farmer 56 here again with crazy questions ..... we fish northern mn. with a 16.5' boat .. our crew is starting to expand "great" meaning kids wanting the fishing dream... so the question is what older aluminum boats to look for in the used market that are, NUMBER ONE , more stable or sea worthy ..a 16 or 18' boat with bench seats is all we can afford for a second boat... many brands to pick from ,BUT is one "60s" to "70s"era boat one to look for ... motor does not matter because we will always fish close to each other.so 1960-1980 aluminum boats cheap... is one more stable if wind comes up..... brands grummun,crestliner, crisscraft lund alumacraft, spelling bad left maybe some out......
Hi Dennis —-
All of the brands you listed are solid boats.
The key, for me at least, would be a safe and well engineered aluminum boat that has a well designed keel, transom, beam, height, splash rail, and a good reputation.
If you get one with a good reputation and one that is well-proven —- you can use it forever —- or always get all of your money back if you decide to sell it down the road.
Three others that are good —- are Valco, West Coaster, and my personal favorite —- Gregor Boats made in Fresno, California since 1964.
Of the (6) boats I have owned —- the first was a 13' 4" Gregor with a 15hp Johnson.
My current boat is a 15' 2" Gregor with a 25hp Johnson.
Gregors are all welded, no rivets below the water line, well proven, safe, and stable.
https://gregorboats.com/quality/
Best, Fred
One thing to consider on an older boat is flotation. Didn't the modern level flotation CG requirements kick in in the late 70s? A boat that won't sink at the stern or want to turn turtle when swamped can be the difference between just getting wet and having things go seriously south. Aluminum skiffs with ample flotation next to the outboard and inside the benches have a better chance of decent swamped behavior than boats with a bunch of foam shot under a floor. Modern small skiffs (20 feet or under?) will meet the CG requirements for floating level when swamped, but some will turtle more easily than others.
Also was curious if Fred had an opinion on the other Aluminum skiff brands that were popular out west that he did not mention: Klamath and Duroboat.
-J
all good points guys... Fred thanks for info question is the 1980's "H" series Gregor boats... any thoughts found h-51 bench seats ...
I am sure they are both good, Dave —-
Klamath I am familiar with, not familiar with Duroboat —-
My 15'+ Gregor is a 1978. The (3) benches are filled with foam blocks for level flotation if swamped.
I redid the benches —- and when I did, I replaced the old solid foam blocks with new ones from the Gregor plant down in Fresno.
Weight capacity on mine is I think 1,125 lbs. on the CG label.
Paid $2,250 for the boat, electric start motor, trailer, canopy, trolling motor, fish finder, and all accessories —- about 10 years ago. It is still in that value range (+ or -).
A boat is something that you never stop spending money on.
Tune ups, trailer maintenance, upgraded fish-finders, rod holders, batteries, tires, lights, prop, etc. etc..
The main thing is to make sure it is sea-worthy, safe, and functional if the conditions go south.
Best, Fred
Fred what model 15' thanks farmer56 dennis
Quote from: farmer56 on July 03, 2022, 10:38:26 PMFred what model 15' thanks farmer56 dennis
I believe it is a U151, Dennis —-
Out of town until late tonight visiting relatives up Norh.
It has a 66" beam and is a deep V.
Carries 4 adult guys plus gear comfortably and safely.
Craiglist is your friend on a lot of bargains.
But in the end, it boils down to doing your research, figuring out what you want & need —- then patiently checking local as well as neighboring states regularly.
Bargains will pop up from time to time.
The best time to buy one if these is generally between November & February.
A 15 hp will push mine along just fine.
Best, Fred
Spent most of my adult life fishing MN waters. One of most reliable and minimum maintenance boats used by many resorts from the '50 -'80s is the Alumacraft F series'. The Fs are the basic model and the FDs have a ransom splash pan. The splash pan adds about 20hp to the max motor capacity.They all have aluminum seats and are well riveted so about the only thing that needs repair are an occasional loose rivet and teak/mahogany transom restoration. The older '50s models had sealed air filled seats for flotation. Newer models have foam filled seats.
My Dad bought a 1956 14' FD in 1958. He, me and my son used it regularly up until 2 years ago when he sold it to my daughter and her husband. The transom wood was finally starting to deteriorate so I replaced both the inner(teak) with white oak and the outer mahogany with marine mahogany. The 14' FD is rated for 35hp so, as you can tell, it's a well built vessel! The all aluminum feature (seats) is a huge positive for maintenance. They are fairly easy to find in MN, WI, IA & NE for a reasonable price.
farmer56 here thanks "Mid" i like that you included model numbers .. my expieriance was only with lund... by any chance do you know anything about Fred's Gregor brand vs. alumacraft....?????..... i like the wider beam on the gregor who knows BUT it's still fun "dreaming"- "researching"- my boys think a 25 hp motor is mandatory for safety if weather fails... so bench seats- 25 hp plate- 14-15-16-18 foot solid boat..... will look for 14 FD i think
my main boat is a lund pro-v 1660 tiller 60 hp 4-stroke yamaha
My first boat back in '74 was a 13' 4" Gregor with a 15 HP Johnson & a Little Dude tilt trailer. Bought it brand new for $1200 from N&N Marine in Fresno.
Felt after using it for 3 years, I needed a fancier boat with swivel seats, larger motor, fiberglass, etc..
Sold the Gregor combo for what I paid for it.
Big mistake...to ever get rid of that first boat.
Best, Fred
Small boats are expensive new these days. Lund sends me "ads" every once in awhile; just got one; a 16 ft. jon boat, no frills & no motor was $1,600 new. New motor in 7.5 - 10 HP range would likely be over a grand, and I'm still short a trailer, comfortable seats, etc., etc. A V-type boat would certainly be more.
