Alweld for bay and nearshore Gulf of Mexico Use
 

I've had my eye on the Lund Alaskan Tiller 2000 (20') for many years figuring I'd get one shortly after returning to Louisiana. It seems like it would be a great boat for my preferred fishing areas and styles, but alas, I can't find one anywhere near Louisiana. So I've begun to consider other possibilities. The Alweld has caught my eye.

They have aluminum bay boats in 21 and 23 ft lengths (80 inch bottom width, 102" beam) that look pretty good. I'm also considering how much bay/near shore use one might get from a really big vee style alweld jon boat (Like 70 inch bottom width, 23 ft). Skinny water ain't really my thing. My children are growing and are quite skilled at putting the weight where it needs to be to ride well. My children are also hoping to start catching some different species of fish beyond the normal LA inshore mix, which means we need to start hitting Pensacola (bay and near shore) and the Big Bend area of Florida, as well as sneaking out to the rigs in LA waters.

So would one of the alweld boats seem to work, or are there other aluminum boats we should be considering? I'm not a fan of pricey package deals, preferring to get a hull, and then outfit with motors and accessories myself. Almost no one puts dual outboards on boats in this class, but I have a strong preference for dual outboard 4 strokes, probable Nissan, Tohatsu, or Yamaha.

My uncle has a 21' express that he fishes the barrier islands with every so often on a flat calm day (few and far between), I would NOT go any further than that in it though.

39 gallon gas tank isnt very big for running very far offshore, especially if you are planning on running two motors. Talk to one of the custom builders like Hanko's or Gaudet's

Southern Fabrication in MC or Charles Leonard in Belle River. I've always owned Alum boats but fishing Salt Water/Big Open Water a Fiber Glass boat is soooo much nicer as far as noise and ride comfort. Just my opinion.

Alweld makes some great boats I abused one for many years. Like most factory built aluminum boats they are not made for open water waves. Not sure if the transom will handle twin outboards...

Good thing about Alweld is you can tell them exactly what you plan on doing and they will do what they can to help it fit the bill such as reinforce the transom. The boats are strong, I run a 16ft alweld and put it through some rough rides. Hankos or Gaudet will probably work better offshore and are also much more heavily built. Check into them, they make some badass aluminum boats perfect for what you are trying to accomplish.

I would definitely consider a glass boat. Take a fools advice I have had them both. Storms come out of nowhere and the tide changes. I will never fish saltwater or big water in an aluminum boat again.

Thanks guys, the custom aluminum makers look like they offer what I'm looking for.

My FIL has a 20ft delta marsh center console aluminum. Ride in that thing sucks in open water. Beat you to death.

Aluminum boats designed for skinny water are going to beat you up in open water. Look at the picture of the delta marsh 20 ft center console. There is not near enough V or weight in the front to handle some chop. The the motor is for running really fast in smooth water, not slowing it down in a few waves. No wonder so many people are soured on aluminum boats in open water. Trying to go fast in a flat bottomed boat will beat the passengers up in open water. It's the speed and lack of a V hull that is beating you up, not the hull material.

http://www.buyusedboatsforsale.com/u...owerboats.jpeg

Now look at the picture of the Lund Alaskan 20 ft aluminum boat. This boat has a proper V hull for more open water, has the forward weight to handle it, and if one keeps the speed to 10-15 mph, one can ride in rougher water without beating up passengers.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...onda-bp1_a.jpg

A buddy of mine builds these. It is a 25' with 250 pro xs. 65mph with 5 people and 1/2 tank of gas. IMO if you are looking for a alum boat this would be the way to go.

Attachment 52481

That is one sweet ride. My preferences lie toward a deeper V (handling waves is a higher priority to me than skinny water) and a lot less power. I only need a bit more speed than needed to get up on plane, and I prefer not to be overpowered in the motor department. In my view, 90 hp is plenty for a 20 ft boat that weighs ~2000 lbs unless a particular hull desigh needs a bit more than that to get up on plane. If more isn't needed to heep a boat up on plane, 20 mph is plenty fast to get me everywhere I want to go, 35 mph is about the top end of what I consider safe with my typical fishing crew and gear under above average conditions, and 65 mph is borderline crazy for my crew and gear under most conditions.

