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%.