Fiberglass VS Aluminum

[Hodgey1]

@GregL has me wondering. He mentioned in my other thread "Dream Boat" about how nice a fiberglass boat rides in comparison to the aluminum. Not being a boat owner/guy until late in life, I am a boat newb. What are the pro and cons to either when comparing them as fishing boats. I have been steering towards a aluminum mostly because I don't know about fiberglass. I have to say also, I've been looking and it would appear that the used glass boats are cheaper in price??? @RHYBAK has mentioned weight being an issue, so is towing a glass boat a deal breaker? IDK?

Please chime in with thought on pros and cons.

[GregL]

I'll list my pros&cons to glass how i see it.

CONS:
1) Maintenance , if you care to have a sparkly new looking boat. They should be polished atleast once a season. Though I sure newer finishes stand up better to the sun.
2) Beaching, you have think about dragging your boat up on rocks.
3) Towing weight (not a con for me I have a pickup and would trade for a glass boat in a heart beat LOL!)
4) Here in Canada is cost! Even a 10 year glass walleye boat is getting 40-50g from what I saw.

PROS:
1) Much Smoother Ride
2) Much more control in the wind, way slower drifting.
3) More dry storage
4) I feel like a glass boat is safer in big water , but that just my opinion. Really depends on the captain
5) Easily repaired. I did some repairs on my old Ranger 680T below the water line and it was much easier that fixing aluminum and this was before the YouTube days!

[Greg]

Hey Hodgey,

I agree with what GregL says... somewhere around 2006, I bought a Princecraft PRO 166 (16.5 foot) aluminum boat with a 90hp 4-stroke mercury.... enjoyed it, and used it lots (it is the boat I am driving going through the chute in my youtube video).  Absolutely nothing wrong with it to fish out of and enjoy. 

In late 2016, I traded in the Princecraft and upgraded to a brand new 2015 Stratos 486SF fiberglass boat (18.5 foot) with a 150hp evinrude 2-stroke.

The difference - besides the more space (2 feet longer) - the comfort, handling, stability and the engine difference is unbelievable (the difference between an old grampa's Cadillac and a Ferrrari - ok, the 60hp difference may account for a big part of that feeling, but the handling does not.

The down-side... towing... my old 6 cylinder Ford Explorer towing the Stratos... well it just wore out the rear suspension before 44k on the Explorer (...Ford fixed it all under warranty).   I went from the explorer to an old used Tahoe (with a 350 8 cylinder) to a Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel - which is just amazing on gas, comfort, and has huge amounts of Torque to tow the weight of the fiberglass Stratos.

I have a keel guard on the Stratos, so I don't worry about pulling up on rocks or sand - I don't like it and I try to go slow and careful, but if you don't try or enjoy beaching a boat for a swim or walk around, then you are not using the boat correctly.

Would I ever go back to an aluminium?   Sure, I am not married to the idea that I have to be fishing from a fiberglass boat.  I was talking to my salesman from the local boat shop a few days ago - he told me their sales are up 900% - families want something to do in COVID and isolating in their family bubble on the boat (fishing or tubing) is something very positive for them... he took 3 minutes to go on his laptop and did an evaluation of my boat, with the options, equipment, etc. and indicated I could probably sell my boat for $10k to $20k above what I paid for it 4 years ago.  He mentioned that dealerships around here are screaming for used boats.... totally a sellers market.

As for about the only comment from GregL that I don't agree with - the shine/finish on my boat is as good as the day I got it.  I have a thick travel tarp that stays on it anytime it is out of the water and I use a quick detail spray a couple times a month to shine it up in the driveway.  So the only time the sun hits it is when the boat arrives at the launch to go on the river to the time I get off the river or during my fishing weekend trips or my trip up north to Kipawa.

Greg

[GregL]

OH! I wonder if I could easily trade up to a Full Windshield 205 and get a good deal on my year old 205 Tiller HAHA!

I love the room in a tiller but a full windshield would be nice in the rain HAHA!

Hey Hodgey,
Would I ever go back to an aluminium?   Sure, I am not married to the idea that I have to be fishing from a fiberglass boat.  I was talking to my salesman from the local boat shop a few days ago - he told me their sales are up 900% - families want something to do in COVID and isolating in their family bubble on the boat (fishing or tubing) is something very positive for them... he took 3 minutes to go on his laptop and did an evaluation of my boat, with the options, equipment, etc. and indicated I could probably sell my boat for $10k to $20k above what I paid for it 4 years ago.  He mentioned that dealerships around here are screaming for used boats.... totally a sellers market.

[Hodgey1]

Thanks guys for enlightening me on the glass boats. I will keep an eye out for one while kicking tires and window shopping for a bigger boat.