Yes, there are days when big lake is a sheet of glass, and one can do 65 mph and see all the obstacles, but most places in LA where one can see far enough to safely go 65 mph usually have wave action making that uncomfortable, and most places smooth enough to go 65 mph have too many hidden obstructions or the possibility of some other fellow coming around the next bend. I think we've all had some one come "out of nowhere" around a bend in the marsh or bayou and we were glad we were doing 20-30 mph rather than 65. If 250 hp will do 65 mph, 90 hp should get close to 40 hp, which is just about right.

Especially if I might be turning over the boat to teenagers to take out, I'm not really inclined to power it to do more than 35 mph.

I'm well aware that the Delta marsh is a semi V hence causing the problems in open water. Otherwise I assume it would be called a "Delta Lake". I was simply stating the only large aluminum I have experience handling was that one and it sucked. No where did I say all aluminums are terrible. But thanks for that refresher course on boat physics great knowledgeable one.

LOL!!

If you under power a boat too much wont you cause the engine to strain more than it should? Seems to me like you will cause your motor to wear out faster by putting just enough to get it on plane...

BTY the picture of the boat I posted is not a semi V. Full V with a pad on the back

There is no way I would turn that boat over to most 25 year olds much less a 16 year old.
No offence to you young guys.

That's a nice looking sled. Does he only build 25' or whatever you want?

Whatever you want.

In my experience, a 20 ft boat loaded to a total weight of 2000 lbs should have a top speed of about 35 mph with a 90 hp motor, but can be throttled back to 24-25 mph and stay up on plane (rough numbers, depending on hull design, trim tabs, etc.) At 25 mph or so, the motor is not really maxing out the hp, and is operating near the peak in its fuel economy.

It is probably true that a 90 hp motor operated in such a manner will wear out before a 150 or a 225 hp motor operated most of their lives pushing the same boat around under 30 mph, but we all know that the 150 and 225 will burn tons more fuel, and probably spend most of their lives pushing the boat around at closer to 40 mph. The newer 4 cycle japenese motors have not been around long enough to be sure of their life spans operated at 80% of their rated hp rather than 50-60%, but I'm betting that they'll last a looooooong time.

It all depends on how you fish too. My fishing style probably puts < 10 miles on the motor per trip, and even with a boat that can handle light offshorse/nearshore duty, I expect to still average under 20 miles per trip. Those distances probably won't wear out motors operating at 80%.

U seriously should check out hankos or gaudet. Much more of an open water boat. PRetty much like a big aluminum bay boat

Sounds like he wants to stay with a 90 hp....a 20' hanko will laugh at a 90.

You pick the hp based more on the weight than on the length. 90 hp will do fine with a 2000 lb boat with an average load (additional 800-1000 lbs fuel, persons, ice, equipment). A 3000 lb boat with a similar load is gonna need 140 hp.

A 20-21 foot boat with 0.125" aluminum plate is gonna weigh in at close to 2000 lbs. Some of the more serious custom builders are using 3/16" plate which will push the weight closer to 3000 lbs. Sea Ark has several 3000 lb boats in this class, and they spec a minimum motor of 100 hp to get up on plane, with a max power of 225 hp. I'd probably lean toward 140-150 hp as my preferred tradeoff (fuel, performance) for this class of boat.

But once you've got a 3000 lb boat, a lot of things get harder, because the total tow weight when you're going fishing (boat + motor + fuel + ice + gear + trailer) is pushing 4500 lbs and you're out of the weight range to tow it with the average SUV/light truck to needing a work truck or Suburban 2500 to tow it comfortably (or you are toasting trannys and brakes regularly). So, I'm leaning more toward a boat in the 2000 lb class that I can power with 90-100 hp and pull around with a Honda Pilot by keeping the total tow weight at 3000-3500 lbs. If one of the custom shops is happy to work with 0.125 aluminum plate, I'm sure we can find the sweet spot for me.

