Bankes uses a wood stringer free foam injection process to build their hulls, like Everglades, Boston Whaler, Yellowtail, etc. The big advantage of this bull build approach is that the foam core is a fused one-piece unit that adheres to the entire hull and deck shell surface as well as its entire volume which absorbs the wave energy and disperses it throughout the hull, improving the ride significantly. No wood in the hull core equates to no wood to get waterlogged and rot. Water can still intrude through any crack or site of damage. I am not aware of any Bankes hull that has water intrusion issues, they are built really well. Pitboss Waterfowl had a pair of Bankes hulls that Jeff used for open ocean sea duck hunts. He is a chatty guy who will give you an honest straightforward assessment of their boats. Another thing to consider is that not all fiberglass resins are the same strength and quality, why I advocate avoiding TDBs built by interim owners of the Badge.
The only negatives of aluminum welded hull boats I hold, based on personal use experience, is that they can be a very cold ride and tend to ice-up via spray. Aluminum alloy doesn't flex much, which makes them a bit of a pounding ride in a mixed chop once the chop gets up around two feet. The Federal government was paying the fuel bills to haul and run the boat I was working out of, but I stopped every time to say "WOW" when I saw the fuel consumption cost.* If I were working in a saltwater environment, particularly where the tides could leave me on a rocky ledge or a rocks strewn tidal flat, I would award an aluminum hulled boat some significantly positive points. Also, the wave period is generally shorter on the Great Lakes versus "the salt", waves are generally smaller in height, but they come at you at a greater rate. This can beat you up pretty good when running in a blow or fishing in the trough. It also is more difficult to run before the wind with the shorter wave period since you tend to slide-off the crest of the wave you are trying to stay with since it is less steep. Consequently, you either spill over the crest or end-up going too slow to stay ahead of the following wave, both of which are not much fun, particularly when you get to do it for over an hour at a time.
*Jimmy Carter era
