Best Riding 18-19 Ft Welded Aluminum Boat?

[Deep Blue]

I will be buying a different boat soon and I would prefer a welded aluminum boat but...
I live on the inside of Vancouver Island and often find myself boating/fishing in a 2 -3 ft chop. I know that shorter aluminum boats (17' -19') are notorious for a 10 - 16 degree deadrise at the transom which has its advantages, but translates into a much rougher ride in bigger chop.
Is there a welded aluminum boat that is made on the west coast (US or Canada) that is 18-19 ft long, that has a deadrise of 18% or more, at the transom? (I have not found one yet.)
Otherwise, I may have to go to fiberglass.

 

[Che]

Hewescraft comes to mind.

 

[Deep Blue]

Hewescraft comes to mind.

Thanks for this...
I looked on the Hewescraft website but the 18 ft Sportsman is only 10% deadrise.
The 18 ft Pro V is 14%
Their closest one, is the 19 ft Sea Runner with a 16% deadrise at the transom and a 23% deadrise amidship which would be their best riding 18-19 ft boat.

 

[ILHG]

I have the 190 searunner and have had it in some rough chop. The searunner comes with smooth move suspension seats. These seats are awesome. I just fished hard for 2 weeks up in Haida Gwaii and my back never got sore at all. Previous 3-4 day trips in a center console and i was so beat up my hands would go numb and i could hardly walk.

I dont recall any other aluminium boats coming with a more agressive dead rise? If there are any folks on here would know.

 

[The Jackel]

NORTHWEST ALUMINIUM only 2 words you need to know about tinners

 

[AndrewH]

My 18'6 SS challenger has an 18*...

One of the main reasons I went with it over a Hewes.

http://www.silverstreakboats.com/boats/18-6-challenger-hard-top/

 

[hambone]

Im not sure of the hull specs but Bridgeview marine makes really nice centre console boats. They're often sold off from lodges like West Coast Resorts at seasons end. Very beamy, stable boats that fish in the open waters all summer long on the north coast.

 

[Redfisher]

The Ironwoods in that size ride nicely bucking into it. I am fishing at a lodge with them and have been impressed with that element of the boat. Nice little seaboats.

 

[doonhamer]

Im not sure of the hull specs but Bridgeview marine makes really nice centre console boats. They're often sold off from lodges like West Coast Resorts at seasons end. Very beamy, stable boats that fish in the open waters all summer long on the north coast.

where to watch for ?

 

[TanTastic84]

Thanks for this...
I looked on the Hewescraft website but the 18 ft Sportsman is only 10% deadrise.
The 18 ft Pro V is 14%
Their closest one, is the 19 ft Sea Runner with a 16% deadrise at the transom and a 23% deadrise amidship which would be their best riding 18-19 ft boat.

Speaking from the 18' Sportsman perspective, I would definitely go with the Sea Runner.

I'm having buyer's remorse at this time. My only suggestion to you would be one that I have been preaching relentlessly for the last 5 months:
Take your regular fishing buddy (be it your wife or friend etc.) with you to your test drive! Like I have said before, if my wife would have come with me to test out the Sportsman I purchased, I would have had a Sea Runner.

 

[donnie d]

Speaking from the 18' Sportsman perspective, I would definitely go with the Sea Runner.

I'm having buyer's remorse at this time. My only suggestion to you would be one that I have been preaching relentlessly for the last 5 months:
Take your regular fishing buddy (be it your wife or friend etc.) with you to your test drive! Like I have said before, if my wife would have come with me to test out the Sportsman I purchased, I would have had a Sea Runner.

I suppose it’s the dry weight gap between the sportsman and the sea runner that’s driving the buyers remorse? I have the KF Falcon 2025 (dry weight is between the sportsman and searunner) and it can get blown around pretty good. Most of my time will be lakes and more protected waters so I was good with it. Will put it to the real test here starting in a week!

 

[Sangstercraft]

My dad has the Searunner (19') with a 115 hp, and I have the Oceanpro (22') with a 135hp. Great boats, but I really prefer my boat's extra weight when going through chop. I ran it for the last few years without a suspension seat and was fine, but have just installed a Shockwave Pro suspension module that goes under the seat due to a back injury that's been bothering me. Seems to work well.

 

[Hagar]

My 18 ft SS Carmanah has 16% dead rise part of the decision would depend on the price you are willing to spend, also the salesman was calling the pro V a lake boat not to mention the vinyl floor. Happy with my new Silver Streak.

 

[TanTastic84]

I suppose it’s the dry weight gap between the sportsman and the sea runner that’s driving the buyers remorse? I have the KF Falcon 2025 (dry weight is between the sportsman and searunner) and it can get blown around pretty good. Most of my time will be lakes and more protected waters so I was good with it. Will put it to the real test here starting in a week!

