Fiberglass vs. Aluminum hull pros/cons 2024

I have been looking almost exclusively at aluminum hulls but have recently stumbled across a nice looking deal on a small fiberglass boat and am not sure of the advantages or disadvantages of fiberglass vs. aluminum.

Because fiberglass boats generally sit lower on the water the wind doesn't push them as much as aluminium. And they are heavier than aluminium.

so is that a good or bad thing?

Well....good for fishing. 

Heavier boat means bigger motor, means more gas. Bad.

Fiberglass doesn't do well against rocks. Bad.

Im sure some of the  pros here can give you more pros and cons.

If you fish big water (Champlain) or windy areas (most everywhere in VT), you'll appreciate glass because you won't be blown around as much.  

That being said... a ratted out glass boat won't be worth a nicer tin one.

What are you looking at? 

I was looking at 16ft. Ebbtide Dyna Trak but it sold :(. What I'm looking for is a small 14 - 17ft. boat with front and rear decks and side console. It doesn't need to be too fancy but a trolling motor and fish finder would be nice...it really just needs to be a solid and dependable boat that I can have fun on with my son and wife. I do have a very tight budget of about $2500 - $3000 dollars. I know that limits me but it is what it is.

My .02, with your budget, stick with tin. It's going to be difficult finding a solid glass boat in your price range

  On 3/30/2016 at 8:55 AM, slonezp said:

My .02, with your budget, stick with tin. It's going to be difficult finding a solid glass boat in your price range

Exactly! 

Be glad the Ebbtide sold, that boat's old!

From my experience, buy what best fits the bodies of water you fish. If it's smaller lakes an rivers where distance traveled isn't am issue, go tin. If you fish big water that can get dangerous in a hurry, go glass. I live in Illinois where a lot of our lakes are horsepower limited, so my 19ft skeeter with with a 175 is overkill and keeps me off a lot of water. But, I can take my glass on the Mississippi River and Grand Traverse Bay and feel safe.

Yeah, where I live in Vermont the biggest body of water is Lake Champlain and I don't plan on going out there any time soon. I'll mostly stick to small lakes/ponds where shore is always within site .

Keep an eye on the local craigslist (NH, VT, Western Mass, Plattsburgh) for 17' Trackers, they pop up all the time for $1000-$4000.  That boat will handle Hosmer, Curtis, Peacham, Waterbury, Iroquois, Hortonia, St Catherine and the likes with little problem.

  On 3/30/2016 at 9:50 AM, Catt said:

Exactly! 

Be glad the Ebbtide sold, that boat's old!

I'm glad it sold too. It seemed like a great boat but the seller was an ass. I had a bunch of questions for him regarding the boat...I'm a boat beginner so naturally I have a lot of questions and with my budget being what it is I can't afford to make a mistake...this guy after he told me the boat was sold said I should stop asking questions and instead go look at a boat. Do you believe that! I replied back and said I have this thing called a job...I can't just drop everything to go look at a boat and I said are you seriously telling a boat beginner to stop asking questions? He never replied back but I am so glad I didn't buy his boat...lol.

I agree with all the points here and besides BassTracker look into Xpress.

Allen

How about Lund and Lowe...are they good too?

With old fiberglass boat ya gotta be careful, Ebbtide was not a top of the line,

Lund & Lowe are great boats

How about Glasstreams...are they any good?

I love my aluminum 2004 Trition 176 Magnum, id put it up against any other 17ft aluminum bout out there.  Rated for 125hp and the storage is unreal, they are hard to find but worth the time and travel.   I looked at fiberglass but I'm rough on stuff and like others have said its easier to find a tin boat in good shape vs a fiberglass in the same price range.

I'd stick with aluminum if you are hauling with that CRV. 

  On 3/31/2016 at 1:58 AM, tiredbobmarley said:

I'd stick with aluminum if you are hauling with that CRV. 

Nice to know, thanks!!!

How about this boat...

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/boa/5493051930.html

The guy who owns it says the whole thing, boat, trailer and motor only weight about 800lbs. or so...says he can easily move it around his yard by hand if he has to. I know it's fiberglass and while I'm not really looking for that it does look like a nice boat. Here's what he said in an email to me:

With the price of repairs and that being an older fiberglass I wouldn't mess around with it.  Aluminum doesn't go bad fiberglass does

Dully noted! Thanks for the input. I really do appreciate all of you lending me a hand in the decision making process!!! 

I normally don't recommend aluminum (even though I own one) but in your situation, I would recommend it.  I think with the small water your going to fish and pulling it with a CRV and being your first boat for you and the family, aluminum would be the way to go. Check E-bay for boats (that you can visually inspect in person) in your surrounding area. Take your time and don't settle and you should find one just right..

