Anyone regret going from aluminum hull to glass hull?

[eyexer]

i just picked up a new zv18 a month ago... have owned lund, crestliner, and the suntracker toon, and have fished alot out of bigger aluminum boats... the fishing toon just wasn't working for me anymore as i fish western sak almost exclusively now with a few trips to devils mixed in...

yesterday we pulled a nice limit of eyes on a day i wouldn't have even put the toon in the water... was fishing a wind blown point mud line as close as 10' from shore against a quartering wind - had the 112 terrova up to 8 at times to get the speed to 1.3 or more, but still had 1/2 battery life left when we got home... the boat is planted in the water and worked well in 3 footers with a 60" shaft... i'm sure the 21 would be more stable in the front, but was way over my budget...

when i started shopping i built 18 to 19' aluminum online in every flavor i liked the design of (big fishable front) and was shocked by the prices... i ended up finding a new nitro with a 150 4 stroke and a bow mount and graph at the helm for 42ish - bout the price of a new aluminum the same size... gotta do some homework...

the ride - i'm a bad 1 to ask as they all kill my back in the chop so i don't run hard... i'd say the glass is more stable running in chop, but still not what i'd say was comfortable... the toon was, but i couldn't fish the way i wanted to most days i had off where i fish now... i really think like some have mentioned that the length has more to do with the ride...

in the end i'm thankful to say that i've already had hundreds of eyes in the boat this year, and that all comes down to handling the waves and wind better than any aluminum boat i've ever fished out of... that's what it's all about for me...

good luck allen...

buy a suspension seat

 

[SLE]

If your primary fishing is big water, then the ansewer is no, no, and no. Grew up with aluminum and my first was aluminum, have had three glass boats and won’t consider anything else. It’s been yarcraft, skeeter, and another Yar-Craft! The next will be a Yar, Ranger, or Nitro; there’s no turning back. The flip side my boat run Sakakawea exclusively ��

 

[SDMF]

I'm just curious here if anyone (I'm sure someone has) regretted going from an aluminum hulled boat over to a glass hull?

Not even a little bit. I went from an 18.5' 95.5" wide 1850 Crestliner FishHawk/150 Suzi 4-stroke to an 18.5' long 99" wide Yar Craft 186 TFX/200 & 9.9 Yamaha 4-strokes. The Yar-Craft will run 7-8MPH faster getting the same fuel mileage vs. what the Crestliner would. The Yar-Craft is an exponentially smoother ride and almost indescribably drier, especially running perpendicular or quartering waves. The glass boat tracks better at all speeds. It's hard to explain how much more predictable it is just dropping someone off @ the dock, let alone trolling or running in any kind of waves. The glass boat is ~700# heavier.

 

[Zogman]

buy a suspension seat

I have had Smooth Moves in for 3 years. Will never be without them.

 

[raider]

buy a suspension seat

i've been looking at them, but man, big money...;:;banghead and if i did, the wind would quit and i'd have to fish flat water for the rest of my life...

eye, buy a couple and let me borrow them...

 

[REY_off]

Fished out of a little 17ft smokercraft for years. Then up to a 1850 Tyee, Now a 192 Triton. Also fished in plenty of other Lunds, Rangers, Stratos, Sylvan.... etc.

I'll agree with everyone else, the bigger aluminum boats have taller sidewalls and turn into sails in the wind. The ride in a glass boat is night and day better.

I would never go back to Aluminum. Hopefully the next on is at least a 20 fter.

 

[Allen]

This is good stuff, fellas. Outside of Marbleyes, it doesn't seem like anyone went to glass and then back to aluminum. And that was for all the wrong damn reasons.

I am merely vetting the options, and am nowhere near the buying stage. However, one can't do enough due diligence when dropping the kind of coin a new to slightly used good boat will set a person back. And...after the Mercury explosion last year, due diligence is something I plan on wearing the hell out.

Still looking for anyone that went glass and regretted the advantages of aluminum.

