what do you feel is better aluminum boats or fiberglass, and why.
The real difference will be felt in the ride. Aluminum is less expensive and lighter to tow. Fiberglass will have a smoother ride and more horsepower capabilities. All depends how much you want to invest, but please do not buy BassTracker. I tournament fished w/18ft Tracker and it started to fall apart.. uldn't wait to get rid of it.
A Welded aluminum boat is excellent and I think rival's ANY fiberglass boats out today. I agree, unless you are a total pro fisherman ( and need to get to your fishing hole in under 5 minutes!), go with an all-welded aluminum hull. They are cheaper to power, easier to maintain, and now that they come welded, almost TOO durable!
Aluminum is easier to maintain and cheaper. However in my opinion they create too much noise. The fiberglass absorbes a lot of the noise made by moving gear around and things like that. So just on that alone i go with fiberglass
It all depends on how you plan on using them. If you are tournament fishing and want something fast the fiberglass boats with the big 150- 225 hp motors ar what you want. But if you are fishing for recreation and dont care much for speed the aluminum with a 50-60 hp is probably the way to go.
They both have their place in the grand scheme of things. Are the places you fish shallow and rocky? If so I would suggest the aluminum boat. They don't crack like fiberglass when hitting rocks or tree stumps. They are generally less expensive than the fiberglass boats. The newer versions are coming with larget horsepower engines than they use to, and more storage. Fibergalss bass boats are generally larger, heavier and are available with more power. They are quieter and more stable while fishing and have a few more options available than aluminum. But they are also more $ to buy, And if you fish shallow lakes and rivers they will not be as durable as aluminum. If you hit a stump or a rock with your aluminum boat it may put dents and dings in it but it shouldn't break or spring leaks. If you were to do so with a fiberglass bass boat , it could crack or outright break the fiberglass hull.
