I care to remember with my RT and haven’t had any problems whatsoever....knock on wood. Like you said, glass boats have their place but not in a stump filed swamp. I’ve owned glass boats in the past but it’s tin rigs for me from here on out.

[DAnderson]

I think overall the quality of current tin boats (and fiberglass) is good. And, production errors occur with all products. I think the time usually required for a warranty remedy when something major goes wrong (apparently usually months) is unacceptable. Fortunately for me and the hypothetical boat manufacturer, I've never had such a situation. My RT 188 cost as much as my wife's Honda CRV and I guarantee Honda would have something major fixed in much shorter time frame than months.

[pabasshawk]

I have had both and for my style of fishing my tin is just about perfect.

[richg99]

I'll never say never, but...with the oyster shell reefs that abound where I fish in the winter, I don't see another fiberglass boat in my future.

Tinnys do their job!

[GeauxTide]

Thanks, Panama, for your insight. Always appreciated.

[n2ratfishin]

I cringed every time I got my glass boats hung up down there on the Stick Marsh. I will say they were easier to get un hung than my RT. I normally have to crank up the big motor if I manage to get the RT hung up. That being said I simply crank up and drive it off without much of a worry. Can it crack? You bet it can crack. That's why Ranger has a warranty. There has yet to be a perfect boat made. Some are heavier duty than others. Buy what suits your use the best. Good post Panama.

[Chainslinger1959]

Lately there have been some threads at different forums about aluminum boat cracks. I am sure it has some aluminum owners agonizing about their boat and what they fish from.

I did a search here related to boat hull cracks out of curiosity. There are a LOT more problems with fiberglass hulls than there are with metal boats if you look. I know there are probably more glass boat owners, but the ratio of hull problems is significant. They have spider cracks, stress cracks, transom cracks, scratches, blisters, and through the hull cracks. And they have a lot of examples.

I have had several boats. I had a scratch in the gel of a glass boat that went into three different colors of gel with sparkle in each. It was bad. With a metal boat, you can match the paint and get an airgun and paint it.
I had fiberglass blisters on the hulls twice. They won't warranty that anymore. Why?
I got on a stump and scratched the living heck out of the bottom.
I was at the ramp the other day and there was a guy with a glass boat crawling all under it. He said he hit a stump and the bilge was pumping out water steadily and he had a hole in the hull.

Yes, you can have a problem with a metal boat. A human being welds and mistakes can happen. Some manufacturers give the first owner a lifetime warranty and are good about replacing it with a new hull. Try getting a new replacement glass boat. Try getting a warranty for fiberglass blisters past one year. The new aluminums are great as far as ride, control, design and functionality. They are 100 times better than what was available 5-10 years ago.

Like most people here, I could drive a glass boat if I wanted to. They definitely have their place, like big water. But if you are a new guy or even an old guy like me considering a metal boat, I think you will find most owners here would buy metal again. All boats are susceptible to problems, but if metal boat fits your style, do it. I would buy mine again and most would.

i think you are wrong on 1 thing their are far more aluminum boats sold than fiberglass. I’m talking about fishing boats .
J D

[slonezp]

i think you are wrong on 1 thing their are far more aluminum boats sold than fiberglass. I’m talking about fishing boats .
J D

There about 5 times as many tin freshwater fishing boats sold annually than fiberglass

[TritonTRXV8]

Good and bad with both just the same as everything. Also if you abuse something you will always run a risk of damaging it regardless of material. Aluminum tears and can be punctured too. .100” isnt that thick. If you take care of your equipment it will take care of you for the most part.

[Panama]

i think you are wrong on 1 thing their are far more aluminum boats sold than fiberglass. I’m talking about fishing boats .
J D

You are right about that if you count all the flat bottoms sold and small engine aluminum. They sell a whole lot of aluminum boats.

The only search I did was here at BBC and I dont have any official count, but my seat of the pants guesstimate is that there are a more glass owners here posting problems. It's what I had that I could reference quickly. There are usually more posts and more forums here for glass. Total boats - I have no doubt you are right......BBC boats - I bet there are more glass owners. But I could be wrong. It's just the only reference I had for a quick snapshot.

The point was for a prospective buyer or an owner having second thoughts. If you read some of the stories and threads lately here about cracks or read about rivets leaking at another site and welds at another BBC forum or two, you would think buyng/owning metal is risky. I dont really think it is the case anymore than a glass boat. Both types can have problems.

[Great Scott]

Good and bad with both just the same as everything. Also if you abuse something you will always run a risk of damaging it regardless of material. Aluminum tears and can be punctured too. .100” isnt that thick. If you take care of your equipment it will take care of you for the most part.

Yep, there are some who could break an anvil. I use my stuff, but don't
want it to look used. LDS

[slonezp]

Yep, there are some who could break an anvil. I use my stuff, but don't
want it to look used. LDS

I think it's inevitable that stuff looks used. Not abused, just used. My boat looks like it's been used for 7 seasons. It's not beat to hell, but there are scratches and dings on the hull. The boat is a tool I use to find fish and fulfill an addiction. Like a dirty needle, sometimes the high is worth the risk.

Did the new boat show up yet?

[TritonTRXV8]

Yep, there are some who could break an anvil. I use my stuff, but don't
want it to look used. LDS

Exactly! And if you are careful as you can and put some effort in you can achieve that. Our boat looks used no doubt there are marks and stuff on it and the carpet and trim is a little faded but nothing like it could be if you just flat out dont care.

[xpress monster]

Just wanted to throw this out there..I have a 96 model 15’ polar kraft and every lake I fish is full of stumps. So far, there has been absolutely no weld breaks on that boat..��

[tcesni]

I think overall the quality of current tin boats (and fiberglass) is good. And, production errors occur with all products. I think the time usually required for a warranty remedy when something major goes wrong (apparently usually months) is unacceptable. Fortunately for me and the hypothetical boat manufacturer, I've never had such a situation. My RT 188 cost as much as my wife's Honda CRV and I guarantee Honda would have something major fixed in much shorter time frame than months.

The difference between cars and boats is that any car dealer is equipped to handle any warranty repair whereas many boat repairs (not the outboard) have to be done at the manufacturing plant and that adds a lot of time. At worst a car repair can take a few weeks waiting for a part but that doesn't happen as often as it used to.

I've always owned an aluminum boat because I don't need a truck or full-size SUV to pull it with, I'm just odd in that way.

[Nickl]

The big problem is they keep making aluminum boats bigger with bigger motors .A .100 gauge hull with a 90hp almost bulletproof..100 19’ to 21’ With 150 hp to 250hp is really a lot better chance of failure.Plus bigger boats will be run in bad conditions