Fiberglass or Aluminum

[offdtop]

I love my Ranger 520, but i have always been impressed tih Xpress line of boats - they seem like one of the best I've seen:

http://www.xpressboats.com/view/131

[kyjake]

I have had several of both over the years.Glass is more stable to fish out of than aluminum and quieter.I have a 16' Slyvan aluminum now that is wide and deep,20" transom that is a good boat for the river and can even take it out into the gulf when it is not too rough.The main reason I went with aluminum was the lighter weight for pulling it to Florida a time or two a year and to be able to keep my old 1/2 ton Chevy.If I only fished locally would use a glass one.
Jake

[DJD]

Great point on easy to tow I pull mine with a Toyota Highlander and thats a piece of cake for the SUV. I even pull my ATV trailer loaded with two ATV's and all the junk you bring along and it does it pretty well.

[RiverRunt]

Love my Lowe ST170 Stinger Wide V Aluminum with a 90. I try to avoid any rough weather but, when caught in it, the side rails disperse the spray and it keeps me dry.

[DJD]

Love my Lowe ST170 Stinger Wide V Aluminum with a 90. I try to avoid any rough weather but, when caught in it, the side rails disperse the spray and it keeps me dry.

Is that boat 100% wood free?

[410th]

I also have a Lowe 176 Alum Boat (1996), and I tell you if I had to go buy another boat tomorrow it would be a Lowe. I have had in very large lakes from Ky to Fl. and even in the Gulf of Mexico at one time. I would love to know how many hours I have put on this boat. I dont worry about tree limbs, sand bars, rocks, or running up on boat ramps. I have put mine thru the ringer and it has took most of it with out any problem. I dont abuse it but I was told once it is nothing but a tool for fishing and that is how I use it. Dont get me wrong, I would love to have one of them fancy Fiberglass Boats that run 70+ but then I tell myself: how do I fish and I have to tell my self I need to keep what I got. I would hate to think what a good tree or what concrete would do to the side of a fiberglass boat.

Plus:

* Almost 100% wood free. Wood under the console and the transom is wood with Alum
on the outside's. NO wood any place else that I can find.
* Very Light weight, easy to pull. I have a 70 Hp on mine and it runs in the high 30's on
a GPS
* Can put it in anywhere
* Easly repaired, If you get a good scratch Sprap Paint is a quick fix. Cracks can be
easly fixed
* Very well laid out
* Carpet has never tried to come up
* Has a good ride even in rough water
* Easy to load and Unload by your self
* Floats shallow
* If you need to get under the deck to make repairs, just take out a few screws or rivits
and you can see everything (Most of the time).
* THE COST!!!!!!
* If you dont like the color just paint it.

Neg

* Wish mine was wider. With 2 people and a lot of gear it fills up real quick.
* It is white and shows scum real bad, Guess that is my fault for not wiping it down
after a days fishing
* The wind blows it around real bad. This is the only thing I really hate about mine.
* Mine has rivits that have come lose and had to fix the Fiberglass. I think the newer
ones have no rivits
* Due to it being all alum it sweats real bad in hot weather.
* Compartments are not water proof.
* Have had welds break loose but not to bad/hard to fix. (Boat ramps)

Hope this helps

Billy

[CUZZIN]

I have a Ranger Cherokee with a four banger, welded and not a piece of wood in it. Best made aluminum boat I have ever owned or fished out of.

[Duayne]

Another option is the Carolina skiff. Fiberglass that can take a beating and you can't sink um. You can also pretty much build the boat you want as all the insides are modular and simply screw into the hull. I don't know if they do a V hull, but the ones on Cumberland seem to do just fine in rough water.

[aceoky]

No problem at all Grumpy!