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Posts: 123
| Hey guys I'm thinking about getting a new boat and I cant figure out if I want fiberglass or aluminum I want something that can do it all like rivers big lakes small lakes an lakes like the Turtle Flambea Flowage which has a lot of things you can run into I really like the Tuffy X-190 and the Crestliner Fish Hawk 1850 what will do it all and what boats do you think are the best overall and for durability and why thanks?
Edited by muskyfishing89 10/24/2014 12:14 AM
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | I have had my Tuffy Esox Magnum since 1992! It still looks great. I wipe it down after each outing and I store it in my garage. I seldom if ever wax it.
The entire deck is a fishing platform, and the console can be stepped over and around without issue. My Magnum is incredibly stable as I had two guests who together likely topped 700 lbs and the boat barely tipped with all of us on the same edge.
I have been in 4-5' waves (not by choice) 5 times (you remember those kind of details) and it functioned well.
The ability to land and load the boat in shallow water is more a function of the trailer. The boat is 80" wide and functions in unbelievably shallow water.
I fish on a number of river systems and have been on Wabigoon (which has water visibility measured in inches). Neither aluminum or fiberglass is made to be a rock jumper, but care and common sense will protect either hull.
There are lot more expensive boats on the market, but none that I would rather own.
I run a 115hp Yamaha. I would get the biggest motor that you can possible afford. Periodically, when a storm finds you miles from your landing or home dock, the extra horsepower is a blessing!
I would recommend fishing out of each of your boat options before making your decision. Good Luck!
Edited by Steve Van Lieshout 10/24/2014 9:12 AM
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Posts: 1969
| started with aluminum back in the day, and almost every year I jump in with someone that runs aluminum..my last two boats have been fiberglass... I'd personally never go back. Unless you plan to fish small rivers and lakes under 1000 acres exclusively, get fiberglass, my two cents. x-190 would be a great choice..I had a Ranger 195VS for 10 years - it handled big water (LOTW/Mille Lacs) and skinny water great (bass boat style hull). Do you troll much? a 19' - 20' used bass boat might be what you are looking for.
Edited by IAJustin 10/24/2014 1:41 PM
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Posts: 79
| I have an 1850 fish hawk that has been through war and a 692 ranger. Like the above mentioned it depends on how you fish. I have rode in an X190. That is a fun boat!! I like my glass boat 90 percent of the time over my aluminum boat. If I had to go back to one boat it would be the 1850 because it isn't even remotely as nice as the glass boat, but on the other 10 percent of the time I can fish whereas with a glass boat I would be home watching TV. I have landed the 1850 in a parking lot before. I have broken 3" of ice to get out and fish. I have drove through a foot of snow with salt and gravel on the road on the way to a lake. I have drove down mucky sloppy gravel roads on the way to a lake to fish. I will just not do any of those things with my Ranger. For most fishermen a glass boat is definitely the way to go if possible. Determine how you want to fish and go from there. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | The other thing to consider is the quality of the landings you'll be using. If they aren't great, then you might want a roller trailer--which pretty much means an aluminum hull. I am not aware of any glass boat companies putting their hulls on roller trailers, but maybe I've missed something along the way.
TB |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | I would say it depends on whether or not you camp on The Flowage. Glass limits your choice of campsites out there.
Otherwise go with Tuffy. The 1850 is very nice and versatile but the Tuffy is better. |
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Posts: 123
| So you couldn't beach the Tuffy on a sand bank I love them both I guess it comes down to which one is better overall I want to also fish chains with small rivers to get from one lake to another and it doesn't have a very good landing? |
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Posts: 61
Location: Rogers, MN | If it's in your budget, go glass, and you won't regret it. I went from glass to aluminum this year. Like the new (to me) boat, but the ride is nothing like glass. "Smooth as glass" isn't just about the look of water. It's about the ride of a boat. I just couldn't afford a newer glass boat. Maybe in a couple years I'll be back to glass. |
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Posts: 337
Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | Just a few observations:
I prefer aluminum, but that's just me. Many glass boats are just over-priced IMO. Be mindful of size when launching on smaller (under 1000 acre) lakes and rivers. A lot of the launches just aren't very good. I'd say 18' is about the max for my area. Definitely max out the hp on the engine, you'll never regret it.
Finally, I've fished from a lot of different boats, glass and aluminum, and I have to say that the Skeeter MX series is about the sweetest rig I've ever been on.
Fr k |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | You can beach the Tuffy on a sand bank. Not all the sites on The Flowage have sandy beaches to pull up on.
