East coast verses West coast

[gazelle]

Last summer I was out in Oregon and saw an aluminum boat style that I liked such as this Smoker Craft http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/marine_classifieds/adv-search.cgi?id=43717-ad <br /><br /> or alumaweld<br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/marine_classifieds/adv-search.cgi?id=23256-ad <br /><br />I have looked for similar boats here on the East coast and have not seen any in this style. Was wondering why that was. Is it as simple as different tastes or does functionality come in to play somehow. Meaning that an aluminum boat like the smoker craft is not a good choice for the east. <br /><br />No real reason for me liking them, mostly I like the look and think (i am a novice) that an aluminum boat would hold up a lot longer than fiberglass and would require less cleaning maintenance. What also appeals to me is that they are fairly deep and look more utilitarian than a fiberglass boat.<br /><br />Am I entirely mistaken and there are boats like this style on the East? Is so please suggest some makes.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[KCook]

Re: East coast verses West coast

There should be dealers for aluminum boats everywhere. My experience has been that these tend to be small dealers, hard to find. But they should be around. Keep looking.<br /><br />Here is an index on www.FishingWorks.com to all the aluminum builders - Boat Mfrs. > Aluminum Fishing Boats <br /><br />Kelly Cook

 

[JasonJ]

Re: East coast verses West coast

I don't have a perfect answer, all I can say is that there are a lot of rough, rocky shallow river fishing over here on the west, and an aluminum boat, especially if it is equipped with a jet drive, reigns supreme. They can run in shallower water, as little as 6-8 inches because they are lighter than a glass boat. They can take a considerable impact and can easliy be repaired by a competent welder if need be for far less than a fiberglass repair. An impact that would put a small dent in these aluminum boats would put a substantial hole in a glass boat. Rot is a non-issue, as the structure is aluminum. If the wood floor rots, just bolt in new wood, no stinky glass to mess with. I believe it is probably a regional thing, but I am sure you can get what you are looking for over there. Good luck...

 

[gazelle]

Re: East coast verses West coast

kcook thanks for the link. I looked through the list and only one of the companies have dealers in the east.<br /><br />Jasonj I agree on the durability aspect. Outside of the fact that some may thing a glass boat is prettier it seems that the frugal buyer would choose aluminum because it looks to me as though they would keep their looks for many years after the purchase. As for getting what I am looking for I will probably find one sooner or later, but it looks as though the style that I like is predominantly in the northwest. Most of the eastern aluminum boats go for the low profile bass boat design. Must be just a market difference. Can not wait to get one and turn heads on the lake.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: East coast verses West coast

I don't know if this manufacturer sells in the USA, but this company is real big in our neck of the woods.<br /><br /> http://www.princecraft.com

 

[KCook]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Crestliner, Fisher, G3, Lund, Mirrocraft, Monark, Smokercraft (now Infinity), Starcraft, Sylvan, Tracker, and Triton are all NATIONALLY distributed brands. ALL of these have dealers in the east. Go to their individual web sites and use the 800 number they provide to find your nearest dealer. They most definitely have dealers in the east. Plus many others.<br /><br />Kelly

 

[18rabbit]

Re: East coast verses West coast

The supreme disadvantage of all aluminum boats is galvanic corrosion. It must be managed, lest your boat dissolves.<br /><br />In the Pacific Ocean, jet drives can be problematic near shore where algae can be sucked in, but the overall performance advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Fuel economy is better, too.

 

[Capn Mike]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Besides the references Kelly mentioned, there's http://www.blacklabmarine.com/ , made in Maine. His brand name (Pacific) implies a kinship with the more sturdy west coast builders (Coastal Craft, Almar, Eagle Craft, Duckworth, HewesCraft, Sea Wolf, Silver Streak, North River, etc) and from the looks of his boats, it looks like he's been skulking around the PacNW and taking copious notes.<br />Might be a little more boat than you need, but you will really impress your east coast fishing neighbors...

 

[P.V.]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Don't confuse light-skinn'd aluminum hulls with "Armor Plated" hulls. SmokerCraft is not in the same ball-park as an Alumaweld Intruder. Not even close !!!!

