20ft Alaskan ?
- Thread starter Bill T
- Start date
Bill Wasson
Member
Hi Bill,
If you're planning on keeping it for the long haul you can't go wrong with that boat. I think that it's a little big for the tiller option though. The side console worked very well for me.
Bill
If you're planning on keeping it for the long haul you can't go wrong with that boat. I think that it's a little big for the tiller option though. The side console worked very well for me.
Bill
Bill T
Active member
Well hello Bill . I told the dealers about the ride in your boat . I was impressed on how it hadled the big water.I got caught on lake Superior in a big storm my boat hadled it ok but the V bottom would have made a big differense . Remember anytime your towards Mich give me a shout i have found some great spot we could go and shoot at some fun ducks . Thank you again for the great memories .
Charlie S and Titan
Well-known member
IIRC, I think Bill had a 50 2 stroke and a kicker. I've never seen it in person, only in postings here and on his old site. Sweet rig!
I have a 50 on my 18 alaskan and like yours it flies - 46 is as fast as I've had it. And I learned that props make all the difference!
Of course, the 20 is heavier and longer so I wouldn't be surprised if you lost some speed, but who really needs 40+ mph in a duckboat... Not me (as much fun as it is on a hot summer day when you have a long run to the fishing spot).
Personally if I got a 20 it'd be a side console, but I can see how you might like the open space (especially if you haul a 4 wheeler or construction materials like their print ads show!). Seems like the tiller option would place your weight pretty far back though, and I 99% am certain it reduces your coast guard motor hp rating.
Charlie
I have a 50 on my 18 alaskan and like yours it flies - 46 is as fast as I've had it. And I learned that props make all the difference!
Of course, the 20 is heavier and longer so I wouldn't be surprised if you lost some speed, but who really needs 40+ mph in a duckboat... Not me (as much fun as it is on a hot summer day when you have a long run to the fishing spot).
Personally if I got a 20 it'd be a side console, but I can see how you might like the open space (especially if you haul a 4 wheeler or construction materials like their print ads show!). Seems like the tiller option would place your weight pretty far back though, and I 99% am certain it reduces your coast guard motor hp rating.
Charlie
Matthew R. Snyder
Active member
Nice boats with limitations, like all boats. We have two 20s in the fleet, both with Yam 115s; as well as two 18s, and have owned other Alaskans and SSVs over the years, so we have a decent basis for comparison.
If you're committed to the 20, get the console. There's about an acre of open space in the boat; and the console will free up space to let you carry more weight aft, where it belongs. Also, the aft third of the boat is very wet in any kind of quartering sea.
I would consider either the 20 or the 18 underpowered with a 50 if I was going to do a lot of rough-water operation. On the other hand, the 20 in particular has so much lift built into the hull that you might be able to get away with it. I have had a 50 on an 18, and didn't like it for hauling heavy loads in the seas we encounter. The 115 on the 20 is overkill IMO -- just extra weight and speed that you never get to use, and it makes the ass end of the boat too heavy to power out of rocks without breaking something.
A two-stroke 90 or maybe even 75 would be just about right for the 20. I wish that was we had. If it were me, I would stay away from a tiller like the plague.
I have heard some reports of rivet failure/hull flex with the 20s (never with the 18s). It generally seems to occur when they carry lots of weight (i.e. 36V worth of trolling batteries and a MinnKota) forward. Go figure. They use wood in the transoms and floors, which will rot eventually. But, the project boat in the driveway right now is a 22-year-old SSV-16, floor's got soft spots but it doesn't affect the strength or utility of the boat any, boat's still as strong as the day it came out of the factory.
End of the day, the bare 20 is not significantly more seaworthy than the 18. We have come close to sinking a 20 as a matter of fact. On the other hand it is a lot more comfortable on a moderately to severely rough day; and can carry a lot more decoys, people and gear.
