Aluminum boat vs Fiberglass

[done]

Fiberglass>>>>comfort, better ride>>>>>comfort.

Tin>>>>durability>>>>ability to get into areas a larger glass boat can't or won't (shallows, rocky areas, etc.) worse ride.

To add, aluminum is lighter, which is a huge plus for those of us who need to have a lighter boat to allow our vehicles to tow. I got a minivan and a Trailblazer. The TB can handle anything just about but the van would not do anything but a light tin boat.  Which comes in particularly handy when it comes to camping. Let's my wife tow the boat to the site while the TB pulls the camper. I had to laugh the other day, I pulled my boat out and when I got to the top of the ramp, the stern had shifted to it was not aligned right on the trailer, I just grabbed a hold of the side and pushed it into place. Try that with a glass boat, lol. Also I can run all day long (12 hours) run Wylie end to end on 1/2 tank of gas (using about 12 gals of gas), run at 45 with a 60 HP, and use a 45# TM to pull the boat around at an acceptable rate.

Course those that with a glass boat would be laughing endlessly at me in a good wind. Might as well be fishing on a sail. LOL. My TM gets a serious workout and you have to get creative to hold a spot or to work a shoreline using the wind to push you the right way.

Tin boats have come a long way, I really get a great ride out of my '09 PT 175. It is plenty wide up front and in back, has good storage, I have so far put in 7 rods in the locker with plenty room for more. Pretty stable as well. Maybe if I ran in one of y'alls really nice glass boats that opinion would change.  However, I am happy with my boat either way fits my particular need.

I see the whole tin vs glass religious argument almost useless. Each has strengths and weaknesses but they sell both because each fit niches that the other does not.

To my rambling, barely coherent point, You just need to define up front your needs/wants from the boat and then use that to guide your glass vs tin decision, then after that the decision REALLY gets fun when you look at the brands.

[retiredbosn]

I fish a shallow rocky river, I have a fiberglass boat, but feel positive that those rocks will bust through.  Kinda hard to take anyboat through 6 inch deep rapids loaded with rocks, but I use alluminum for that.

[senile1]

I fish a shallow rocky river, I have a fiberglass boat, but feel positive that those rocks will bust through. Kinda hard to take anyboat through 6 inch deep rapids loaded with rocks, but I use alluminum for that.

Under the conditions mentioned above I would strictly use a small aluminum or canoe. When I compare fiberglass boats and aluminum I'm comparing boats of similar size. I wouldn't think of taking an aluminum or a fiberglass boat with a huge motor through six inch rapids in a rocky river. The weight of the motor alone would make it difficult to push the boat through. A boat is a tool. Choose the one that fits your situation. But if you are lake fishing a fiberglass boat can go anywhere an aluminum can.

[cart7t]

Submerged wood isn't really that big of an issue for a fiberglass boat.  It's usually soft and rather blunt along with giving some if it's struck.  Rocks, OTOH, are a whole nuther story.  If you're looking at a abundantly soft bottom river with some wood debris in it a fiberglass boat is fine.  If it's a rocky bottom river that you'll be running around in I think I'd go aluminum. 

[RoLo]

When a sharp rock is struck with enough force, it'll open up an aluminum hull like a can-opener to a soup can.

Although rocks are normally struck in shallow water, there isn't much that can be done

with an aluminum hull in that condition.

On Canada's rock-studded lakes, some fishing lodges actually use the reverse strategy.

They'll maintain a rental fleet of "molded" fiberglass boats using glass patch kits (glass mesh, two-component epoxy & catalyst).

It only takes about 15 minutes for the glass patch to harden, and when you look over

their fleet of rental bathtubs, you can usually find a patch on most of the boats

Roger