 

[sorrydog]

Re: East coast verses West coast

jet drives can be problematic near shore where algae can be sucked in, but the overall performance advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Fuel economy is better, too.

Yeah, and if you put on a tornado gas saver, you can expect at least 2-4 more miles to the gallon. LMAO

 

[MajBach]

Re: East coast verses West coast

SLightly digressing here but I wouldn't mind some feedback?<br /><br />Jet drives are more efficient? Say what?<br /><br />I have an aluminum 16 1/2 footer and when I was replacing my old and tired 14' Sears boat from the sixties, I really wanted a glass boat - just for the pounding it could take. I was very accustomed to driving around in a friends 17 1/2 Whaler. But aside ffrom towing a boat, I have no use for a truck so I figured I had to go aluminum to save weight. My 16 1/2 footer is 200# heavier (without the OB)than my friends 17 1/2 Whaler an no where near as rugged. i suppose though the fact that mine is 2 feet wider and a D/C accounts for the weight. <br />However, I boat in very hazardous waters on Georgian Bay and I am always paranoid about hitting a rock in my tin boat. I have had to patch glass boats before and it's a breeeze. Common opinion here is aluminum is easier to fix. how so? I slipt open an aluminum canoe once and had a heck of a time finding someone who wanted to weld it.

 

[crab bait]

Re: East coast verses West coast

i feel ya.. those smoker's are a bad-to-da-bone lookin' boat.. i see what your seein'... <br /><br />there's dealers around here that sells 'em.. one in paticulure that's a big marine store that i'm in alot.. <br /><br />i always look at 'em...

 

[glass from the past]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Living in Washington, I see these jet-sleds a lot. My father in law, and one of my fishing buddies each own a Wooldridge sled and they swear by them. I own an older jetsled in need of a new motor and I own a fiberglass bowrider with a 45 horse prop. I can't talk either one of these two into fishing off my glass' boat. They don't care if you paid for bait, gas, beer, if they ain't fishin in a sled they ain't fishin. You do see more of these over here on the west coast I think mainly cause a lot (not all) of manufacturers are located over here; Wooldridge, aluma-weld, boyce jet, duckworth, lund, etc. They cost more than an entry level glass boat of the same size, a hull can run between 12K - 30K plus you need a decent jet to do business. Some will argue, but I think 80 horse at the pump is a minimum in a 17 foot sled with a couple of buddies. If you gotta bigger wallet, North River and Boyce Jet build sleds with 7.4L vortec V-8's in em! I talked to guy once at the launch who had a North River and he claims he can do well over 65 with four adults on board and spank any bass boat. At full speed, and I been aboard when they do it (35 -40mph) a sled will run in about 4 - 6 inches of water, so you can go waaaay up river where a prop can't and of course thats where all the good steelhead are . 18 Rabbit is right, you gotta be carefull where you go, even a lilly pad will jam up your pump in instant. My other buddy sucked a rock through his impellar and it cost him about $500.00 to replace it. From the way I hear the story, jet sleds got they're start on the colorado river before anywhere else and that is the original birthplace for several hull designs as well as several jet drive designs. they built them to be able to get up the rapids, and go over rocks, logs and sometimes the river bank. I'm selling my sled now that I own a proped boat, heck for the cost of a decent merc jet motor ($8000) I can buy a nice used glass boat with an I/O and a cabin for sleeping.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Majback, jets are 30% on average less efficient than a prop all other things equal. As for the ease of fixing glass, it is true that fixing glass is easy, but that does little good when you are out on the water. The good tin boats with thick hull plating are vastly more resistant to damage than a glass boat. Anybody who is good at welding aluminum can fix it, but there isn't always a good aluminum welder in a small town so that can be a challenge. I personally like that industrial black helicopter government CIA look of the tin boats. We have some rigs around here that look like they should have Navy SEALs hangin' off the sides rather than downriggers.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Jason – help me here…<br /><br />I have only read about jet drive technology, no hands-on experience. Everything is consistent. A jet drive has fewer moving parts, lower maintenance costs, and uses less fuel when compared to the same propulsion umph as a prop. My understanding (perhaps wrongly?) is that commercial airliners switched from props to jets not to save travel time, but for reasons of fuel economy (equates into greater travel distance) and reduced maintenance costs…jets are more efficient.<br /><br />No power plant can transfer 100% or it’s power into propulsion; prop or jet drive. Any given power plant (motor) has a finite maximum fuel consumption. Using the same power plant, jets drives are faster out of the hole and they can deliver more hp at lower rpms. While a jet drive’s fuel economy is similar to prop’s for outboard motors, inboards jets are more efficient.<br /><br />There is a little more to realizing a jet’s efficiency than just slapping it into a boat. And some slower hull boats (under 20 knots) may not realize a fuel economy benefit from a jet drive unless specifically designed for it. The semi and planing hulls almost always realize the economical benefits of a jet drive.<br /><br />Good info and FAQ here: http://www.ultradynamics.com/ <br /><br />Where does your 30% less efficient stat come from?