In that size/class of boat, I believe one would be better served with custom welded deep-V plate boats -- UNLESS you are trailering/launching at marginal sites, pulling the boat on and off a rocky beach, or other application where light weight and shallow draft are important (all are critical concerns for us). No other commercial V combines the light weight, strength, and capacity of the Alaskan (for example, the crestliners can't carry enough motor/the sea arks etc. don't have enough bottom/the starcrafts are too heavy)... and none of the custom builders seems to have a time-tested 20' hull that weighs less than 1,200 lbs., except the jon boat builders.
If you're committed to the 20, get the console. There's about an acre of open space in the boat; and the console will free up space to let you carry more weight aft, where it belongs. Also, the aft third of the boat is very wet in any kind of quartering sea.
I would consider either the 20 or the 18 underpowered with a 50 if I was going to do a lot of rough-water operation. On the other hand, the 20 in particular has so much lift built into the hull that you might be able to get away with it. I have had a 50 on an 18, and didn't like it for hauling heavy loads in the seas we encounter. The 115 on the 20 is overkill IMO -- just extra weight and speed that you never get to use, and it makes the ass end of the boat too heavy to power out of rocks without breaking something.
A two-stroke 90 or maybe even 75 would be just about right for the 20. I wish that was we had. If it were me, I would stay away from a tiller like the plague.
I have heard some reports of rivet failure/hull flex with the 20s (never with the 18s). It generally seems to occur when they carry lots of weight (i.e. 36V worth of trolling batteries and a MinnKota) forward. Go figure. They use wood in the transoms and floors, which will rot eventually. But, the project boat in the driveway right now is a 22-year-old SSV-16, floor's got soft spots but it doesn't affect the strength or utility of the boat any, boat's still as strong as the day it came out of the factory.
End of the day, the bare 20 is not significantly more seaworthy than the 18. We have come close to sinking a 20 as a matter of fact. On the other hand it is a lot more comfortable on a moderately to severely rough day; and can carry a lot more decoys, people and gear.
In that size/class of boat, I believe one would be better served with custom welded deep-V plate boats -- UNLESS you are trailering/launching at marginal sites, pulling the boat on and off a rocky beach, or other application where light weight and shallow draft are important (all are critical concerns for us). No other commercial V combines the light weight, strength, and capacity of the Alaskan (for example, the crestliners can't carry enough motor/the sea arks etc. don't have enough bottom/the starcrafts are too heavy)... and none of the custom builders seems to have a time-tested 20' hull that weighs less than 1,200 lbs., except the jon boat builders.
Lee Harker
Well-known member
I agree with the others on a tiller model..that's too unweildy in wind if you are going to use it as a layout tender. They are tough enough with a console for precision pickups/dropoffs in wind.
Bill Wasson
Member
Bill,
Will sure take you up on the offer if I ever get out that way. I started out with a 2 stroke Yamaha 50 on the Lund when it was new just because that's what I had. I was ok with that but was able to go to a 4 stroke Honda 50 a couple of years later and kept that for four years. That was ok too. The last four years I had a new 4 stroke Yamaha 50T (Commercial lower unit) and really liked it. A lot of folks think that is under powered but I always felt that it was the optimum in regards to weight of engine/speed. As you know I probably worked that boat as hard as anyone carrying loads and working in open water. If I had to do it again I'd go with the same Yamaha 50T on the Lund Alaskan 20. That same boat is bake in service with Paul Geary but I think he painted it pink. just kidding Paul.
Regarding the Lund 18/20 comparison: The 20 is a full step up the seaworthy ladder from the 18.
Bill
Will sure take you up on the offer if I ever get out that way. I started out with a 2 stroke Yamaha 50 on the Lund when it was new just because that's what I had. I was ok with that but was able to go to a 4 stroke Honda 50 a couple of years later and kept that for four years. That was ok too. The last four years I had a new 4 stroke Yamaha 50T (Commercial lower unit) and really liked it. A lot of folks think that is under powered but I always felt that it was the optimum in regards to weight of engine/speed. As you know I probably worked that boat as hard as anyone carrying loads and working in open water. If I had to do it again I'd go with the same Yamaha 50T on the Lund Alaskan 20. That same boat is bake in service with Paul Geary but I think he painted it pink. just kidding Paul.
