20 + foot aluminum boats

[Trophy21]

I'm curious, do the large aluminum boats handle well at all in a sloppy sea? With lighter weights and lower dead rises I've heard you can take quite a beating. Would say a 2825 kingfisher ride even close to a 23 grady gulfstream with a 15 not wind blowing right at you?

 

[tubber]

I've been to big bank about 20 times on a 28' Lifetimer. It can pound a bit coming down off a big swell, but it is an awesome boat with a wide fishing deck, very stable when at rest or trolling, full galley, big galley table for charts and tieing gear, and enclosed head on the main level (6" step down). The cabin allows one to stay dry, but it does take a lot of water over the bow and up and over the top sometimes on the run out. My whaler is a dryer ride apart from wind blown spray that otherwise would be deflected outwards.
Never been on a sharp entry boat, but they do get there faster on medium swell days. On really rough days everyone slogs along or fishes closer in.

 

[Fishtank]

Why would 20+ aluminum boats not have a steep dead rise and I know my boat is not light at 4500lb dry and has a 18 degree deadrise

 

[harper44]

There are steep dead rise aluminum boats around but they are not common for a couple of reasons. Weight as you mentioned is a big factor but also, deep V boats require bow flair to keep them dry. A flared bow in an aluminum boat would be quite the feat in metalwork. Not impossible but if you were to build a heavy, flared, deep V aluminum you would not have any efficiency benefits that many aluminum boats enjoy and the build cost would likely be astronomical.

It could most definitely be done and would make for an awesome rig but is a boat for a custom designer and builder. Not something likely to be found in a production showroom.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JAC]

I have had lots of alumium cookie cutter boats and yes they will pound. Pretty much every boat will pound just depends on how hard you push them. The glass boat will ride better but there are a lot of things aluminum can do better then glass. As we all know boats are all about trade off and if you want light and strong with little maintenance aluminum is your boat. The kingfisher you asked about is a lot different then a lot of the smaller soft top boat that are all of the place. A 28' kingfisher is not really a light weight rig and I would think it would ride pretty close to the 23' grady. It's 5 feet longer I would bet just as heavy and it has a suspension seat.

 

[Trophy21]

Thanks for the feed back guys. These boats seem to be very popular for their large cabins, fuel economy, and easy maintenance. I'd agree JAC all boats are about trade offs. The glass boats usually have smaller cabins,lower fuel economy, and need lots of clean up.

 

[JAC]

Yes your right those are the drawn backs, but they will run smooth, are able to have many hull designs and shape because glass is moldable. Glass is easier to find and normally cheaper then a similar metal boat( yes there are exception on this point). One thing forsure when your looking for used or new aluminum boat with a cuddy there hard to come by and costly. There a lots of plastic maunfactors that build fishing boats with cuddy for a great price.

 

[Sculpin]

I think you need to get up into the 24' plus sizes with a cabin to get a smoother ride out of the alloy boats. The newer boats in this size range that you typically see up here in the Pacific Northwest have deeper v's than in the past. The extra weight of the larger alloys combined with the deeper v really helps smooth out the ride.

Northriver Seahawk O/S and Weldcraft Cuddy King are supposed to ride really nice in the cookie cutter category.

The newer Lifetimers, Eaglecraft's, etc. all ride nice. I read quite a bit about Ironwoods designs and apparently they are right in there with the glass boats for ride.

I agree with other posters that there is no perfect boat. I will trade off some comfort for stability while fishing any day. I will trade off some comfort for fuel economy any day. I will trade off fancy white fiberglass for tough maintenance free raw aluminum always.

Sometimes you just have to back off on the throttle in any boat to get the comfort your looking for.

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

It is interesting that the a Boston Whaler and Ironwood were brought up in the same thread. The two boats both have a similar "bow smirk" that results in a very dry ride. I agree with the other posters that slowing down is the only real way to smooth out the pound.

 

[westburg]

I have a 2010 22 foot lifetimer. Love it and have seen some crazy seas in it. Rides great, handles extremely well. Expensive, yes but will be the last boat I buy unless I can convince the wife to trade up to a 26 or 28 foot kingfisher. Cmon Lotto Max!!!!

 

[J-GLOBAL]

Kingfisher 2825. Yes it pounds, and blows around in the wind.
Tradeoff for fuel economy, speed, easy to clean.