Did you regret buying Aluminium?

[Jarrad stevenson]

Hi, specifically looking for advice from people who have gone from a fibreglass boat to aluminium in the 17-20ft range. Have always had fibreglass for last 20yrs, the last several being Haines Hunters (currently v17c), I’m going to sell the 17 and was thinking about going to a 19ft aluminium Cuddy cabin.

Reason being that I rarely use it in weather that isn’t ideal, and majority of use is now with the kids/family rather than spearing so the ally will give more room/deck space and less maintenance while still being very manageable to launch and retrieve by myself. Also a bit cheaper for what I want to get.

I assume I will get used to the poorer ride and adjust accordingly quick enough but I’m concerned I will go to ally and it will be a major regret, and maybe I should look at a Tournament 1800 etc that will be slightly bigger, newer but still give a reasonable ride for a manageable price. Will be buying 2nd hand either way ($25-40k). Hoping to hear off people who made the switch as to whether they found it ok or regretted it and went back to glass? Thanks

[Vromme]

Had quite a few boats of both type, would find it really really hard to go back to alli. They def have a diff appeal and use - some blokes just love them.

They can have some decent advantages, but if your heart is not set on one Id be very wary just for the fact that boats really are toys/luxury items for most ppl. Better off to get something you truly love/love using or you'll always be a little disappointed.

[Ducksnutz]

From a personal point of view, and I’m not knocking Ali boats as they suit certain peoples criteria, but I did the opposite and went from a Barcrusher to fibreglass and would never go back. I’d maybe do a few test runs in the aluminium boat of your choice and see if it suits your needs as well as comfort.

In regards to Tournament boats, I currently have a Tournament 1900 centre console and love it. They are good value for what you get in my opinion. (Biased of course)😂👍

[robothefisho]

If I was operating out of a deep water port and unlikely to ever hit bottom I would always have glass. If I was operating out of shallow areas, poor ramps, and beaching onto coral or rocks I would have plate alloy. Had plenty of both, and prefer to be in glass.

[stevej]

there would be more maintenance on ally boat then a fiberglass i would have thought

fiberglass just needs a clean and polish and thats it, it will look the same for 30 years if kept out of the sun

[scottar]

if kept out of the sun

That one right there is the kicker. Keep glass away from the UV there is very little to do unless you bash it around. Alloy - unless it's a fully welded plate floor so that water, dirt and salt can't get in there, I would not go there again apart from small dinghies - especially if you keep your boats for a while. Even if they are a full plate set up, if the salt is getting into areas that aren't accessible to wash properly, the boat IMO has a shelf life. It will cause corrosion issues.

[Paul071978]

I’ve gone from a 30ft Ali to a 24ft glass and would never go back. I enjoy the softer and quieter ride so to enjoy my time on the boat more. Does cost a little more in fuel pushing the extra weight however it’s worth it

[DaveR]

Depends of the type of boating you're doing. Mine has changed a bit over the years, used to go offshore a fair bit but doing less and less of that now. Doesn't matter whether you're in glass or ally, you're going to get knocked around most days outside, just less appointments with the chiro with glass. That being said there are some pretty average glass hulls out there too. At present I have a 20 foot glass half cab and an ally side console (also drive a Marine Rescue Kevlacat that can run 40 knots in almost anything you throw at it, just don't get too carried away in a following sea unless you enjoy broaching). I find myself using my side console more and more, it's just so easy to take out, also don't worry as much about finding the bottom in skinny water and the deck space in a side console is a real winner.

The leading ally brands like Quintrex, Bar Crusher, Surtees etc really have their s*** together these days. I bought my little Quinnie about 9 months ago expecting it to be a bit average- but at least good for getting into skinny water. It's actually proven to be a pretty phenomenal little package, build quality is excellent and it rides so much better than I was expecting. I've since ordered another larger Quintrex Frontier, will see how that goes.

I wouldn't go from glass to ally if heavy offshore is on the agenda. But for the bay, less frequent coastal stuff and more general ease of use I think I'm starting to prefer ally. So yes you certainly can go from glass to ally without thinking twice, just really depends on the type of boating you do.

[gazza2006au]

I went from a glass 4.2m carribean to many alloy boats they were lighter on the fuel use so cheaper to take out, lighter to tow, no maitinence really just a hose inside and out to wash away the fish smell

This lasted from about early 2000's to 2017 when i went back to glass and havent looked back, last glass boat that i just sold felt like luxury in the rough it was so comfitable so predictable just felt all round saver

I dont ever miss sitting down in the ally boats in the rough where u hit the chop and swell your spine feels like its literally going to snap in half u immediatly grab and reduce the throttle..

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[catshark]

you say majority of use will now be kids and family and used in conditions that will be relatively calmer .. ok then head down to the quintrex yard done deal. however the ride of glass is what youve been used too.. will you regret it ?, yes you will and ohh yeah you may talk yourself nah yeah happy days, but like me i couldnt wait to get rid of my tin boat such horrible things .

[ranmar850]

The weight advantage is a bit of a myth, when you get into the larger plate boats. Law of diminishing returns-I've seen plate boats heavier than comparable, pedigeed, proven glass boats, by the time they finsish all the "customising" , ie adding weight, that people tout as an advantage of plate. Not to mention the simple fact that you need to use heavier and heavier materials as you go larger in plate...
I like to camp on board, and plate boats are horribly noisy. A glass hull, yes, a gentle lapping, a plate boat, banging and slapping even in moderate conditions. I spent a lot of years on commercial plate boats, and even a 50 footer is noisy as f** down below on the pick. As for ride, you just can't go past a good glass hull of proven pedigree. I have a mate who loved his 615 Barcrusher. Did everything with it. Then he did a few days on my Reefrunner. And was sold. Then, to top it off, a really rough trip back from the Montebello islands. He'd done that before, but the massive difference between how my boat was handling it, and his...He sold it after that, looking for a glass boat now.
My only choice for plate would be if you are grounding it on a regular basis.

[gazza2006au]

Good point Ran, i was just mentioning small tinnies under 5m

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[NAGG]

I think before you make this decision you really need to spend some time around alloy boats - Personally as a long time ally owner the decision to go with ally is totally to do with how the boat is used / abused - There are situations where I would be in tears if I had a fibreglass boat ….. beaching on a fringing reef for example or driving over some crappy dirt road . If you want to keep glass looking good you have to be more fastidious with how you use & handle the boat .

If you are in a position where you have the tow vehicle , can handle the boat single handed , use boat ramps with jetties / pontoons then there is probably very few compelling reasons to go ally except for maybe fuel usage (IMO) . I honestly don't know of anyone who has going from glass to ally.

Chris

[Volvo]

Horses for courses n depends the waterways you plan to use your tub in.
Can tell you for sure Alloy is far more forgiving if you nudge or run over Reef , run up creeks crabbing or chasing fish or bait , and offcourse the other many reasons previousely mentioned.
Have had mates who have reglassed and replaced areas of their glass boats due to rot over the years more than once whilst the worst with my tinny was some flaked paint.
Yes glass propably does give a better ride due to its weight but again will use more fuel as a trade off.
Personally i prefer Alloy as far as handling solo at boat ramps and peace of mind with maintnence etc.

[gazza2006au]

That is a good point volvo, my tinnies have been super easy to load at the ramp with the wind howling up the ass of the boat just get the keel on that first roller put some tension on the cable and the ass follows than u just winch her on

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