Glass vs. Aluminum...Pro's and Con's

I am heavily considering selling my G3 1860, pretty much quit duck hunt ting and chase crappie year round. I have never had a glass boat but some of the advantages is what I am leaning towards.
I will not be able to purchase a brand new rig so I will be looking at used. Looking for pro's and con's, and is there any brands that I need to stay away from. Looking to jump into the 19-22 foot range. And advice that you can share is very much appreciated. My style of fishing is single or 2polling, spider rigging, and the wife would like to try some long lining.

Thanks,
Brian

If all I was going to do is fish I'd have a glass boat.

Brian,

All I can say is that you will never ever regret it!!
I switched in 2012 and can honestly say that I fish more days in rougher conditions than I would of even considered before.
I noticed one of your methods is 2 poling which is the only way I fish. I can still remember the days when it didn't matter how long I fished if there happened to be much boat traffic or the wind was over 15 mph that by time I got off the water I was mentally and physically exhausted. I never fill that way in my fiberglass boat.

My biggest recommendation for you is to check the width of the front end. It doesn't matter if boat is 18' or 22' some manufacturers just don't make their front ends wide enough to be able to mount 2 seats up front comfortably for one and without mounting the seats on top of a storage or rod locker lid for two. I looked at several brands before I bought and that was the one major obstacle for some of the boat companies. I absolutely refused to mount my seat pedestals on top of another storage are for possible lack of support and because IMO as soon as you didn't think you would need in that area while out the water then boom all of a sudden there would be a particular item that you couldn't live without in that storage area and then not only would you need to remove the seat to be able to lift the lid you might actually have to remove two seats to get into that area.
Also be aware that some manufacturers might have a wide enough front end but run their rod locker boxes almost up to the very tip of the front deck.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with the shopping.

I fished both tournaments and pleasure-fishing for years out of fiberglass. First, a Stratos and then two Rangers. There is no way I could ever argue against the stability and all-around comfort of fishing out of glass. I especially loved my last 19 ft Ranger for the wide front and low profile that made it easy to fish with in the wind. However, with the advance of aluminum hulls and profiles, I had been looking for a while at perhaps going to an aluminum boat simply for manuverability and the fact that a lighter boat is easier to handle and load/unload as I get older. After looking, thinking and studying many models, last year I purchased the new Ranger 188C crappie rig with a 115 4 Stroke Merc. It has the same wide-hull design as the fiberglass model without the weight. And I have to say: I LOVE IT! It takes as rough a water as I want to be on and runs and handles like a dream. The layout is comfortable to fish out of and meets all my needs. It runs about 50 mph (down for the 70+ mph I could get out of my big motor glass boat) which is plenty fast for me. I plan to retire next year and will use the boat as I go back to doing some guiding on the lake. All that said, I guess it depends on what you like. I cannot say anything against fishing out of fiberglass, but I love my new aluminum!

I have a 188vx Ranger with 150 Yamaha 4 stroke that fished really nice in all the wind this year. It is wide in the front and has factory 3 seat post holes in the front. Fished out of a 1986 Basstracker for 10 years and spent a lot of time watching the main Ky. lake if I was in a bay away from my truck. I ended up getting a 1756 G3 for the rivers especially Smithland so I have both. I love the 188 for it's stability and the first day I bought it I fished all day with the plug out. LOL Sure felt heavy on take off but I did not know the boat then. I feel safe in this boat and that means a lot because I fish alone 99% of the time. When I get in the G3 it feels like a pop can!!! Have you seen this site.Boats4SaleRanger

You are welcome to get in mine and see the difference

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

I had 13 glass boats & loved them all, but as I age the lighter aluminum boat are what I use. Wind will push you a little harder but otherwise no difference to me on water. :twocents

Depends on your needs. As I age with a beat up body that limits my physical abilities I really enjoy my aluminum Wareagle. It's easier to load and unload. Some days my body requires several trips to shore for my back to walk out kinks. Always beach for lunch so dog can romp. Finally when my stiffness causes me to react slow or misjudge, the nick, scrape, and occasional gouge is easier to take on a tin boat instead of a shiny glass boat. My boat isn't perfect but we have kinda molded together the past few years and do alright. If I was to go glass, I really like the older ranger fisherman series boats. Good luck in deciding and stay safe on the water.

Thank you guys for all the replies thus far, keep them coming!

Dean, I will take you up on the offer.

Brian, I'm sort of the odd man out here in that I spend 95% of my crappie time on the water trolling. That one factor made my decision to buy my new Excel 203 pretty easy. I needed room but also the ability to have a stable, dry, safe ride without the weight and $$ that a similar sized glass boat would have been. Running my Terrova for up to 8 hours a day would be tough with a 20-21 foot glass boat without running 2 full sets of batteries. The 5 I currently run are plenty. The 140 Suzuki I am running does a great job on the Excel even though I won't be winning many races. A similar sized glass boat would have required way more $$ for both boat and outboard. Tin has worked good for me for the past 20 years after I put my bass tournament days behind me.

deep v 18 tracker runs and rides good handles ruff water good,fishes good,but dont handle wind good at all.i like it very well other than the wind tosses it around bad.

I have the dirtiest boat east of Ky Lake, just maybe worse than wiskers. My carpet has holes in it, it leaks a little, there are fish scales from one end to the other. Its a 1989 Basstracker Panfis Pro and yes its aluminum. I've beached it on every concrete ramp that Barren River has along with numerous times at the Jonathan. It sits low in the water and you sit below deck and I feel comfortable. I've had a lot of compliments over the years and no, its not for sale, I love it too much. My son bought it for me. On the other hand, if your planing on fishing the big water, go glass.................Now hear this!!! G0 OUT WITH BUFFALO. You'll love it more than bacon.:ThumbsUp

Aluminum Xpress X-19 made more sense for me. Big enough to handle big water, easier to tow, less fuel burned, less worry about damage (gel coat), lower maintenance (waxing).

I'm with ChrisS, Aluminum Xpress XP200 although I can't give you a comparison with a glass boat.
The XP200 has 3 pedestal mounts up front, open floor plan (kids sit in lawn chair and fish off the sides). Handles really well on big water and very low maintenance.
Good luck with your decision as it is a tuff one, been there and done it but very pleased with my choice.

I've got a 16ft Alumacraft Competitor deep vee that I bought new in 2014. I mulled over many different models and makes. I really liked the Lowe Stinger I believe it was and of course the Ranger boats too.

I've got a 7 year old and I'm telling you, the deep vee designwas our choice because of its safety. I sometimes scratch my head on the number of bass boats down here, they can't be that comfortable of a ride in three foot rollers, which is common down at the Twin Lakes. My boat struggles in the wind but I rarely fish on windy days.

I love my boat because I think it saved our lives last year on Barkley. I hit a HUGE wake from a monster cruiser in the main channel and it knocked me out of my captain's seat and into the bottom of the floor. I'll guarantee you we would've all been thrown completely out of a bass style boat. I've only got a 90hp and had it at 42 today, good enough. I actually really like glass boats but once you get past the sex appeal, the Ole practicality starts to factor in. I can't see spending 50-80k on a boat.

Let me say this too, if I was guiding down here, I'd spend the big bucks on a really nice boat like Doug or Terry has.

Iam down on the ky lake now if you want to go out on a xpress h20pfc it comes set up for crappie

I changed to aluminum when I finally realized how much inconvenience it was to wipe the glass boat down every time I pulled it out of the water ...

Now I can load - buckle down = and be gone ...while the sparkle boat guys are still shammying their reflection in their gel coat ...

Rickie