I bought my 1996 aluminum Starcraft starcaster 1600 this winter in your price range. The boat is in darn near perfect condition everything works well and it has a 40 horse merc that runs great pushes the boat at 32 mph (Gps) fully loaded with 2 people not the smoothest ride in the world but not horrible. And it's perfect for the lakes in my area! Keep looking and you can find some really good deals! 

  On 4/6/2016 at 9:56 PM, Tygaiser7 said:

I bought my 1996 aluminum Starcraft starcaster 1600 this winter in your price range. The boat is in darn near perfect condition everything works well and it has a 40 horse merc that runs great pushes the boat at 32 mph (Gps) fully loaded with 2 people not the smoothest ride in the world but not horrible. And it's perfect for the lakes in my area! Keep looking and you can find some really good deals! 

I found a 1989 Lowe 16ft. Model 161 at one my local boat dealers. It's aluminum with a modified welded v-hull, 1989 2-stroke Yamaha 50hp outboard, 1989 Johnson trolling motor, Eagle fish finder, 3 pedestal seats,  live well and 1989 trailer (with all new wheels and winch). The decks are in great shape. My boat dealer is asking $2800 for it but I'm pretty sure I can get him down to $2400 - $2500. I know weight is a concern for me as I would be towing it with a small 4 cyclinder SUV with a 1500lbs. max towing capacity. People have said I should stay under 10% of my maximum towing capacity which would be 1350lbs., this boat according to NADA weighs 435lbs., the motor weighs 164lbs., trailer weighs about 300lbs., the miscellaneous other stuff (gas, trolling motor, batteries, gear etc.) comes to about 1150lbs. which should be an okay towing weight for me. Do you think this boat would be worth it?

If it runs good and you think it's a good deal that's all that matters really. You are probably going to end up wanting to upgrade all the electronics and trolling motor on that though so you also have to take that into consideration

Agree with RyneB.  Go aluminum for your usage.  

  On 4/6/2016 at 10:46 PM, Tygaiser7 said:

If it runs good and you think it's a good deal that's all that matters really. You are probably going to end up wanting to upgrade all the electronics and trolling motor on that though so you also have to take that into consideration

No upgrades in the foreseeable future, whatever I buy will have to last a while as is with minor tweaking (maybe an updated fish finder or trolling motor) but certainly nothing right away! There's a 1993 Sea Nymph 15,5ft. w/20hp OB, looks in really good shape but doesn't have a trolling motor but is wired for one on the bow, would that be a better deal than the Lowe? The thing with the Lowe is it's at a respectable dealers so i know it's been taken care of...hard to say with a private sale sometimes.

Hard to say. But either way take them for a test run and see what one you like better and fits you better. I'm happy with my boat but I know others wouldn't be. To each their own

It'll be hard to take the Lowe for a test run, it's still wrapped for winter. He made small slits in the wrap on each end so we could look in and see what condition the interior was in. He said if we bought it he'd bring it in and clean it all up, make sure everything still worked properly and give it a spring tune-up. Not sure about the Sea Nymph, went to look for his Craigslist ad and it's gone so maybe he sold it already. The problem with that is it didn't have a trolling motor and I know brand new bow mount motors cost almost $400.

  On 4/6/2016 at 11:25 PM, Tygaiser7 said:

Hard to say. But either way take them for a test run and see what one you like better and fits you better. I'm happy with my boat but I know others wouldn't be. To each their own

Here's the other boat I'm looking at, this is the private sale.

http://vermont.craigslist.org/boa/5523787944.html

  On 4/7/2016 at 2:03 AM, Brett's_daddy said:

Here's the other boat I'm looking at, this is the private sale.

http://vermont.craigslist.org/boa/5523787944.html

I don't know about that one. I paid that much for mine in way better condition. With a trolling motor and a 40 hp. But I'm in Michigan so I don't know if prices vary that much from here to there

I am an aluminum owner..........here is how I see it:

Glass wins in big water, or the wind for the stability

Tin wins  if you are "rough" on things (holes in aluminum are easier to fix than holes in fiber glass)

Glass wins for speed............but that speed comes with a price $$$

Tin wins for economy.............but that economy comes with drawbacks

Glass looks nicer to people..............fish don't care

Tin tows easier...........with a glass rig, IMHO a 1/2 ton truck is almost mandatory unless you want premature problems with the tow rig. You can tow small tin boats safely with a car

Maintenance is far simpler with tin..........no wax, no gel coat to worry about............if it gets ugly..........paint it.

I am not anti glass boat. I just don' t think I need one.

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