Looking for a new aluminum V-hull

John Fraser

John Fraser

Well-known member
After 7 years hunting with my ‘83 Smokercraft, I’m thinking about buying a new aluminum V-hull. The boat will be used for hunting with at least 3 guys and a dog on the Finger Lakes and on Lake Ontario (within reason relative to the wind). I also would use the boat for summertime fishing, swimming, tubing, etc. I'm not necessarily thinking of getting a boat by this fall, but within a year.

At the sportsmen’s show last February I was admiring the X-Press Boats DVX 17.5 with a Yamaha outboard and kicker motor. Then a couple of weeks later, my friend calls me and tells me he bought that same boat. He likes it and says it handles well. However I want to store the boat in my garage and the 17.5 is a little too beamy for my 94" wide garage door. So if I got a DVX, I’d have to go with their 16.5 foot model.

I’ve heard different opinions on the Lund Alaskans. They are riveted versus the welded X-Press hull. They are not as beamy (I think around 83"), so I could fit their 18 foot model in my garage.

Either of these boats would be a step up from my current boat that’s 15.5' long with a 66" beam.

What about the gauge of the aluminum? X-Press says theirs is 0.100 and I can’t find info on the Lund Alaskan. I know that Duckwater and some of the custom built boats are up to 0.250, but these boats appear to be above my budget. Is 0.100" OK as long as I don’t abuse it?

What are your thoughts on these boats? Are there any other makes/models worth looking into?

Thanks.

- John
 
I have a 20' with .100thk material.
No problems in the 7 years of hard use, bust thru thick ice, bounce off docks and rocks.

.250 would be nice if it was an option but .100 is adaquate.
 
Thanks Jeff.

Lowe also has a 16' 5" (82" beam) that should fit through my garage door.

One issue I see with these V-hulls and Deep-V are all the decking they put on for fishing and storage. To hunt towards the bow or the stern, one would have to sit on the deck. Any insight to the floor space in these boats would be helpful.
 
did you look at the older starcraft ,i just picked up a 22 but even the smaller ones are big water worthy...

Sherm...
 
Thanks Shermie. The Starcrafts are nice hulls and yours looks like a great big water boat. I considered checking them out.

Although my hull has a few small leaks that would require removing the floor to fix, it worries me the least. That Smokercraft has been in some snotty weather and I’ve been quite happy with it. Nice open floor plan too.

It’s the outboard and the trailer (both 1983 as well) that I wish I could upgrade. The Mercurry 50 horse just had a new power pack put in last year and it’s running well now. But it is almost 30 years old and I always have that in the back of my mind. During our short 2 week late season of 2010-2011 it had a wire short out and wouldn’t start when we were out on Lake Ontario. My circa 1960's Johnson kicker motor got us back to the dock, but I still lost a few days worth of hunting.

Although I have repainted it and rewired it, the trailer is still not that great. It’s light gauge and not very user friendly.

So that’s my predicament. If I could get a new motor and trailer, I’d rip out the boat floor and patch it up in a hurry. However I don’t have the money to buy an outboard and financing is better for a whole package deal. My truck will be paid off by the end of summer, so I thought it may be a good time to look for a boat loan.
 
i hear ya on payments brother im still paying I dont worry,
retirement will have a juicy severance check and things will be paid off with it..

Good luck to ya
take care
sherm...
 
John, I hunt from a Lund SSV 18 both open water sea ducks/divers as well as puddle ducks and it works pretty well. If you're hunting somewhere that has cover you can put the boat in or against it and it works well. We have a blind on it that we brush heavily. The floors come out in the stern and middle sections during hunting season to give us more room. In the bow, we leave the floor in and instead of hunting from one of the boat seats we use one of those bucket seats to lower the person's profile somewhat...I can post some pictures later tonight from home if you think it will help.

-Adam
 
Apples & oranges but I have a new Xpress 20 Bay Boat & I'm very impressed with the quality in the construction & the materials used.

The biggests is no s/s screws or bolts touch aluminum since Riv-Nuts are used @ all attachment points.

No corrosion due to electrylosis.
 
John:

Mine is one of four Alaskans (18s and 20s) in the local family-and-friends fleet, which we use all over the finger lakes, Ontario, Block Island Sound, Chesapeake, and so on. Mine is an 18 Alaskan that's 14 years old and I still really, really like it.

A properly engineered, riveted, .100 hull will last a long time even under extreme conditions. I've repaired some things over the years but my boat still has all the original wood, no soft spots in the floor, no leaks, and no structural issues. In my experience all the 18s are like that.

Three guns, one or two dogs, and a 150 decoy rig is my standard load. I can gun four comfortably, but the fourth man and his gear will limit what seas I am willing to run to get to the spot. The 20 will carry more, but there are also problems with the 20 Alaskans that have never happened with any of the other SSV or Alaskan hulls that I know of.

I'm in Cicero and keep my boat at the house, so if you want to come see how it's set up to hunt, let me know. Probably better to e-mail me (snyder.matthew.r@gmail.com) as I don't check this site every day. I can walk you through the pros and cons of the 18 vs the 20, the differences in Alaskan hulls over the years, maintenance issues, how we set up our trailers, and so on.
 
Ever consider a Crestliner Canadian model? They are welded boats and I've got one that's 18 yrs. old and has not a problem with it's welds or any other durability. I like the hull profile better than Lund, the Cresty seems to work better on Lake Erie. Just my .02
 
Thanks. I just looked at the Crestliner website, they look like nice boats. However I didn't see the Canadian model.
 
The Crestliner Canadian is discontinued.They replaced it with the Kodiak.However not available in camo.Another boat to consider is a Polar Kraft Outlander,Starcraft Freedom or if your into mod v is a Sea Ark.I have a 18ft Lund Alaskan with a 75hp Etec and bought it used last year with with less than 90 hours on it and it was a 2004.
 
I wanted a dual purpose boat for lake erie.I never had a boat that I could bass,walleye and perch fish.Plus I can use it for duck hunting.I love this boat.Just wish it came with an aluminum floor.However mine isn't rotted yet....knock on wood....but I'm still going to replace it.
 
Have you looked at the Starcraft Freedom? Similar layout as a Lund Alaskan, except, wider, longer and a little less expensive than the Lund. If I were looking at getting a new hunting/fishing boat, I think this is the one I'd get. The link is for the 18' model. Starcraft also makes a 16' model (16' 11'' basically 17' in my book).

http://www.starcraftmarine.com/Showroom/Specifications.aspx?TypeId=39&SeriesId=170&ModelId=1603&Type=Utility%20Boats&Series=Freedom&Model=180%20Freedom%20TL
 
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