Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | I'd get one put together with fiberglass. 
Seriously though, if going Aluminum I don't think I'd let welded vs riveted make my decision for me. Pick the boat that has the layout, quality, and reputation you like the most and go for it. One good thing about rivets is if you are fairly handy and have or are willing to buy some relatively inexpensive tools, you can probably replace leaky rivets yourself if you want. I imagine repairing a cracked weld would not be such an easy home repair.
Unlikely that repairs will matter much though. I owned an Alumacraft Navigator for about 7 or 8 years and it never leaked a drop. I owned a 1995 Sea Nymph before that for about 7 years and that was dry too... until I cracked the hull (previous owner had dented the hull on something, and I accidentally got into some pretty big water for the size of the boat).
I wouldn't let a welded hull scare me, and I wouldn't shy away from rivets.
If you are thinking about glass, I got a Tuffy 1760 last year and it's night and day better compared to the two aluminum boats I had.
Good luck searching. Boat shopping is fun!
Tucker |
