Have a house near beach at SLP. Have to keep boat under house and the sand just destroyed by 2200 Pathfinder. Nothing stops the t top from pitting and the gel coat from oxidizing. All electronics corroded as well. Had to sell it. Looking at Excel Stalker 22 thinking the camo hull and simplicity of design will hold up much better. Any experience with saltwater and these boats? Mainly wade, but fish the pass and nearshore as well. Appreciate any thoughts on aluminum boats. Thanks
SLPCOOG
Salt-Away or similar products, wax and powder coating would have saved you a lot of headache and money with the Pathy. A cover may have helped some but they can trap humidity under them as well.
Speaking from experience, tin rigs will face some of the same issues. Every hole drilled after paint and every paint chip will eventually corrode too.
That being said, your suggestion is a good choice. Simplicity does help some things but preventative care will always be the winner.
Speaking from experience, tin rigs will face some of the same issues. Every hole drilled after paint and every paint chip will eventually corrode too.
That being said, your suggestion is a good choice. Simplicity does help some things but preventative care will always be the winner.
Have you been on an aluminum boat on the bay? If not then I would go out with someone who owns a boat like what you are looking at. The ride is very different than a fiberglass boat. Way different. Think riding on plywood. It is fun though.
Aluminum boats have a history of corroding when using in saltwater. Corrosion is galvanic. You could a drop a stainless steal nut in the bottom and it will start corroding. You will need to cover the boat and wash it after use.
The biggest problem with aluminum boats is hull noise in chop while anchored, which can scare every fish away from you.
With that said the hull will hold up a lot better than the fiberglass. Just hose it off after each use. I always store my Garmin inside.
You also should think about a wind block wall on the under house storage. Salt air is bad for everything.
Archie
Aluminum boats have a history of corroding when using in saltwater. Corrosion is galvanic. You could a drop a stainless steal nut in the bottom and it will start corroding. You will need to cover the boat and wash it after use.
The biggest problem with aluminum boats is hull noise in chop while anchored, which can scare every fish away from you.
With that said the hull will hold up a lot better than the fiberglass. Just hose it off after each use. I always store my Garmin inside.
You also should think about a wind block wall on the under house storage. Salt air is bad for everything.
Archie
I have Sold Alwled, Weld-craft ,Sea Ark aluminum boats for years, If you get the floors and sides, they are not noisy with the floors and sides, the foam keeps the noise down. Rigged proper, not using the boat as a ground. No Carpet on the trailer, it will have salt on the bunks and cause holes!!! only Bunk slicks the boat sits on, Stops all the corrosion, on the bottom, The Gator Hyde non-skid on the floor, helps keep it quieter also and the Paint last and not rub off. Do not get a aluminum boat with the vinyl floors, that will hold water and cause corrosion.
Needs a few up grades to make it stronger, Heavy duty rub rail, Extra knee brace in the transom, Get the Float pontoons, on the back will add 2 1/2 ft to the boat.
They are lighter, float shallow, a 115 will push a 21 ft. boat around 40+ mph. with the 4 strokes, and only need 25 gal fuel tanks to run all day. Do not over power, the 150's only pushed the same boat a few miles faster and more weight , burns more fuel. The right prop is the trick. Never screw a transducer to the hull! have a plate welded, to hull and screws to it. Get a .100 ga Alwelded boat. I have customers still running Alweld I sold over 15 years ago. Some Sea arks are .125 but screw the decks down, not so good. All the boat i sold were custom ordered. for what i knew would hold up. And i Custom Rigged them, getting then with a bare console, and using electrical that was made for salt water, Most prerigged boats are set up for fresh water. I'm not ordering any more new boats and only have 3 left to sell right now, I do have a 20 ft VEE with a suzuki 115 tunnel, pontoons, J.P Hy Steering, rear live well and Deck i need to Finnish rigging on a Coastline tandem trailer.
Do some research on the boat first!!! before buying and they can Last, ride good, run shallow. Sonny
Needs a few up grades to make it stronger, Heavy duty rub rail, Extra knee brace in the transom, Get the Float pontoons, on the back will add 2 1/2 ft to the boat.
