I had a 18' Alumacraft with a tunnel and 60hp Yamaha. I explored 100's of miles of flats with that boat. They are great boats for running the flats and learning bays, lakes, and lagoons...you really cant hurt them and the maintenance is minimal. I cant speak for other brands but my Alumacraft was great. I beat the heck out of that thing with zero problems with the hull.

 

Of the brands listed though, without actual ownership experience I'd look hard at the SeaArk.
Thicker hulls are better. Be sure your trailer bunks are covered so there's no contact with carpet or wood.



Same experience with my 1756 Alumacraft, had a 70hp Yamaha on it with manual jackplate sky high and loved that thing, it screamed. Was so easy to explore with it was just silly, typically would just skip over sandbars like a rock and when I did manage to park it on land it was super easy to push it off even by myself. That thing was pretty much as zero maintenance as it gets. I have a Boatright now and that's the shizz very happy with it.

 

The thicker the hull the better. I've owned two aluminum rigs and I won't buy another. Extremely noisy hulls. The biggest vices on alloy hulls are corrosion & cracking. Both of mine had issues with corrosion where the boat rested on the bunks and cracks in the stern.

 

I've looked at the new aluminum boats and some brands have foam filled hulls, which they say cut down on the noise. I really like the low maintenance aspect and the fact that if I hit an oyster bed here or there it wont cost me a lot of $$$ to fix like it would with fiberglass.

 

How are the boatright boats? Are they good quality? Expensive? I was looking more for a bay boat than a skiff, or a combo of the two.

 

Yes and Yes

 

Custom Flats are good boats if you can find one. That is what boatright builds his out of I believe.

 

I believe you are right. I had a simple boat built by Boatright many years ago. I gave very specific measurements on the build (down to the inch), and they did it exactly as I asked. The USCG spec sticker inside says it is a Custom Flats.

 

Several months back I bought the Excel 20 foot bay boat for about the same uses you mention. I owned an 18 foot Weld-Craft with a flat bottom and I gave up a little draft for the ability to handle chop.

So far, this thing handles Conroe chop well, so much better than my flat bottom boat. Aluminum tends to be lighter so you need less horsepower and the boat tends to use less gas. I have the Yamaha F115b at around 380 lbs. I currently hold 30 gallons (about 180 lbs) of gas and intend to swap to 15-20 gallon tank for weight and space. I have a hard time keeping 30 gallons of gas fresh.

SeaArc was my first choice but there were no used ones to be had in that size and the new prices blew me away. Definitely go 0.125" hull.

I was concerned about the Linex like finish over aluminum but can't find reports of the finish lifting.

As mentioned, your trailer should NOT have pressure treated bunks or have carpet. Carpet holds salt and moisture up against the aluminum. Also, any attachments to the hull should be isolated with plastic washers. Screws into the aluminum should use TefGel to reduce the dissimilar metals corrosion.

If you are near Montgomery PM me, I be glad to show you the boat and hop out on Conroe if I'm in town.


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The corrosion on a aluminum boat is from electrolysis some thing is grounded to hull. All electrical should be ran back to the battery.

 

Look at and speak with Brian Little - Ultralight boat works.

 

I would get the Excel and don't look back. I have the 203 and love it. Best boat I ever been in.

 

Probably not what you are looking for but check out the videos on these boats:
(They have center consoles also)

http://www.wooldridgeboats.com/catalog/products/alaskan

 

Byrdmen, what do these boats run price wise? Are they in the 25-35k range as well? How does this boat handle windy choppy days?

 

I want to say I was looking at bout 35k rigged out the way I want it. I found this one on craigslist in Mobile for 24.5 and have about 31 in it as it sits. I probably saved $4,000 but I don't have a dealer I can lean on to make everything right. I'm close to the right prop but still shy of 6,300 WOT RPMs, and the fish finder turns off with the slightest bumps. Nothing I can't fix but I'd love to have a dealer fix everything.