Regarding the Lund 18/20 comparison: The 20 is a full step up the seaworthy ladder from the 18.
Bill
Ken R
Active member
I have an 2006 18 Alaskan with a 75 Merc 4S tiller. I went with the tiller for the extra space it gives me. I have a 125 cooler in the boat and still can walk around. I use mine mostly for fishing and crabbing. I really like the boat. I would max out on HP. It's there if you need it. Sounds like I need to play with some props. Best spped I can get is 38 MPH.
M. Paul Gery
Active member
Hey Bill, at least it's painted!! bwahahaha!!!
The side console is great, but if you're going to be standing & driving it, I'd suggest raising it 5 or 6 inches. I did and it works FABULOUSLY (figured that would be a good term to pair with bill's "pink" paint suggestion!).
It's got a Suzuki 70hp and I think loaded down it would go faster with a 90, but do you really need/want to go faster when it's loaded down? So far I can't get it to cavitate on a turn, and it's worked better than I expected. I wouldn't be worried about the seaworthiness in any water we have in the bay ocean of the SF bay area.
My only complaint is the boat flexes too much and tends to pop rivets out of the flooring (as I'm sure bill can attest to, it had virtually ZERO rivets in the floor when I got it, they had all popped/corroded). I've solved that with a few bolts but I'm looking for other solutions where I can get a more solid connection when I can't get the bolt/nut in.
Going to be forced to disagree on that one. IMO a tiller affords much more precision boat control when it comes to manipulating forward/reverse along with almost instant stop to stop motor control while tending layouts. An added benefit is visual contact with the prop/trim in those potentially dangerous situations when tangling in longlines become an issue.
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Lee Harker
Well-known member
Rick, I was specifically meaning the 20' Alaskan...I agree on boats smaller than a 20'Alaskan with less windcatching side height.
Matthew R. Snyder
Active member
I respectfully agree to disagree, sort of.
The 20 will take the 3-5'ers way more comfortably than the 18. Neither boat has any business being out in anything bigger than that. Have done it with both boats many times; in no hurry to ever do it again, though I probably will.
Problem with the 20 is that you pay so much of a penalty in cost, weight, draft, behavior in a crosswind, and ability to get the boat off the beach in hairy situations, that it's not, to me, worth the extra seahandling capability. I'm not saying the 20 can't handle bigger seas; and it's a damn fine load hauler; but it isn't significantly safer than the 18. And it's like trying to tend layout with a sailboat by comparison to the 18.
Having watched a 3' wave quarter up over the ass end of a 20 while under way and ground the hull on a gravel bar in 3' of water, I can vouch for the fact that the 20 is not bulletproof. With a foot and a half of water over the deck, I worry that a 50 would not have had enough ass to get the water-filled boat moving again, and we'd have broached, sunk and maybe got dead. In the 18, at least I'd have a better chance of powering or man-handling the boat off the rocks.
If shallow water is not a concern, I'd take the 20 every day of the week, or better yet a custom boat. For sure, when a big blow comes up, the 20 will get you out of dodge a hell of a lot faster. If I had to do both shallow water and big waves, I'd have to think real hard about it. If I did mostly shallow water operations, and had protected places to hunt in the biggest winds (or short rides to my spots), I'd take the 18. All depends on the hunting situation.
Eric Beaumont
Member
Completely agree wi thMathew. I have a 2004 16' Alaskan with 60 4 stroke Yam. I've been out in some nasty weather on the St-Lawrence and lake Ontario with a full load of dekes , dog and friend, and to be honest I would be scared having any less power. If your going to be hunting with your boat, pay the extra few $$ to have the proper size motor.