The rock piles or stumps on The Flowage can ruin your day whether you have aluminum or glass. |
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Posts: 441
| I fish out of a 1850 fish hawk. I love it! I fish by myself, and I run the boat up on shore, when there isn't a dock at the ramp. I've banged it on rocks, docks, and wood. It's been through a lot. The front deck is big. I have a 150 Honda, on it, so the gas is a lot cheaper than running a big glass boat.
It doesn't go near as fast, as a glass boat, which sucks.
It doesn't handle rough water, like a big glass boat, but if it's that rough, who wants to be fishing, anyway. |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | In your one sentence paragraph you said rivers. This is very key to the boat you buy. I have two boats. One for bad landings, small lakes and rivers. One for big lakes. I wont own a fiberglass boat. I prefer to ride up and down big waves vs on top slapping them. Your asking alot for one boat to do it all. |
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Posts: 59
| I find this topic to be like the "what is your favorite truck brand" just with fewer options. I run an old 681c with a 115 yamaha(hence my username). I will take it in, through and overtop of almost anything. Had it on Leach in some really big waves and have also had it on some lakes that are as little as 3-400 hundred acres. My trailer has the shallow water launch option and I could unload it on a tabletop if I had to. Bottom line is, I like mine and its glass. But I have many friends who like what they have and are aluminum. There really is no wrong answer, like an earlier post said, try out a bunch to see what you like, and go with that one. Seems too simple, but I think maybe it is. |
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Posts: 123
| Is the fiberglass gonna be as strong as the aluminun and what is the reasons you won't take a fiberglass on bad boat landings because of the scratches or the hulls strength and what makes aluminum better for it? |
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Posts: 1198
Location: Walker, MN | muskyfishing89 - 10/25/2014 2:00 AM
Is the fiberglass gonna be as strong as the aluminun and what is the reasons you won't take a fiberglass on bad boat landings because of the scratches or the hulls strength and what makes aluminum better for it?
I think this is a good point. Isn't fiberglass actually easier to fix than aluminum? |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | That would depend upon your background, I suppose. For some guys with fiberglass experience, it would be easier to re-glass a damaged area. However that is still a pretty labor-intensive process to get right...and you need the same color gel coat in order to match the surrounding surface, just like with painting an aluminum surface. If you are just going to rivet a patch on an aluminum skin though, then that's pretty easy. Any aircraft mechanic will have a rivet gun, some bucking bars and some rivets. So if you can get access to the backside of the damaged hull section, you can make a very nice repair in less than the time it takes your glass repair to cure. Of course there is still paint to be applied, so that time/skill will need to be factored in.
So repairing either hull is really dependent upon what a guy is most comfortable with. I have done repairs on both types of materials, and prefer to repair aluminum via riveting, since that's more of my background. However I've never welded aluminum, and that might also be an option. The thing about a riveted patch though, is that it's applied on the surface, so it's going to be more noticeable than a glass repair that can be feathered in and sanded smooth. So that may be a factor for consideration as well.
TB |
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Posts: 32784
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Yes you can pull a glass boat up on a sand/gravel beach, especially with a keel guard. If you want roller trailer performance loading and unloading, spray the trailer bunk carpet with silicone lube twice a season, and make REALLY sure you don't unhook the bow eye until you are ready to launch; the boat will literally fall off the trailer.
Fiberglass and aluminum hull strength is very similar. Has to be. It took some pretty interesting engineering over the last three decades for the aluminum big water deep V models to hold up to the abuse the big water guys put them through. The manufacturers got it done.
The big aluminums in a V hull will draft quite a bit more water. In other words, if the landing is shallow, you will ground the boat further from the shoreline.
I launch and load by myself all the time on unimproved landings with a fiberglass boat. Quite a bit depends on the hull design and draft. If you are going to be launching in rivers, shallow landings, and rocky areas, you need a shallow draft boat no matter the hull material. Aluminum would require a modified V or flat bottom. Glass would be a sponsoned V, semi tunnel hull, or hulls designed to draft very little water. The X Series you mentioned is exactly that; I have an X170 and ran a couple X190 models. I live in Northern Wisconsin. Three years on dozens of lakes and rivers, no keel guard, and no problems. About half the lakes I fish have no dock at the landing.
Big rocks jagged enough to damage a glass hull will do similar damage to aluminum, they will scratch and gouge the surface. Any impact done to a glass hull that would damage it badly enough to require repair would damage aluminum equally. If you intend to bounce the hull off rocks with abandon, you will soon damage either material and be repairing either. Cosmetically, glass repairs to new, aluminum repairs and still looks boogered up. It's way easier to match up and repair plain colored gel coat, so don't go polyflake on the running bottom and the area where the hull contacts a dock frequently. Most boat builders offer a color pattern like that.
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