What aluminum hulls have good reputations right now?

Nate Hoyt

Nate Hoyt

Member
All,

I haven’t seriously considered an aluminum hull in years, but I catch myself day dreaming of an aluminum mod-vee center console in the 2170-2272 range for running out into the Chesapeake. I love making simple ply-epoxy boats for the marsh, but I want a pro to make any boat I plan to use in open water. This isn't a duck boat specific question, but it might serve as a mothership.

I’m an Xpress fan based on past experience, but that was over 20 years ago. Alweld historically had a good reputation. Grizzlies are easy to check out in person, but Tracker hasn't improved any brand it has absorbed. The War Eagle and SeaArk options look interesting and use .125 aluminum while the previous use .100 in the models I like. I’m not tracking any huge issues with any of them right now, but I don't hang out with a lot of folks who use aluminum hulls any more.

I don't have a custom budget, so please don't tempt me with custom builders.

Nate
 
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My good friend has been really happy with his four eagle. I have another friend that purchased the tracker mud boat, and he had to go back and redo every weld on the boat tracker on it and actually pay him for Time if they sent him pictures of before, and after the repair, he is a certified aluminum welder. I was really surprised tracker did that however, the initial weld the factory were pretty shotty.
 
D. Hinton said:
My good friend has been really happy with his four eagle. I have another friend that purchased the tracker mud boat, and he had to go back and redo every weld on the boat tracker on it and actually pay him for Time if they sent him pictures of before, and after the repair, he is a certified aluminum welder. I was really surprised tracker did that however, the initial weld the factory were pretty shotty.
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It’s been probably 10 years but a buddy had a tracker grizzly 2070? W 60 tiller on it. Rivets snapped on the floor . Floor almost sailed out of boat while him and gf we driving. Then he pulled it up and was just gonna rerivet it himself. The welds for the floor supports/ribs were just popped up. Almost like you had a sheet of paper under some of the beads. Like good penetration on the rib itself and the bead just laying on the bottom of hull.

Think they repaired it twice in two years. Boat was gonna for 2-3 months each time. Then he sold it.
 
Seaark is about as tough as you,ll find . .125 hulls and use to be tallest hulls within the big aluminum jon hulls, but not sure about now. If your going to be running around in the bay i,d suggest their bay style hull with slight bottom v. I,ve got a 2072 with the flat bottom and while it will take you there and back with no issues the slight v bottom would be a more comfortable ride in rough seas.
 
Nate Hoyt said:
All,

I haven’t seriously considered an aluminum hull in years, but I catch myself day dreaming of an aluminum mod-vee center console in the 2170-2272 range for running out into the Chesapeake. I love making simple ply-epoxy boats for the marsh, but I want a pro to make any boat I plan to use in open water. This isn't a duck boat specific question, but it might serve as a mothership.

I’m an Xpress fan based on past experience, but that was over 20 years ago. Alweld historically had a good reputation. Grizzlies are easy to check out in person, but Tracker hasn't improved any brand it has absorbed. The War Eagle and SeaArk options look interesting and use .125 aluminum while the previous use .100 in the models I like. I’m not tracking any huge issues with any of them right now, but I don't hang out with a lot of folks who use aluminum hulls any more.

I don't have a custom budget, so please don't tempt me with custom builders.

Nate
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Nate, I went down a major rabbit hole with aluminum boats, when I finally pulled the trigger on a havoc. I called all these companies and even lots of the custom guys. If you want a true flat bottom, they have to have "x" amount of foam in them to meet coast guard approval. I hated that idea, as you would look at lots of specs and these boats where HEAVY on paper. Havoc gets around that, with their MST design by putting the chines on the hull reversed. So it acts like a flat bottom when going over stuff, but it has "grip" on the corners. I did have mine custom built and had a trolling motor tray added by havoc and had the hull built with .125. In turn, it was still lighter than all the other companies in the size and features I wanted in a boat. I run a 5000 efi mudmotor, and I run BIG open water to small little river systems with my boat. All I need is 6" of water to float it and walk it out somewhere if I need to and it still touches 30-31 with me and the dog and a small load for big open water runs. 2 people I see 27-28mph. Just this year, I had 4 guys, 3 dozen decoys and a dog and I went to the hammer prop and was still seeing 23-24mph. But I was way too heavy and it took some tinkering to figure out how to get the boat going with that size of a load.

If you want something with chines on the hull, you should be able to find something without all the weight of the foam. I like my havoc, its a fast fast hull. hate that it gets the negative, backward hat wearing, rock n roll blaring connotation that RAM trucks seem to get as well. Yes I drive a big 6.7 cummins as well. Im the stereotype of all stereotypes... but I dont haul ass everywhere and I dont wear straight bill hats lol. I did plenty of homework before finally making a purchase on my aluminum hull and its going to be a cold day in hell before I replace the hull. I kick around the idea all the time of putting a 90-115 hp outboard off the back of it, but this 5000 efi just keeps going and going.
 