 

[Sum1]

This last weekend on Sak I fished one day out of an 18 ft creatliner deep V and a few days later a 18.5 foot Ranger reata. Conditions were identical. In the crestliner my back hurt from the awful ride and we were soaking wet. Reatta... the ride was a night and day difference and very little wettness. It was a real eye opener.

 

[Kurtr]

What I have found running a 618fs the last month is unless it is really big it likes to go. Half throttle beats your ass point the nose down and weld it. Smooths the ride out now the horse shoe design in the ranger I can't get my self to like it. If I was buying the zv nitro would be at top of the list rode in a 21 and wow

 

[sierra1995]

I went from a 1785 Yar single console down to a pro angler 16 lund tiller. I mostly fish the river around bismarck, sometimes will head to Oahe or Sak. I probably miss the dryness most out of anything. My lund is wider and heavier than the yarcraft was, so i can't really tell roughness from the drivers seat. i'm sure passengers will say its rougher. I also had issues with the floor of the yarcraft getting soft, looking into it more they did not treat the bottom side of the plywood floor so it was exposed to high moisture and water whenever there was water in the bilge. I think most fiberglass boats corrected this around 2006. I also had spider cracks in the gel, rock chips up front, etc.

For my next boat, i'm thinking that i'll stay with aluminum, most likely a 17 or 18' lund or alumacraft tiller. But if a warrior 1890, backtroller avid, or something similar in glass comes up for sale, i will consider going back to glass.

 

[Retired-Guy]

I went from a 16-1/2' Alumnacraft Competitor to a Skeeter WX1850. On the plus side, the Skeeter definitely rides better and since it has a windshield is much drier. The trolling motor stays in the water most of the time when trolling into the wind. It is very comfortable, roomy, and well laid out IMO. It is also affected less by side winds but the windshield does act like a sail. On the negative side, the 150 Yamaha seems to burn a lot more fuel than the old 70HP Merc even when running at 2/3 throttle. The glass boat is of course much heavier and can be more difficult to load due the the bunk trailer vs. rollers. I used to fish the river a lot but am afraid to launch the Skeeter at ramps that have much current like the rifle range and Cross Ranch so bought a 14' boat just for river fishing. My wife definitely enjoys fishing out of the Skeeter more than the aluminum boats but mostly due to creature comforts. Its a tough decision!

 

[( deleted account )]

I have two boats, one identical to yours, a Lund, and one a Boston Whaler the same length. I’m old enough I don’t fish rough water when the wind blows on Sakakawea or Oahe so have no dog in this fight, and use my fiberglass Whaler only on Lake Havasu AZ which is a long relatively narrow lake surrounded by cliffs and mountains. Usually it’s pretty calm, but sometimes you can get caught in pretty big waves from a wind tunnel effect down the straight gorge/canyon of the lake.
When I bought the whaler I assumed the hull shape would pound the heck out of you in rough water, but having used it in big waves there a number of times I’ve been absolutely astounded by how smooth it rides and how dry a ride it is. And how stable fishing in wind. Can’t remember my trolling mother ever coming out of the water. Compared to my Lund, Wow! The guy I bought it from used to for salt water shark fishing off San Diego before he died, and I now see why he swore by it for rough water.
However, hull shape and design of a Boston Whaler ( s sort of tri hull, but not like the tri hulls of the 70’s) with the deep V design of most glass boats, is totally different and has little to do with a discussion of aluminum vs Fiberglas but ra5her different design of fiberglass hulls. It’s the design of the hull rather than the material used to mske it.
you rarely if ever see a Whaler in this neck of the woods, BUT, if I ever were to consider a new boat ( I need one like a hole in the head) I’d actually look into one and consider it strongly, I suppose is a reason there are thousands of Boston Whaler and Whaler lookalikes everywhere along the sea coast, where waves there make Sak and Oahelook like a mill pond. We always hear about the deep V fiberglass glitter boats here, but never hear about Whalers or other offshore boats designed for bigger water than ND will ever have. There must be a reason they are is such demand for civilians and law enforcement, coast guard, rescue boats, etc.

