Boats. Fiberglass vs. Aluminum

[gs500e]

I just want to hear/read some peoples' opinion on aluminum and fiberglass boats.

I have my opinions, but i'll hold off on that for now.

[mister]

Ally boats are made of Ally. Fibreglass boats aren't.

For the same size, allly is generally lighter and thus bounces on the water more than FG which has more momentum hitting waves so the thump is softer.

Ally can be welded, FG cannot.

Normally, Ally boats are silver and FB are painted white.

I once Spun a fibreglass boat in the air as it was being made and was upside down and needed to be right side up to finish construction...



Michael

[bill14224]

It depends what you want to do.  A simple fishing skiff is better off being aluminum, but when you get into bigger boats, weight can actually help.  I can give you an example.  A friend of mine has a 19' fiberglass fishing boat that came with a V-8 engine and a jet pump.  Yeah, it's fast.  But he needed to add layers of fiberglass cloth and resin to the hull to make the boat heavier and stronger as it was slapping on the water and cracking over time.  Now it goes through the water without slapping and cracking, even though he's running 100HP more than the boat came with, and it's faster than ever before.  He added about 300 lbs. to the hull.  That's not before adding a better jet pump (Aggressor).  It is also much more comfortable.  Boating is a very complex equation.  It makes cars seem simple when you get into it.

[yamahonkawazuki]

Ally boats are made of Ally. Fibreglass boats aren't.

For the same size, allly is generally lighter and thus bounces on the water more than FG which has more momentum hitting waves so the thump is softer.

Ally can be welded, FG cannot.

Normally, Ally boats are silver and FB are painted white.

I once Spun a fibreglass boat in the air as it was being made and was upside down and needed to be right side up to finish construction...



Michael
[/quotei see two crqnes/lifts in place. what did you do to flip her? pull up on one while keeping other one still, then lower both at same time?

[mister]

Ally boats are made of Ally. Fibreglass boats aren't.

For the same size, allly is generally lighter and thus bounces on the water more than FG which has more momentum hitting waves so the thump is softer.

Ally can be welded, FG cannot.

Normally, Ally boats are silver and FB are painted white.

I once Spun a fibreglass boat in the air as it was being made and was upside down and needed to be right side up to finish construction...



Michael

see two crqnes/lifts in place. what did you do to flip her? pull up on one while keeping other one still, then lower both at same time?

Pulled up on one while lowering the others to keep the boat Just above the ground. had to get the sling position Just Right otherwise the boat would roll toward one end or the other and out of the slings. Would have Loved to get it on film but not enough time to set up a camera.

Michael