I don't think weight is the issue with mine... At least I don't think it is. My issue is with the shallow deadrise (10 degrees) we get pounded pretty good when we are trying to get around. Now, it's a very comfortable boat and very stable, but I can definitely tell it's more of a river / lake boat.

Regardless, I am fortunate enough to have a boat that can get me to and from fishing grounds safely. And I don't really fish when it's snotty out so this boat has worked well for my needs but if I could do it over again I would definitely pay more attention to deadrise and what effect that has on comfort in the chop. I also wish this was something the dealer mentioned to me when I was looking at the boat. They asked me what type of water I fish in and still didn't teach me the differences between degrees of deadrise. He obviously knew I had the blinders on and had a sale in the bag.

Gotta go in there with a poker face!

 

[the fog ducker]

not sure if its the best ,

i havent tested every boat ,far from it , but been in a few , love my 19 Cope
much smoother than alot of the fancy aluminum boats with the built in cup holders ,
and pretty vinyl interiors , feels like a much bigger boat....



fd

 

[Cuba Libre]

My 20ft Alumaweld has a 18 degree deadrise....With the helm closer to the bow than some other tin boats, you do pound ( hence I now have two suspension seats- Shockwave and American Truck seat ) But the most awesome thing about this style of boat is the FISHING ROOM !!! More usable room than many , many other boats. Especially glass.

 

[Steve95]

I have been pleased with my Sea Runner that I got a few months ago. My first ocean boat and I looked at several. I ended up going with a 210 instead of the 190 but only because I wanted the bulkhead and door on the cab. I was expecting a rough ride but have been pleasantly surprised, as it is way better than I expected. Suspension seats were on my must have list with whichever boat I was buying and the Smooth Moves that I have have are great. I find it quite noisy (hull) going through chop but mine has no carpet on the inside of the hull so I may do that at some point.

 

[donnie d]

not sure if its the best ,

i havent tested every boat ,far from it , but been in a few , love my 19 Cope
much smoother than alot of the fancy aluminum boats with the built in cup holders ,
and pretty vinyl interiors , feels like a much bigger boat....



fd

Well ya that sounds perfect. Your wife sounds great!

 

[Tommygun]

Thanks for this...
I looked on the Hewescraft website but the 18 ft Sportsman is only 10% deadrise.
The 18 ft Pro V is 14%
Their closest one, is the 19 ft Sea Runner with a 16% deadrise at the transom and a 23% deadrise amidship which would be their best riding 18-19 ft boat.

I owned the 20016 18' Hews craft with extended transom. No smooth moves suspension seats. Was fine at Haida gwai but got my butt literally handed to me in Uclelett. Couldn't sell it fast enough. No tin for me anymore.

 

[Franko Manini]

I have a 20' ThunderJet Luxor (Falcon in Canada). All aluminum boats ride pretty rough for a few reasons. Primarily, it is because they are light. Secondarily, it's because not a lot of manufactures have the technology required to do compound curves in aluminum. This is easily done on molded boats, but requires expensive (and very large) hydroforming presses for aluminum. This limits the design of aluminum boats a fair bit. there has been TONS of writing and debate (some even intelligent ;-)) on this focum about glass vs aluminum boats and there are tradeoffs to both. But the biggest complaint about aluminum boats it that they ride rough. Nobody ever complains about their efficiency (you can run a smaller HP motor on a lighter boat and get the same performance), their durability (you can run them up on a beach without cringing), or the fact that you can tow a 20' boat with a small truck. Most complaints are about the ride.

So what can you do to ANY aluminum boat to improve the ride? I've had some success with a couple of things. Suspension seats are the biggest help. If you have pedestal seats, the Smooth Moves suspension modules are damn near a no brainer. I both them two years ago. The install took me an hour. The difference was astounding. There are other options too, but if I were buying an aluminum boat today, I'd just add the cost of the Smooth Moves modules to the equation. The second thing I have done is fill the boat with gas. A full load of fuel in my boat weighs about 290 pounds and is low in the boat. that helps a fair bit. Of course, you have to drag that around with you all day and it might not be practical for short trip boating. But if you're going on a trip, that can be workable. Lastly, when you're bucking chop, play with your trim. There will be a spot on your hull that bucks the waves best. Just tune it in.

I can't really complain about my boat's handling specs, I really like the way it drives and rides and it's perfect for what me and my family likes to do. But if I were to do anything else to improve the ride, it would be to invest in a set of trim tabs. I think those will help quite a lot. If I was buying a brand new boat, I'd definitely spec it with suspension seats (or upgrade the pedestal seats to Smooth Moves right away) and I would probably get tabs installed, especially with the advent of Lenco electric tabs. This approach might let you focus more on the boat features that will allow you to do the things you want to do, and worry less about how it rides in chop because there are strategies you can employ to improve the ride of any hull.