Boat without front deck???

[Clint KY]

Does anyone know of a manufacturer of aluminum boats that builds a model with NO or a very low front deck?
I am looking for an open boat with a Vee bow and a Semi-Vee (or Vee) hull boat in the 16' to 17' range. I have an older Monark Bass boat and am looking for a bare hull I can move my OB with steering and controls, TM and electronics to. I have googled every brand I know with no luck so far. I have considered removing most of the deck in my present boat but the task seems daunting.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

 

[fhhuber]

Most of the aluminum hull makers have made them with no front deck in up to 16 ft aluminum V-hull, with either near flat bottom or shallow angle V at the transom.

Not sure about who to look at currently. But aluminum hulls can last essentially forever... just change out the wood in the transom and for the seats.

 

[ondarvr]

They use the front deck to enclose floatation foam, no deck means they need to find another way to fit enough in the front of the boat. It can also help structurally.

If you like your current boat it's normally not that hard to remove the front deck.

 

[airshot]

I have been an aluminum boat fan for many many years so to answer your question YES, most all the big mfgs of alum hull boats make open models up to 18' in length. There were a couple that made 20' a number of years back but can' remember the mfgs name. I do know Lund, starcraft, Sylvan and a couple others made them to 18' as I looked at an 18' Alaskan model in the mid 90's. Just a big open row boat so to speak but they were not real popular around here but very popular in remote fishing areas such as Canada. They are out there you just need to look closely.

 

[Texasmark]

If you have cross seats, the underneath area is foam. On the hull shape you are seeking, lots of choices today. Yesterday it wasn't that way....usually very shallow semi-v and flat at transom with sharp or in the case of Alumacraft and Lone star to name a couple, rounded chines........The chine is the intersection of the side of the boat and the bottom. Soft chines are smoother riding and cornering but you have less stability when at rest and you are moving around the boat.