I took it out on Conroe with just enough wind to have whitecaps trying out a prop (it was in the 30s), while it is no Purebay or Pathfinder, it cut through the chop well enough. At speed it rode on top of the chop. I still choose my days but it is worlds better than a flat or mod v.

Love that SeaArc though, my first choice but couldn't swallow the price tag.

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Ive got a SeaArk BXT220 with a Suzuki 150SS and love it! Im trying to upload a picture. Ive had it on plane in about a foot of water. Needs at least 18" to get out of the hole. Top end is 42 with a powertech 4 blade 20 degree.

 

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That's awesome, are these boats pretty loud? Having a 150 is nice everything I was looking at had 115's and ran 40-45mph

 

Very quite, Ive talk to a few people about speed and it seems that the 150-175 is the way to go. Its max hp rating is a 200. Ive heard of a few people getting up to 47mph out of them. 42 is fast enough for me. I fish the bays and lakes. handles chop well, and its dry. I cant post a picture, but I can try to PM one to you.

 

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I have owned my 1860 CC Alumacraft for 10 years. The only problem I have had is lifting in a couple of spots on the Line-X. No corission or welds coming loose. It does have a rough ride in a high chop if going too fast. Just have to take time. I have put black slicks on the running boards to cut down on contact of the aluminum on the boards.

 

Look at this. 12 degree with chines & pontoons. Can't see what the thickness is.

https://www.alweld.com/escort

 

I choked on the Seaark prices, but then I bought one built to my requirements and have never looked back. An aluminum MV with a hydraulic jack plate will get you in and out of anywhere you want to go. A couple of things to look at.
With any boat, you want a keel that is made from extruded aluminum with slots that the two side of the hull fit into and are welded front to back on both sides. G3 and some others will brake the hull sections to form an edge on the bottom and this is welded and just covered with sections of angle stitch welded on to cover the weld on the bottom of the hull. It's not a good seal and will hold salt water and we know what happens then. The older Crestliners were built with Seaark type hull construction, I don't think the newer ones are and I would stay away from any aluminum boat that doesn't have the extruded aluminum keel if it's going in the salt. Don't settle for less than a .125" thick hull. It will get you off the oyster beds with no damage. The .125" metal boats are heavy so go with the largest motor it's rated for. You will enjoy every horse you can get.
Deadrise is also important. A boat with a 3 degree deadrise isn't going to handle chop as well as one with 15 degrees. There are tradeoffs with an aluminum boat and you have to decide what you can and can't live with.
Finally, if you go with aluminum, consider replacing the carped bunks on the trailer with Ultimate bunk boards. They are constructed of marine grade plastic and will not hold salt water against the hull. They also make trailering a breeze.

 

Thanks for the tips...I really like the look of the excel and crestliners. The Seaark is also very nice but they are priced pretty high! I don't need to go super fast but the low to mid 40's would be good enough for me. Also I know I'm sure it depends on several things but do these aluminum boats go pretty shallow? I understand its not going to fly thru 6 in of water but will it run in say a foot or foot and a half?

 

All depends on what you do with motor a jack plate and tunnel will get you fairly shallow... a jet will get you to 2-3 inches over sand. I got a custom alweld 2070 handles chop well I have been out in some pretty rough stuff. The 200 jet pushes it about 43 mph and cavitation in a lot of chop has never been a problem.

 

Alumacraft 2072 Bay Tunnel

I have an Alumacraft 2072 Bay Tunnel for sale with 28 hrs on it if you would be interested. Send me a message.

 

If you want to drive to West Memphis, Big River Marine can sell u an Excel at a very good price. I just bought the bare boat with a 115 Suzuki for under 24g

 

Anyone heard anything about the Crestliners that LMC are selling? The price is right... 20' for 23k new.

Iv done some reading on the brand, and they say they are made at the same place the LUND is.

 

22 ft Excel Bay I cant speak highly enough for this brand ive had mine almost a year and zero issues....