 

[Bfishn]

What I have found running a 618fs the last month is unless it is really big it likes to go. Half throttle beats your ass point the nose down and weld it. Smooths the ride out now the horse shoe design in the ranger I can't get my self to like it. If I was buying the zv nitro would be at top of the list rode in a 21 and wow

^^This. Glass boats are meant to get on top of the waves and level out and cut the waves with the bow. I see way to many people with big glass boats plowing into every wave. Give her the onion and get on top of the damn things.

 

[SDMF]

^^This. Glass boats are meant to get on top of the waves and level out and cut the waves with the bow. I see way to many people with big glass boats plowing into every wave. Give her the onion and get on top of the damn things.

My 186 Yar-Craft is far smoother and drier @ 35MPH in a pretty good chop than my C-Liner was @ 18-19MPH just barely holding plane. Trying to run the C-liner any faster was simply a linear increase in the beating you'd take. No such thing as "getting on top of them" in my previous 1850 FishHawk.

 

[ndlongshot]

Maybe a dumb question, but what about beaching? This is a daily occurrence with family and a mutt. Is it hard on the glass boats? Probably my biggest reservation. Spend all that money just to beat the hell out of it on shore.

 

[Allen]

ndlongshot, that is probably my biggest concern as well. I totally ripped a transducer off of my Toon last weekend having to put her on an island because someone needed to take a leak so bad they were worried about peeing their pants. As we left, the Toon "gently" bonked a rock and that was it for the transducer. The island would NOT have been an option with a glass boat as it had a pretty rocky shore. I rarely ever need to get my feet wet with aluminum, loading and unloading, or just to stop off at a shoreline for a doggy break, etc. I think that would change if I went to glass.

 

[revolutionz]

I generally like my Trophy, but like has been said, it's a damn sail in the wind. The ride is night and day difference between mine and my buddies ZV18. I'll be selling mine in the spring and looking for either a Skeeter WX2060 or a ZV18. Aluminum is good for small water or rivers where you don't have the depth off the landing for a glass boat/bunk trailer imo. I have a 14' Lund I'll be keeping for those trips.

 

[shorthairsrus]

1st: To the guy who gave me a neg rep for not liking my opinion on boats --- sorry for deflating your chest or hurting your feelings.

2nd: This whole bobbing thing --- I would think the simple laws of physics would come into play. I suppose some its how deep the V is etc -- but i would assume weight would be the biggest factor. i have been on boats from 14 to 1000ft plus long-- they all bob, roll and rock regardless of construction.

Its the best time of year for fishing --- the only bobbing that anybody should be worried about is your own slip bobber going down and hooking that BIG IN!!!!!!!!!

Good fishing Short.

 

[ndfinfan]

I generally like my Trophy, but like has been said, it's a damn sail in the wind. The ride is night and day difference between mine and my buddies ZV18. I'll be selling mine in the spring and looking for either a Skeeter WX2060 or a ZV18. Aluminum is good for small water or rivers where you don't have the depth off the landing for a glass boat/bunk trailer imo. I have a 14' Lund I'll be keeping for those trips.

Rev...I guess because I have always run a smaller aluminum, I just don't have enough experience to truly know the difference in the rides/feel/handling/control. But I'm kinda thinking when I pull the trigger on the 18.5 foot Alumacraft, after running all over Sak in my 16 ft...it will feel like a Cadillac to me! As I said before, guess if a guy decides that the additional $$ for glass is worth a more stable ride...you go for it! Maybe my boat after the next boat will be glass!

 

[snow]

I fished a walleye tournement on mille lacs lake years ago with a crazy "yahoo" from nebraska that I was paired with,he brought his 2075 lund up to fish this tournement,3 days of big wind,20-30mph sustained wind all 3 days,gusts up to 40mph we had to run 10miles in massive waves with wind changing from north to west and peaking white caps in 8' waves,crazy bastard tried skipping the wave peaks in this chop,got beat to hell,had to grit my teeth so hard not to bite my tongue off boucing off these massive waves,jaw even locked up like a charlie horse.

No way in hell can these tin can boats can equal the ride of a good high end glass rig in rough water.As far as trolling motors outof the wather,don't you guyz run your kicker in heavy wind and just use your bow mount to control direction?Curious

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