RM Anderson said:
Alumacraft is a solid boat. Never an issue.
RM
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You are looking for a mod v jon boat; my bad.
Check out Lowe Roughneck. I owned an 18 ft side console but longed for a tiller. Wish I would have kept it but the wife wanted a smoother ride so we traded for an Alumacraft deep v tiller. RM
 
William Reinicke said:
Nate, I went down a major rabbit hole with aluminum boats, when I finally pulled the trigger on a havoc. I called all these companies and even lots of the custom guys. If you want a true flat bottom, they have to have "x" amount of foam in them to meet coast guard approval. I hated that idea, as you would look at lots of specs and these boats where HEAVY on paper. Havoc gets around that, with their MST design by putting the chines on the hull reversed. So it acts like a flat bottom when going over stuff, but it has "grip" on the corners. I did have mine custom built and had a trolling motor tray added by havoc and had the hull built with .125. In turn, it was still lighter than all the other companies in the size and features I wanted in a boat. I run a 5000 efi mudmotor, and I run BIG open water to small little river systems with my boat. All I need is 6" of water to float it and walk it out somewhere if I need to and it still touches 30-31 with me and the dog and a small load for big open water runs. 2 people I see 27-28mph. Just this year, I had 4 guys, 3 dozen decoys and a dog and I went to the hammer prop and was still seeing 23-24mph. But I was way too heavy and it took some tinkering to figure out how to get the boat going with that size of a load.

If you want something with chines on the hull, you should be able to find something without all the weight of the foam. I like my havoc, its a fast fast hull. hate that it gets the negative, backward hat wearing, rock n roll blaring connotation that RAM trucks seem to get as well. Yes I drive a big 6.7 cummins as well. Im the stereotype of all stereotypes... but I dont haul ass everywhere and I dont wear straight bill hats lol. I did plenty of homework before finally making a purchase on my aluminum hull and its going to be a cold day in hell before I replace the hull. I kick around the idea all the time of putting a 90-115 hp outboard off the back of it, but this 5000 efi just keeps going and going.
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Nate Hoyt said:
All,

I haven’t seriously considered an aluminum hull in years, but I catch myself day dreaming of an aluminum mod-vee center console in the 2170-2272 range for running out into the Chesapeake. I love making simple ply-epoxy boats for the marsh, but I want a pro to make any boat I plan to use in open water. This isn't a duck boat specific question, but it might serve as a mothership.

I’m an Xpress fan based on past experience, but that was over 20 years ago. Alweld historically had a good reputation. Grizzlies are easy to check out in person, but Tracker hasn't improved any brand it has absorbed. The War Eagle and SeaArk options look interesting and use .125 aluminum while the previous use .100 in the models I like. I’m not tracking any huge issues with any of them right now, but I don't hang out with a lot of folks who use aluminum hulls any more.

I don't have a custom budget, so please don't tempt me with custom builders.

Nate
Click to expand...
I second the SeaArk. I ran a 2072 center console for about 10 years on the lower Bay. One of the most versatile boats I’ve ever owned. Hunt, fish, crab, sandbar socializing on Sunday afternoons. Guided out of it for 7 years. Puddlers, divers, sea ducks. Only sold it to make last tuition payment for my youngest daughter. If I were buying another aluminum boat, I’d probably go with the SeaArk 24’ just because I tended to use it more on open water and weather is always a factor. Plus I like to take 2-3 friends and a large decoy spread. Good luck in your search!
 
Ive been in sea arks and they are very well built. Sorry I missed the "Center console" sub note in the original post. I use mine on big waters into little river systems. So its a tiller all day for me. Honest to god, theres only 1 or 2 holes I really need a mudmotor to get into and the only reason I run one. If I didnt hunt these two spots, I would go outboard all day every day. That new 5000 efi frame really has my attention though. When it comes time to replace, its going to be a very hard choice. Love the changes mudbuddy made to the frame to handle all the tiller torque.
 
If you want to throw money into the air or dream a little (temptation is the devils work) The Oregon and Idaho boat builders are some of the highest quality you will find on the market, primarily due to their proprietary extruded chine designs and thickness of the aluminum (primarily designed to withstand rock hits on western rivers).

Northriver, Willie Boats and Riverwild are the cadillacs and all have webpages. They are all custom built for the owner and have extensive waitlists.

I ran a friends 23.5 Willie Predator several seasons on the Lower Columbia that was set up as a Tender boat. I would put it up against anything on the water but it came with 90k price tag.

There are a lot of used ones on the market for considerably less and the older 80's models have some of the highest quality AMERICAN aluminum in them.
 
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