 

[KCook]

Re: East coast verses West coast

My understanding (perhaps wrongly?) is that commercial airliners switched from props to jets not to save travel time, but for reasons of fuel economy (equates into greater travel distance) and reduced maintenance costs…jets are more efficient.

Depends on the speed realm. At todays speeds for airliners the fan jet works best. But if you were cruising under 300mph the turboprop is more efficient. See the C130 Hercules. I think Jason got this right.<br /><br />Kelly

 

[18rabbit]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Kcook – seems consistent with what Armstrong writes in his book in 1995, “…in recent years many 100-ft + megayachts have been powered by large diesel engines turning jet drives rather than propellers. The reasons are similar to those that caused jets to replace props in airplanes – jets are more efficient than props when it comes to moving an object rapidly thru a fluid medium, whether air or water.” Note the use of the word "rapidly".<br /><br />I guess it doesn’t mean Armstrong knows what he is talking about…but I’m thinking he does. When it comes to racing or military applications, all bets on economy are off. I also think you are going to see more jets being used in recreational boats for two reasons; efficiency, and stalled prop technology. Recent 3-D CAD and complex hydrodynamic modeling software is revitalizing competitive R&D efforts in 3 major areas of marine propulsion; variable pitch propellers, multiple speed transmissions, and jet drives. Smaller boats are now realizing the benefits of fuel economy compared to prop drives. There are some limitations. See the “Why use jet drives” and “FAQ” at the Ultradynamics link I posted.<br /><br />In all of the stuff I have read, I have never seen any reference to props being 30% more efficient than jets, even older jet drive technology.

 

[KCook]

Re: East coast verses West coast

I have seen that 30% figure several times from several different sources. I believe it is pretty accurate for small boats. Dunno about the big commercial ships. After all, the jet drives have long been cheaper to build and need less maintenance than a sterndrive. If the jet drives were also more efficient, then we would already be tooling around with jets, and props would have been history.<br /><br />Kelly

 

[ThomWV]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Jet boats will suck gas at a rate that will simply astound you if you are used to a propped boat, particularly if its an inboard. It will also be slower by far for any given horsepower. But that's not what I wanted to talk about.<br /><br />It was mentioned but then passed by that your have to be concerned with corrosion issues with an aluminum boat. This is particularly true if you keep the boat in the water That can not be emphasised enough. You get a scratch in the paint below the waterline and the boat can disolve so fast you won't know what hit it. If you've ever heard of a glass boat guy talking about having problems with unexpected galvanic corrosion of his zinks, outdrive(s), or lower unit if its an outboard I just want you to give a few moment's thought to what that means if its your entire hull. On top of that you have to be extremely careful about selection of things like thru-hulls and transducers and most certainly about bonding. Personally I wouldn't have one for just these reasons. Glass is simple to repair and it can be done by almost anyone. Contrary to what you have seen it takes considerable skill to do a repair on an aluminum hull without warping it all to hell and leaving a mess that no boater would want to claim ownership of.<br /><br />Thom

 

[18rabbit]

Re: East coast verses West coast

Somewhere in all the reading I have done on jet drives is the suggestion that poor fuel economy is usually the result of a mismatch in the jet drive with the engine and/or hull design. Just as you would match the prop to the motor to the hull, so it goes with jet drives.