Allison boats???

I am starting to look for a boat and I like a lot of things taht I have heard about Allison boats. Thing is that I see they are extremely expensive to start, but after a few years they are very affordable. Why is it that these boats depriciate the way that they do, or am I looking at a couple of lemons that are 4 or 5 years old and in the 15-20k range on price. Also why can I only find them with Merc's on the back? Does brunswick own this manufacturer as they do many others? Also I have noticed that they have small gas tanks, and I have heard that they get great fuel economy. How far can you go on a 30 gallon tank? Last and not least, what do these boats ride like in chop, I have fished from most other brands, but never an Allison. If any of you live anywhere in the central Indiana area, would you possibly be willing to take me out and show me how these boat handle, fish, etc... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/praying.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/praying.gif

Jurgo68,
Welcome to the Allison board.
Allison's do not depriciate any more than any other brand of boat, RV or vehicle, you have to remember that 5 yrs. ago prices on new items were quite a bit less than they are today which makes it so the owners can sell them for less, not saying that the ones you see aren't abused & in poor condition which they could very well be. The reason you see mostly Mercury motors is the weight to power ratio is better & Mercury hi-perf motors work better on them right out of the box due to solid motor mounts, low water pick up nose coned lower units & lighter weight as mentioned.
Mercury does not own Allison, Darris & Nancy Allison are private owners of the company.
Allison's have the same if not more range with 30 gals. of fuel as others have with 50 gal. tanks power for power due to their efficient hull design.
As far as ride, you have to experience it for yourself to believe it, there is no other Bass boat out there that has as smooth of a ride in up to a 2-1/2' chop, any more than that you just ride them out like the few other good riding Bass boats out there.
Give Allison a call to see if they have any Dealers near you for a demo ride, or set up an time to visit the factory and take a ride.
To answer your question on another post, Allison or any other padded V hull boat that will get up and run has a learning curve to be able to run them to their full potential. They do take many hours of seat time to master balancing them on the pad, once you master the technique there is not a better handleing boat on the market. The learning part is like learning how to ride a bike or roller skating, if you have a good instructor it will only take a few time out to get comfortable with it, if you learn by your mistakes it may take weeks. The main problem people have is trying to drive them like a regular 60 to 70 mph boat, open it up, trim it to the hilt & take a mile to reach full speed, big mistake. The best way to learn is to start off @ 4500 rpm's, trim to a level position & bump the trim a little @ a time to get the feel of it, you'll find you don't need much more trim than level, the whole boat lifts and runs fairly level instead of a bow high attitude like most others, when you are comfortable @ that speed, go to 5000 rpm's and do the same thing, next thing you know you're running wide open feeling good.

Allison Boats
865-983-5920

Lee

Every word that Lee has replied with is exactly true..... I don't think anybody has said it better.... Good job Lee..... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/bows.gif

This is probably a stupid question, but doesn't the 280hp Merc eliminate Allison owners from most tournanment fishing (Ts with 250hp limits ,which seems to most of them)?

Most tourneys have now gone to a within the boats limits on the motors. That is how guys with 300hp can fish in large tourneys. As long as the boat is rated for it, you can fish it, in most tourneys that is.

Also whould there be anyone in Indiana or Kentucky that might be willing to meet up so that I could check out an Allison and also maybe do a little bit of fishing.