so many aluminum boat builders!

jbv

jbv

Active Member
so lemme see just how many companies are making welded tin boats on the west coast.

only 2 main ones in Canada, far as i know.

Kingfisher and Silver Streak. i guess big fancy boats from Daigle marine in Campbell River where i'm at, but they are essentially a custom boat.

then we've got

Duckworth
Hewescraft
Northriver
Northwest
Thunderjet
Boulton

how many am i missing, i'm sure there's more. how the heck do you figure out what's what in terms of quality and ones to avoid? i'm surprised there's not more of the Kingfisher and SS around, i see way more American boats from that list.
 
lemmy said:
Bridgeview
Ironwood
Lifetimer
Jaxon
Broadwater
Eaglecraft
Click to expand...
To answer your question on a good one from a bad one, I decided what I was looking for in a boat, that can cut down the list.
After that, I started talking to folks who were owners and asked them what they thought of their boat and any flaws.
Also, check the specs of various boats as they differ in build and material used.
In my particular case,I ordered a 26' NorthWest boat in Victoria.
I talked to a lot of guides and asked them as these guys use them on a daily basis and if there were faults they would be the first to know.
The conclusion was that if it was good enough for professionals then it would be good enough for me.
Are there better boats out there? Probably, but I know there are a lot worse.
So bottom line for me would be to talk to various owners( watch out for bias) and look at reviews before taking the plunge.
Before I forget, take a dealer's word on how wonderful his boat is with a pinch of salt as he is in the business of selling boats and that will be foremost in their minds.
 
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I have a lifetime 1800 center console,garage kept and babies for over 30 years. Awesome boat and built incredibly strong,looks like the day I brought it home from the manufacturer in Duncan. I have a beef tho, when I went to pick up the boat,the main man there (I can't remember his name now),assured me they have a policy where if I ever wanted to upgrade to a larger boat,they would give me what I paid for the 1800 towards the bigger boat,well when the time came a few years later,............well guess what,it was " Oh, we can't do that ! "

Lesson learned I guess.......GET IT IN WRITING !!!!
 
When I bought mine I had a few brands in mind, but price also played a big part. KingFisher is much more affordable than some of the others.

But when the time came to spend the cash, the Kingfisher 1825 was the ONLY boat on the island available. I am super happy with it, and it was on my short list, but it was either buy this or wait who knows how long for another one.
 
kingfisher is also super customizable.
duckworth and kingfisher and some others are the same company BTW.
the 1825 can do extended legs of about 350 miles so it can handle straight shots from vancouver to campbell river and can be equipped with radar/flir/multiple chartplotters/forwardscan etc. ideal boat at low cost for exploring.
riptide marine on VI will also build you a cheap custom boat if youre looking for a decent one in the 26ft range.
 
zurk said:
kingfisher is also super customizable.
duckworth and kingfisher and some others are the same company BTW.
the 1825 can do extended legs of about 350 miles so it can handle straight shots from vancouver to campbell river and can be equipped with radar/flir/multiple chartplotters/forwardscan etc. ideal boat at low cost for exploring.
riptide marine on VI will also build you a cheap custom boat if youre looking for a decent one in the 26ft range.
Click to expand...
350miles… how many jerry cans do you need to fill your boat to get that far? Radar/flir/etc can be mounted to basically any boat with a rigid hull. On customizing you can lather glue on any hard surface and slap on some seadek, I’d mask off the paint though to avoid drips everywhere ;). And nobody makes cheap boats anymore, aluminum ain’t cheap, therefore you can‘t make cheap aluminum boats anymore
I need a drink :eek:
 
incredible, i had no idea there were so many more. looking up some of these brands, it seems that some are very low production or essentially custom order, where others produce models and have dealers. yeah, none are cheap and if they were, then wouldn't be all that good.
 
Fishless said:
I have a lifetime 1800 center console,garage kept and babies for over 30 years. Awesome boat and built incredibly strong,looks like the day I brought it home from the manufacturer in Duncan. I have a beef tho, when I went to pick up the boat,the main man there (I can't remember his name now),assured me they have a policy where if I ever wanted to upgrade to a larger boat,they would give me what I paid for the 1800 towards the bigger boat,well when the time came a few years later,............well guess what,it was " Oh, we can't do that ! "

Lesson learned I guess.......GET IT IN WRITING !!!!
Click to expand...
i’ll give you what you paid for it 30 years ago ;)
 
I have a 24' northwest aluminum craft, made in Victoria. They are definitely by far the best custom aluminum boat builder around. Doug is awesome to deal with. There is a reason most new charters are building northwest aluminum craft boats instead of silverstreak, lifetimer etc. I have nothing but good things to say about my boat. And I spend most weekends on it, offshore fishing, weekend cruising and sleeping on it, as well as tubing on the lake. If funds arent a huge issue and you want a boat for a lifetime, this is it. Doug is 100% worth the wait.
-Picture of my pride and joy. 20210724_142447.jpg
 
NOOTKA BOUND said:
I have a 24' northwest aluminum craft, made in Victoria. They are definitely by far the best custom aluminum boat builder around. Doug is awesome to deal with. There is a reason most new charters are building northwest aluminum craft boats instead of silverstreak, lifetimer etc. I have nothing but good things to say about my boat. And I spend most weekends on it, offshore fishing, weekend cruising and sleeping on it, as well as tubing on the lake. If funds arent a huge issue and you want a boat for a lifetime, this is it. Doug is 100% worth the wait.
-Picture of my pride and joy. View attachment 68955
Click to expand...
Nice boat!, how long was the build? any idea how long the wait list is? When I look up Northwest in Langford I get rental company, is that the correct location? thanks
 
ROAM650GS said:
Nice boat!, how long was the build? any idea how long the wait list is? When I look up Northwest in Langford I get rental company, is that the correct location? thanks
Click to expand...
Thank you, it totally depends on your boat layout, Yes 890 Goldstream Ave I believe. I'm not sure how long his waitlist is now. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a year or 2 tho.
 
NOOTKA BOUND said:
I have a 24' northwest aluminum craft, made in Victoria. They are definitely by far the best custom aluminum boat builder around. Doug is awesome to deal with. There is a reason most new charters are building northwest aluminum craft boats instead of silverstreak, lifetimer etc. I have nothing but good things to say about my boat. And I spend most weekends on it, offshore fishing, weekend cruising and sleeping on it, as well as tubing on the lake. If funds arent a huge issue and you want a boat for a lifetime, this is it. Doug is 100% worth the wait.
-Picture of my pride and joy. View attachment 68955
Click to expand...

Agree.
 
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