Financing an Alumminum Boat

[josephsharpe99]

Fishing yesterday in the cold windy white capped lake had me thinking.. What are yalls thoughts on financing an aluminum boat? I know people say they are more delicate/subject to welds busting and not as tough as a fiberglass boat, maybe the aluminum boat wont last as long as a fiberglass boat? Anyones thoughts?

[Boat4Life]

Your actual question is.....Buy an aluminum or fiberglass boat? Which is better? Has nothing to do with how you pay for it. All depends on which tin boat you buy and what type of water you fish. I've seen 50 yr old tin and glass boats still on the water.

[CJ1]

BS. That has not been my experience. I will agree if the welds are poor they could fail. BUT they are easily repaired where a glass boat is not. I purchased one that had a cracked hull because of a thin weld and later found out contact with a stump! and was hid by a keel guard. The repair was about 2 hours and then I strengthened the transom as I knew what I would be hanging off the back of it. My glass boats were alot harder to repair and needed to be careful of the wood in them. So I would believe a aluminum boat will out last a glass boat with the same care. We had a X21 that hit rocks and I would bet a glass boat would have been on the bottom of the lake or at least submerged to the gunnels. It was a basketball sized dent and the boat was bought back from the insurance co and is still being used today with the same dent! Just the lower unit was replaced. I purchased mine for use in Canada just for that reason. My buddies glass boat just bumped some rocks at shore and it cracked the gelcoat enough it had to be fixed. My boat and his old x21 have been against the same rock with no issues other than touch up paint. How many fiberglass skiffs and small boats do you still see around? I have no issues with Aluminum. The only downfall is the pad, that is where a glass boat has it all over a aluminum boat. Way easier to build a good pad and hull for speed. As I get older I love not having to worry about scratches and marring up a glass hull. CJ

[Boat4Life]

BS. That has not been my experience. I will agree if the welds are poor they could fail. BUT they are easily repaired where a glass boat is not. I purchased one that had a cracked hull because of a thin weld and later found out contact with a stump! and was hid by a keel guard. The repair was about 2 hours and then I strengthened the transom as I knew what I would be hanging off the back of it. My glass boats were alot harder to repair and needed to be careful of the wood in them. So I would believe a aluminum boat will out last a glass boat with the same care. We had a X21 that hit rocks and I would bet a glass boat would have been on the bottom of the lake or at least submerged to the gunnels. It was a basketball sized dent and the boat was bought back from the insurance co and is still being used today with the same dent! Just the lower unit was replaced. I purchased mine for use in Canada just for that reason. My buddies glass boat just bumped some rocks at shore and it cracked the gelcoat enough it had to be fixed. My boat and his old x21 have been against the same rock with no issues other than touch up paint. How many fiberglass skiffs and small boats do you still see around? I have no issues with Aluminum. The only downfall is the pad, that is where a glass boat has it all over a aluminum boat. Way easier to build a good pad and hull for speed. As I get older I love not having to worry about scratches and marring up a glass hull. CJ

Very Good info!!

[Slicefixer]

BS. That has not been my experience. I will agree if the welds are poor they could fail. BUT they are easily repaired where a glass boat is not. I purchased one that had a cracked hull because of a thin weld and later found out contact with a stump! and was hid by a keel guard. The repair was about 2 hours and then I strengthened the transom as I knew what I would be hanging off the back of it. My glass boats were alot harder to repair and needed to be careful of the wood in them. So I would believe a aluminum boat will out last a glass boat with the same care. We had a X21 that hit rocks and I would bet a glass boat would have been on the bottom of the lake or at least submerged to the gunnels. It was a basketball sized dent and the boat was bought back from the insurance co and is still being used today with the same dent! Just the lower unit was replaced. I purchased mine for use in Canada just for that reason. My buddies glass boat just bumped some rocks at shore and it cracked the gelcoat enough it had to be fixed. My boat and his old x21 have been against the same rock with no issues other than touch up paint. How many fiberglass skiffs and small boats do you still see around? I have no issues with Aluminum. The only downfall is the pad, that is where a glass boat has it all over a aluminum boat. Way easier to build a good pad and hull for speed. As I get older I love not having to worry about scratches and marring up a glass hull. CJ

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[josephsharpe99]

Thanks, that is a good way to look at it.

[Hbach]

I ran a 17 ft Xpress in Millwood Lake, SW AR. It is as stump infested as they come. And I found many of them. I sold it last year, in excellent shape. Didnt leak a drop.