Another boat opinion thread...lol

[gasman]

Ok here it is. Im looking at Aluminum welded boats. Planning on buying one this year and have narrowed down the fild to needs and price range and I am looking for experienced opinion.

Looking at 16 to 18 foot welded aluminum boat for fishing the sound, and hopefully the straights, and the lakes inland.
18-25K price range unless I can find great deal on a good used boat, I will probably be buying new.

The boat I have been looking closely at are, Hewes Sportsmens, Alumaweld Talon, Smoker Craft Phantom, Ospey, or Tracer 

What are your thoughts?

Pro and Con....

Thanks for your 

[PolarBear]

Out of all of your choices I would go with the Hewes, hands down!  Awesome boats!

[rasbo]

I love my alumaweld 17.5 ft....for the sound and straights you might think 19 or 20 ft...

[gasman]

I have ran much of the sound in a 12 -14 ft boat and had a 16 ft runabout for many years and never came in to weather that made me think twice about having the runabout out there, but the straits, that will be new for me and really don't know how much time I will be spending up there 

My issue with the Talon is the lack of storage. I kind of want some thing with some storage and maybe pole holders on the side that are covered or recessed, not exposed.

[Rick]

Of the boats you listed I'd go Hewes.

Take a look at Raiders as well. One of Hewes employees left and started his own company. Raiders are a carbon copy of the Hewes.

My brothers Raider Sport 182 is a nice little boat.

[Rick]

My issue with the Talon is the lack of storage. I kind of want some thing with some storage and maybe pole holders on the side that are covered or recessed, not exposed.

The beauty of welded aluminum boats is that the options are endless. Glass boats go into a mold and what you see is what you get.

Locking side lockers for fishing rods is an easy addition to an aluminum boat.

[PolarBear]

Unless you know how to fiberglass, just sayin'.   

[Skillet]

Doesnt matter what the hull is made of, you can customize the Interior however you want with whatever you want.  Thats the fun of boats.

Ive put a lot of hours on my 17' lund prosport in the sound.  Even fished coho during a small craft advisory.  Knowing how to run the boat is every bit as important as the size.  A knucklehead in a 25 glass boat with twin OB's is more dangerous to his passengers than a skilled/experienced guy in a 14' tiller boat.

That said, for your criteria I would be looking at 18'+ boats with a 14+ degree bottom.  Do not go cheap on the power.  If the hull is rated for 150 hp, don't talk yourself into thinking the 70 hp will be fine.  My $.02

If you want the feel of a 17' Lund in the salt, pm me and we'll go for a ride ( Everett area).

[gasman]

Thanks skillet  But I know what a Lund can do.
When Ribka and I went to POW Island for bear, we had a 18" Alaskan Lund and had it out in "small craft advisory" weather  4-6' rollers  3-5 sec apart    boat handled well but it was scary as hell on the 3 mile trek back to the protected waters 

[Buzz2401]

I'd save your money and buy used.  I bought a brand new boat in 2006 and feel it was one of the biggest financial mistake I have made.    By the time you get done with taxes, and outfitting you can add damn near 30% to the aggreed upon price of your new boat. There are some great deals on slightly used boats out there.  On a smaller boat like you are looking at it should be real easy to see if it has been taken care of.  Just my 2 cents

[The scout]

you can get a higher quality boat outfitted used for that price range, let someone else take the depreciation and get a better boat. when I got my north river I looked down in Oregon a lot because theres a good chance you can find one that hasn't been in saltwater

[lokidog]

You might consider the Alumaweld Stryker 18', I think it is a little beefier than the Talon, but I'm not sure.  Hewes are a heavier boat than the Alumawelds with a higher sidewall, but they are a lot more expensive.

Personally, I don't think the deadrise makes a difference here on the sound.  Waves are going to slap the boat no matter what on an aluminum boat and you just drive for the conditions.

The factory recommended engine should be just fine, shops won't want to underpower a boat as it makes their boats look bad.  The 90 on my 19' Alumaweld is more than enough power as I have had 3X the "max payload in it and still gotten up on plane.   You can have too much power IMO as it adds a lot of weight to the stern, especially with these 4 strokes. 

You will have a hard time finding a used Hewes, Alumawelds are maybe easier to find but people seem to hold on on their aluminum boats. 

[Skillet]

Loki makes good points, but I have to say having gone from a 10 degree bottom boat to a 16 degree bottom boat, there is no way I'd ever run another 10 degree bottom boat and expect to range as far and wide as I do in the weather I want to fish in.  All boats are compromises.  I work a lot and have to fish when I have time to do it, so I want a boat that wont force me off the water if the wind picks up a little.  It is not unusual for me to run 25 nautical miles at cruise speed in a day of fishing, and I like having the boat that handles the standard Puget Sound chop with ease.  When I go halibut fishing In the spring Im looking at a 38 mile round trip.  The steeper deadrise Is just a comfort thing for me. I often find myself thinking I'd like that 19' stryker or intruder, but seem to do just fine in my 17' Lund. 
If you only planned on going out on windless days, you could fish halibut on Middle bank from an inflatable row boat... but if you were insistent on fishing on any day you wanted, no matter the weather, a pretty stout boat would be required to get out and back with confidence.  Most people land somewhere in the middle.  Good luck on your search - boat shopping is fun!

[hollymaster]

Here's a nice used one. Get a lot more for your bang.

 http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/4300128494.html

I'd definitely look for a 18' +. Also look @ Wooldridge, raider, Bolton or any of the other major aluminum manufacturers. Don't be afraid to look at older boats that have been repowered. 

[lokidog]

That's a good price for a Stryker.  I bought mine 5 years ago for $16K and it was three years old at the time.  You wold not be disappointed with that boat.  I put about 1500 miles a year on mine.

If you go with this, let me know and I will give you a couple of modifications.