Truth is, I'm not gonna get approval to buy a boat that requires a big new truck to tow it around.:work::work::work: I've confessed, Are y'all happy now?

Cool

Man I hate to call someone out but I hate to see someone waste money even more. My 22' blazer bay weighs in at 1600 lbs dry. I hold 60 gallons of gas at ~6 lbs a gallon. My 250 HPDI weighs ~475lbs. I typically carry 80 lbs of ice and estimate I have ~ 200 lbs of other crap in the boat. They say the average man weighs 170lbs but most of the guys theat fish with me weigh 200 lbs. so let's say I fish with 3 people. So that comes to 3315. Now take of the motor and replace with about 1/4 of the hp your weight would be about 3160. I just don't se a 90 being able to get it on top. With that kind of weight you would burn twice the fuel my 250 does. See it all the time.
My 20' craw fish skiff had a 90 with a tiller on it and with 40 sacks of crawfish bait and two men it caught hell. But that is just my opinion.

I can understand the interest in the Lund Alaskan. I fished out of Lund boats in Canada several times. Many of the boats were over 20 years old. They build a very tough boat, but they will also beat you to death.

I think for what you are wanting to do (fish open bays and light offshore) you are going in the wrong direction. Any aluminum boat that would be capable of doing that very well will cost a lot of money, especially the customs. You could easily find a 20-21 foot center console glass boat for under 20k. For instance the Sea Hunt 202 or 207 would be perfect for what you want to do and with a 115 it will still get you into the high 30mph range. Now, if money is no object, a custom aluminum boat might not be bad, but they are extremely expensive. There are lots of glass boats that would be perfect for you and your boys. If you decide to look at glass you could look at an older Sea Pro, Sea Hunt, Tide Water, Grady White, Proline and the list goes on. It is very easy to find a good deal on a 20-21 foot center console. If you wanted to put a trolling motor on it, you could do that as well.

The problem with the alweld and most aluminum boats other then the custom made ones is they are going to crack up under the stresses of a chop and light off shore. Lunds don't crack up because they are riveted and flex a bit to compensate for the waves as does a glass boat.

Like slidellkid above said there are many good used glass boats to fit your needs. I am a blue wave classic fan, I run an older 22 foot blue wave classic with a 150 on the back, I bought it used for 12000 that's well under your budget of a new aluminum and outboard(s).

Now I know your not going to agree with me but if you could find just an older blue wave 220 classic and trailer and repower it with your twin outboards you would have a very solid rig. Now running twins may take a little work but your not afraid of that.

I understand your desire for a boat is purely utilitarian and economical, there are better options for the water you want to fish then a big aluminum.

Ooh and by the way my glass 22 foot hull only weighs 1300 lbs so no big tow vehicle is needed


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Call Casey @ Sportsman Fabrication in Morgan City. He can build it exactly like you want and does an excellent job with a fair price. Built one for me and I'm well satisfied with it.

I just realized I brought up a thread that was a year old!


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for offshore you need high sides for those swells and sudden storms

I love flatboats of all sort for inshore but I won't go offshore in one or most bay boats for that matter. its too easy to be swamped and then you are in real trouble, you are taking a very big risk and they aren't designed for that, its just not worth it

I have seen these all over North Alaska in different fishing villages, the natives pound the hell out of them in the Artic Ocean and Beaufort Sea ...

Lund, G3, and several other "factory made" brands are seen all over the place . I'm pretty sure they will hold up well to the occasional recreational offshore trip in the GOM .

Hydro

All I gotta say is I hope this aluminum boat flat on the bottom near the transom.

if he insists on taking it offshore it will be flat on the bottom by actually being flat on the bottom 50 ft down lol