Going From Aluminum To Fiberglass...maybe

[Texasangler14]

I have been fishing out of a 14' aluminum boat for the last year and it has served me well on my home lake, Lake Austin. It is just fine on this lake, as it looks more like a river. However, i am moving to florida in the next 2 months and really want to get in some local club tournaments.

My current setup only has a 9.5 HP motor, and it is an older johnson. It is ok in reliability, i have been high and dry 2 times. Other than that, it has been good. I have gotten a lot of time on the water this year.

It does not have a livewell, which i know is a must and it is quite light and if there is any wind at all it starts pushing me around and i end up fighting my boat more than the fish. All that said, it is not the ideal tournament boat, or one that i would prefer to get lodged back in gator country without power. My question is this....maintenance and engine troubles are just not that big of deal with only a small outboard connected to a gas tank like i ahve now...if i was going to be buying a glass boat it would have to be an older one and i am worried that i am just asking for thousands of dollars in repairs. It goes without saying that i will be getting whatever used boat i purchase inspected, but having spent the last 4 years in med school, i dont have a lot of money to buy a newer one. Just looking for something that can hold me for 3 years without costing an arm and a leg in the shop. Buying a bigger motor and all the moving parts of a fiberglass boat i know that i am looking at more cost of maintenance, have any of you made the switch like I am planning, if so what has been your experience? thanks!

[Wayne P.]

Yep. went that route and the reverse too.

 

BOAT= Break Out Another Thousand

 

Then there is that liquid that is required to make the horsepower of the larger engine---gasoline.

[Texasangler14]

i hear ya wayne. so you found it to be a significant difference in cost of maintenance? i may just upgrade my aluminum! haha.

[Wayne P.]

Somewhat more maintenance. a lot more operating cost.

Then there is the vehicle towing capacity that has to be included and its operating cost.

[carlm01]

Get yourself a 16ft bass tracker it has everything you need and is light weight  and a small outboard will push it around just fine ....And a nice used one can be had for short money ...  Just my opinion

[slonezp]

Don't know what your budget is, but you can get into a new(er) tin boat for probably less than you think. Even stick with the jon boat style with a working livewell, a console, and a somewhat larger hp motor. Might even have some warranty left on the motor.

[jbsoonerfan]

I fish a trail with my buddy and we use a Tracker Pro V18 with a 115. It isn't the nicest boat on the water, but it does the job. I think it is a 2000 model and he bout it in 06 for like $9,000. It is now paid off and we get a lot of good use out of it. Much easier to bang rocks or run into stumps with a boat that is paid off as opposed to getting all butt puckered when your $50K glass rig gets near a rock or stump. If it were me, I would look for something similar to the V18.

[Texasangler14]

Somewhat more maintenance. a lot more operating cost.

Then there is the vehicle towing capacity that has to be included and its operating cost.

I have a big ford truck so that isnt gonna be an issue, besides gasoline what other operating cost am i not thinking about? appreciate all the help fellas.

[MichaelJ7]

I have had a bass boat for years and just decided to get a new one. I fish a lot of shallow stump filled lakes here in SE MO so I was on the fence as to go with a new aluminum or a new fiberglass. Well I went with the new Ranger RT188 and it is the best of both worlds. It's an aluminum hull but has all of the characteristics of a fiberglass. Everything from storage and so on. I have had a basstracker for years and let me tell you. There is no comparison. These boats will hold up to a 115 horse (which is a must) and can be designed to your liking. Also they are a lot cheaper than the same boat in a fiberglass model!

[Gotfishyfingers?]

I would wait until you move to Florida. Then do a search for bass boats on craigslist with just the max amount your willing to pay and see whats for sale. Search the entire state. You will get more boat for your buck compared to other states. Your right about the wind and being blown around in aluminum boats, fiberglass would be the way to go. Trolling motor is a must to. After having a boat inspected like you said, I guess it would be the luck of the draw if your going to have future problems.

[WIGuide]

Other than gas there's really not much of a difference in operating cost. Maintenance will be slightly higher on a bigger boat regardless. When you replace batteries you'll be replacing 3 or 4 instead of 1 or 2. Your going to have that even on a bigger aluminum boat though so that's a wash. If you look around enough, you can find those that have been well taken care of and that'll be pretty evident. To make sure the motor is good you'd want to do a compression test on it. Depending on how old you're talking, you might want to look into getting the oil injection system taken out and run premixed gas. You'll run through a few more sets of plugs that way, but a few bucks for plugs is a lot cheaper than a new power head. If I were you though, I'd go glass.