Best bigger Aluminum Vessel??

donnie d said:
And who do you think owns Renaissance Marine Group?
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Just because WestWinn bought Renaissance has nothing to do with who is building them. I researched it big time when I bought my Weldcraft.
Kingfisher is made in BC by WestWinn and Renaissance makes the Weldcraft, Northwest, and Ducksworth in the USA. They have never changed anything about the structure/materials of the three boats mentioned. Byron ownes it on paper but that's the only relationship there.
Kingfisher isn't anywhere near in the same category of boat. It shouldn't really even be mentioned in the same sentence. A big reason they keep the cheap build design of the Kingfisher going the way it is. Spend a lot on marketing and not a lot on structure and design on the boat. They have considered changing the hulls but it never happened. I heard that right from the horsed mouth a few years ago when I got rid of mine....A lot cheaper for them to put bow thrusters on all of them and get free publicity from fishing shows by letting production crews use the boats for free.....Like comparing apples to oranges.
 
trophywife said:
kingfishers? they dont compare because they are half the price and still a great boat.
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They don't compare in quality, or heavy weather/water off shore conditions. I know you like your boat because you own it. And that's great for you. I owned one and thought it was a good boat when I got it but didn't research it when I bought it well enough. When I started fishing all over both coasts with it I quickly realized what I was fishing in.
I have been in a ton of other fiberglass and welded aluminum boats over the years. Have been fishing the chuck for 30 years from Grady's and Boston's to three different custom made Aluminum boats with lot's of other experienced off shore fishermen in their rigs. After fishing in the Kingfisher and spending time in it in heavy water. I knew it was a very, very inferior hull and structure designed boat.

I could go on and on talking about others guys who have been on both of my Aluminum's here with me off shore and who can not believe how drastic the differences are but I'm not gonna get into that with you. They are just in different classes of boats.

In the custom welded aluminum boat world you get what you pay for. Just like you said...they are half the price of a well built off shore welded aluminum boat. And justified so.
 
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My buddy Derek builds these boats: https://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/custom-built-aluminum-boats_23109531 (that one sold but he keeps the add up at times if he has time to build another one. He's built a few different sizes all 100% custom. He has built both of Vancouver Island's Lodge's boats. All handcrafted by him himself. Very well built, very heavy duty. I was fishing next to one of them pretty much every day for 10 days last summer in Sooke. We were the last couple boats out still fishing while there was a gale blowing. And his boat was handling the water and wind conditions very well. Highly recommend him as a builder if you are looking for a scratch made heavy duty off shore welded aluminum boat.

OP....If you are interested in getting more info about his boats I can get you his contact email and phone number to chat more with him about them.

If any of the guides or owner from VIL are on this forum I'm sure they could chime in and attest to how well his boats are built and how well they handle rough water and weather.

Here's one of his boats heading to Port Renfrew:
 
i researched like fu--, still couldnt afford a custom!! and for the price i paid to get into it, and all the other good things about it , it was and still is worth it after 8 years of owning/guiding/partying/camping/adventuring in this one! i dont know about the bow thruster comments but that just sounds like nubs that cant power a boat around properly.
 
Eaglecraft, Broadwater for customs

Kingfisher is a great bang for your buck imo.

They are all very similar builds under the floors It all comes down to which dealer will give you best price on factory boats. Also what you want for layout.

Living in PR we see a lot of every brand and none of which have any more failures than others. That’s coming from a place where water can get nasty more often than not.

Also when picking a package from a dealer look for service, service, service!
 
For the money you cant beat a Kingfisher 3025.
We spend about 8 weeks a year on the boat almost exclusively off the west coast of the Island or on the north coast between hardy and Rupert.
The cabin is unmatched for live-aboard space and creature comforts and it is very stable in rough water.
There is always someone that will blow by you in rough seas but I pass more than pass me and I guarantee you they are using way more fuel than me.
It all depends on what you want to spend. Anything comparable in a custom is $100k more and none of the other production boats have a comparable cabin.
 
I've had great luck with Eaglecraft. Custom plate welded boat are next-level. This will be the third Eaglecraft from them for me. 34'x11' with a single D6-400 diesel and a 25hp HiThrust Kicker. Expect 18,000 pounds loaded and 1.8-2.0 US mpg or 2.1-2.5 Cdn mpg at 28-30mph. No pain-t. Great guys to work with and any change / customization is possible. For this one we went 80" internal cabin height, 30" cockpit gunwales, large capacity water, diesel, gasoline. For scale, I am 6'4" and am dwarfed by this boat in picture 1.
20170705 - 1 (1).jpg Eagle1.jpg EAGLE1 - 3.jpg EAGLE1 - 2.jpg EAGLE1 - 1.jpg EAGLE1 - 4.jpg EAGLE1 - 5.jpg
 
Awesome looking boat BCI. Eagle craft is definitely the top aluminum boat builder in BC IMO.
Ive talked to them about a build for myself but not ready to pull the trigger.
I would also consider Broadwater who I do work for from time to time.
For an aluminum boat they got the color right.
 
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I'm on my 3rd metal boat, and my 2nd Kingfisher, a 3025.
The fit/finish of the interior is far better on KF than other boats.
Their light, which makes them easier on fuel bill, but also means rides rides rougher/blown in heavier weather.
But I'm lucky enough to be able to choose the weather I fish/boat in, and if its snotty out I'm not going out anyway in any boat.

Way nicer interior than anything else, well thought out in terms of view through windows, etc., including layout inside and out, more of a family boat that the hardcore Alu fishing boats. "Comfortable".

Price point was acceptable, but anyone thinking their getting a KF3025 for 100K is dreaming.

That being said they've come out with the new GFX model that I'm thinking about. Main selling feature, for me, on that boat is the door entry is different. The current doors on the regular boats is 2" too short and regularly have people wearing hats hit their head on it entering the cabin (including me after 6 years).

If you want more info on KF 3025 or want to spend some time on one your welcome to PM me.
 
Out of the cookie cutter builders, North River makes a great boat. They were originally designed by Almar. They are a proven Engineered hull. There is a lot of cookie cutter boats out there. Research who welds them. Anyone can cut out and weld out a boat but it should be designed right. It should be welded out right by qualified or experienced welders. Look into the material used as well. 5052 as a bare minimum. The good guys use 5086 for every thing where they can. There is a lot of crap out there. There is a lot of crap selling. This kind of thing makes me want to go into the boat building business because I think people should buy an alloy hull ONCE in their lifetime.
 
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