hunting for an alum skiff- 5000$ for boat/motor/trailer, what would u get and y

[jeepster]

if i were on the hunt for a big ol inboard heavy duty fishing machine, i would know eactly what id go get, however, i have no experiance in the smaller aluminum boat catagory....

currently, im on the hunt for a new boat. my current rig is a 1978 glasply19' cuddy.... awesome heavy duty boat. problem is that i have to pay every month to store it, its a big boat for one guy to run by himself, and, it is a thirsty sob. i know gas prices will get well over 5$ a gallon at the fuel dock, and with a 60 gallon tank, im gonna go broke filling it up every time i wanna go fishing. plus, its not a very good hunting boat, there is no way it would work in the river, and i cant drag it up onto the beach. as much as i love my glasply, its kind of a single purpose boat... so.... im searching for a new boat.

what i am after is a 16' to 18' foot open aluminum skiff (tiller steering)  with a v hull (deep, semi, whatever). but i dont wanna break the bank.  now, the obvious brands come to mind, lund, lowe, smokercraft, hewes craft, g3, and so on and so forth... i am wondering if there is any brand out there that just simply offers a deal on a plain jane quality boat with no bs, that will be the best bang for my buck....... in otherwords, if you had 5000$ to go spend on a newer aluminum skiff (including trailer/motor) 16-18 feet, to use almost year-round in the salt, what would you get, and why?

oh btw i get dealer cost on mercury outboards so if you go over 5000$ by a few hundred, no biggie

[jackmaster]

just keep lookn good deals are out there i got my cousin a 18ft lund with a 75 hp johnson which ran like a champ, boat is very nice but ugly as sin ... we had to paint it, but i found it for 1700. this old guy just couldnt do it anymore. its a good boat, we are a bit crazy but we trust it enough that we take it out in neah bay, if there are people that fish out there regularly then you have seen us, its gray no top hand tiller johnson, hell we have even taken it outside, rides a little ruff when the seas come up, but she always gets us home

[Bofire]

Stevens Marine in Portland has some really good deals right now.
Carl

[Rick]

It all depends on your definition of newer.

For $5000,you'll be hard pressed to find a nice boat that meets your qualifications,thats newer than probably 10-12 years.

Aluminum boats and late model engines hold their value very well.

[Bofire]

  How about a 2008 smoker craft 16 with 25 hp Nissan?/?
Sttevens marine?? here is a link

 http://www.stevensmarine.com/used-boats.php

[Rick]

How about a 2008 smoker craft 16 with 25 hp Nissan?/?
Sttevens marine?? here is a link

 http://www.stevensmarine.com/used-boats.php

Thats a foot smaller than his minimum size.

[wildmanoutdoors]

Well for 5 g's you ain't gonna get anything with a new merc on it.
That said your not gonna get a welded boat from one of the NW manufactures either.

Id look for a riveted 16 to 18 with a 40 or 50 on it. Probably not gonna get a Hewes or G3 so Id look to the Sylvans, Smokers, ect.

Id almost look tword a older Boston Whaler 17 Montauk. Great hulls and even set up there reasonable.

Fiberglass or not, there tougher than any riveted tin boat.

[Bofire]

 :)his post says 16-18 foot.

"Thats a foot smaller than his minimum size." there are other boats there also.
Carl