They are lighter, float shallow, a 115 will push a 21 ft. boat around 40+ mph. with the 4 strokes, and only need 25 gal fuel tanks to run all day. Do not over power, the 150's only pushed the same boat a few miles faster and more weight , burns more fuel. The right prop is the trick. Never screw a transducer to the hull! have a plate welded, to hull and screws to it. Get a .100 ga Alwelded boat. I have customers still running Alweld I sold over 15 years ago. Some Sea arks are .125 but screw the decks down, not so good. All the boat i sold were custom ordered. for what i knew would hold up. And i Custom Rigged them, getting then with a bare console, and using electrical that was made for salt water, Most prerigged boats are set up for fresh water. I'm not ordering any more new boats and only have 3 left to sell right now, I do have a 20 ft VEE with a suzuki 115 tunnel, pontoons, J.P Hy Steering, rear live well and Deck i need to Finnish rigging on a Coastline tandem trailer.
Do some research on the boat first!!! before buying and they can Last, ride good, run shallow. Sonny
To the OP the best IMO is Boat Right
Your buying quality when you get one of these custom rigs- should be fine down there
Your buying quality when you get one of these custom rigs- should be fine down there
You should consider having one custom built. You can design the interior the way you want. Depending on the size I would use 1/8 or 3/16 plate. Paint it with two part epoxy barrier coat then top coat it with two part polyurethaning. Always keep anode in it. It will last you the rest of your life.
Would not recommend an aluminum boat for the bay. Galvanic corrosion is difficult to manage and the boats are very light, which means a bumpy ride in the chop. I owned a SeaArk 2072 when i lived on a lake, but when I moved back to the bay, it just did not provide the ride i wanted when the wind blows, which is most of the time in Texas. Also, be prepared to get wet, they are not dry running boats. Don't mean to be negative, just sharing my experience.
For small lakes and rivers, they have their place, but make sure and have Perko switches installed to cut off the current when not in use. This will help with corrosion issues.
For small lakes and rivers, they have their place, but make sure and have Perko switches installed to cut off the current when not in use. This will help with corrosion issues.
BoatRight hands down. Rigged properly and maintained i.e. washed down when pulled from the water...they will stay in your family for generations. They still have original 96hulls out there doing it. Aluminum is a very good fit for salt with proper care. A BoatRight will easily outlast any fiberglass boat with well under half the yearly upkeep.
Not sure why everyone is saying no aluminum in saltwater... My friend runs a 1997 Xpress that has lived in POC since day one and we still use that rig. lol
Rough as hell though!
Rough as hell though!
I have an Alumacraft 1860 center console. I have owned since 2005. It is 18 foot with a 70 HP Yamaha. It has the sponsons and tunnel on the back help it get up very quickly. The only problem that I have is not able to use a depth finder due to the tunnel and sponsons which throw a lot water (cavitation) to the back and transducer will not read while under way. It is a very rough ride going across Aransas Bay in the wind. It is great for fishing the flats and will run very shallow. No corrosion issues since owning the boat. I have taken the carpet off the running boards and placed the carpet with rubber slicks. I have gotten stuck several times on reefs and just push off with push pole. With a heavy fiberglass boat, there is no way to push off. I have owned several fiberglass boats when fishing fresh water up north. Hardly any maintance with an aluminum boat. I just wash off with freash water when returning from a trip. No polishing or waxing needed.
A well taken care of aluminum boat will not corrode on you. Even in the toughest of conditions. And by well taken care of I mean don’t tie the hull into the electrical system, and hose it off when you pull it out of the water, that’s pretty much it. You will run into the same problems with the electrical system as any other saltwater boat, but you shouldn’t have any issues with the boat itself. I currently own a 22 year old Xpress flat bottom that doesn’t have any corrosion to speak of even though it’s been rearranged so many times it has enough screw holes to grate cheese in, and it’s been exclusively in saltwater for the last 9 years.
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2011 Empire made in Mont Belvieu. This is the 21ft model. The boat is no longer being built but you can find them for sale occasionally.
I have been all over Trinity, East Bay , Sabine Lake, jetty’s and Big Lake in this boat and under the right conditions its not a problem for the semi v 5 degree hull. BUT in the wrong conditions it will beat the Hell out you and your passengers. It is actually a marsh and river boat that’s good for near shore waters of the bay system. It fits my needs due to my variety of fishing.. marsh, rivers and near shore bay systems..it’s not an open cross the bay boat for running from upper Trinity to Lower Galveston bay. If you want a full time bay boat Haynie, Bluewave, may better a better option.
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