Re: Fiberglass or Aluminum??
I have fiberglass boat now and previously had aluminum boats. As said the fiberglass boats tend to be geared more toward pleasure, with the big exception of bass boats. The aluminum boats, I would not necessarily say are only fishing, especially when you consider the older aluminum boats. I had a Starcraft Supersport aluminum and it was an aluminum bowrider like many fiberglass boats and was not set up at all for fishing when i got it. Aluminum boats manufactured in more recent times do tend to be more geared toward fishing, but many still could easily be used as pleasure boats with the simple addition of bow cushions. Some things to consider are features that may not be available. You just don't see to many sun decks on aluminum boats. The aluminum boats tend to be outboards which can be a pain for hauling a big tube around (You can hang a tube off the back of an I/O easily). Lounge seating is not as common in an aluminum boat and they tend to have pedestal seats.
As for Fuel economy? Speed? People/weight capacity? Lifespan?(quality/durability?) here is how I see it:
Fuel economy - Aluminum would probably win here comparing apples to apples, but consider that aluminum is generally outboard fiberglass you may have I/O and it becomes less clear. Now you hae to consider if the oputboard is a newer efficient one, a 4 stroke, or an older 2-stroke. It becomes less clear
Speed - Horsepower for horsepower, the aluminum boat will be lighter, and should therefore have better speed, but again, the aluminum boats are limited in hull design because of having to shape aluminum to form the hull. Not so in f-glass. I would say this pne favors aluminum if talking the same horsepower.
People/weight capacity - I really don't see much difference in this regard on a length for length basis. My 16 foot aluminum was rated for 6 people and so is my 16 foot fiberglass.
Lifespan/quality/durability - These kind of go together and it all depends on how the boat is cared for. The aluminum boats seem to be able to survive more misuse and neglect, but if you take care of any kind of boat it should last indefinitely. Both styles can be damaged, and repaired. It really depends on the specific damage as to which is easier to repair. A hole in the hull of an aluminum boat can usually be repaired totally from the outside unless the substructure of the boat is damaged. A hole in a fiberglass baot might require accessing the inside of the hull which can be a pain and costly. But hey, that's what insurance is for right?
You really need to look at how you want to use the boat and find one that fits. You didn't say if you were looking for new, used, or what age boat. You also didn't say if you wanted turn-key or a project, but making some assumptions for the purposes that you describe, I would probably tend to lean more toward a turn-key fiberglass I/O boat simply because there are so many with the features that would be desireable for your stated purpose. That said, I have the same uses, but with a larger portion devoted to fishing and the aluminum Starcraft I had worked very well for us. I personally wish I would have fixed up the old Starcraft rather than making the switch to Fiberglass. I have a nice boat, but still prefer the aluminum boats. Since you stated that the fishing would be limited, get a pleasure boat. You can fish off of anything, its just easier on a purpose built fishing boat.