I understand there are no small marine motors produced in the US anymore. Anyone know to the contrary? If buying a used motor, what would be the protocol in dealing with the seller? Make him/her let you take the boat out? At least start up the motor, whether on the boat or mounted on a 55 gal. drum?
Frank
hey "Hap" and "Mid" being from Mn. knowing our lakes would you prefer 14' and wider boat or 16' and longer ... wider meaning 70" or more .... white caps are no fun for either but sometimes the wind comes up .... motor size comes into play to time wave rolls- breaks .... still windy days caution .. thanks again for insightful input dennis
WOW , now i am confused .... Went to iboats for models sizes specs. never knew there was sooo many .. so back to look at models in paper do homework and then decide
foakes when you or where you fish do you get white caps or just rolling waves
Quote from: farmer56 on July 04, 2022, 10:52:51 PMfoakes when you or where you fish do you get white caps or just rolling waves
Fishing the bigger waters on the Eastern side of the Sierras —- we can get surprised by heavy MPH winds & whitecaps —- swells could be 2.5 to 3 feet at that point. Larger motor and the deep V with good balance are important and capable in these conditions.
Fishing the Western side, we sometimes get some aggressive winds —- but they are generally much more manageable.
On the Eastern side, there have been days where we just don't go out if it is starting whitecaps early in the morning. Been caught a few times over the years maybe 4 or 5 miles from the launching ramp in the late morning or early afternoon. At that point, I just head in if it is safe. A zig-zag pattern helps to keep the bow perpendicular to the waves as does the increased HP.
Cautious and aggressive at the same time.
If it is really bad —- I just head to the nearest shore and wait it out.
A shallow boat will not cut it to my satisfaction.
Most of the boats you have mentioned will handle the waves and swells just fine. There are a lot of good quality aluminums out there.
Best, Fred
I don't know much about most of the boats made out west so I can't comment on them. My son and I both have 16' Lund Pro Anglers. His is a '82 with a '80 35hp Evinrude and mine is a '86 with a '85 50hp Merc 4cyl 2 stroke. His will top out around 20mph and mine about 27mph. I've had mine on Lake Oahe a few times without any problems but it's a little small for the really windy plains days. They'll handle fairly good size water but if you're fishing Mille Lacs, Leech, the Reds, Winne or some of the bigger waters a lot you'll probably want to go 18'. Neither of us enjoy fishing rough water so if it's too rough we'll find an area out of the wind where it's not quite as bad. Our boats are carpeted with swivel/pedestal seats, etc. and we both love them. They're big and safe enough for large lakes yet small enough to be mobile. Boat control is a big deal for both of us. Lund SSV and the early Alaskans are nice boats but their wood seats require a lot of maintenance. The nice thing about the Alumacraft fishing boats is they can be stored outside uncovered without things falling apart.
"Mid" like your choice of boats... I started with a 1987 lund pro-pike 14' 15hp motor .. traded 15hp for 30hp 3 cyl. 2-stroke yamaha ... first time boat actually got up on plane ... taught kids how to water ski with that rig.. went between 30mph and 35mph easy.. fast forword to now .. bought well used lund pro v 1660 with 60hp 4-cycle yamaha ... with my two boys in boat we get 27mph to 32mph ... very stable , i feel safer in rough water ... I can relate to the lakes you named , and know the danger involved when wind comes up !!!!!! So then back to the question is there an alumacraft older bench seat model you think fits our needs !!! 14,15,16,18' wide, deep ,,cheap also what are the winning lottery numbers ...
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"Mid" one time on Oahe the wind came up ,,, and you know south dakota when they say wind it's 60mph + ,tent flattening wind .. we got to shore "OK" but we saw a boat coming from around a corner we knew they were in trouble !!!! they had a flat bottom bass boat, at times we thought the wind lifted it up at a 45 degree angle .. they shot up on the boat ramp no trailer , it took all of us to hold the boat .. the guys in the boat layed on the concrete .. and KISSED the ground .. on top of that they were fishing for catfish in a back bay , unaware the wind in the channel was as bad as it was... we all have stories don't we !!!
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Question Fred did your Gregor H-51 come with only metal bench seats?? I found one that has front casting platform over the front nose section and then carpet on the remaining benches .. also will the 25hp get it to move 20-30mph ... thanks again dennis
Quote from: farmer56 on July 05, 2022, 11:33:34 PMQuestion Fred did your Gregor H-51 come with only metal bench seats?? I found one that has front casting platform over the front nose section and then carpet on the remaining benches .. also will the 25hp get it to move 20-30mph ... thanks again dennis
They come with aluminum vertical parts of the seats —- then wood over that.
I replaced my wood seats with marine grade plywood, spar varnish, then carpet over that about 10 years ago. Mine stays covered when not in use —- no issues in 10 years.
It would be relatively simple to remove the wood seats and install aluminum. Or cheaper to just install fresh wood every 10 or 15 years —- not a big deal to me. At that point, I would also install fresh foam every 10 years, or so.
All 3 seats are filled with block foam for emergency upright flotation.
I guess it would do 20-25 mph. With 2 or 3 people on board —- it will get up on the step and plane pretty well.
I'd opt for a 16' or 18' depending on the size water I most often fish. 16' offers a little better boat control, especially when it's breezy but the trolling motors these days make boat control. pretty simple.
The 16' Alumacraft was actually called Model K. The same boat in 14' is the Model FD.
Here's a 1960 catalog page for the Model K.
Spent a week in a tent in Minneconjou on the Cheyenne River in 85 with my dad & son. 45 Miles from Pierre and we had to haul all our water & food in. Had a dry ice cooler to keep stuff frozen and freeze fish we caught. We were fishing out of our 14' FD. It was so windy all week we were never able to get past the mouth of Minneconjou Bay. I decided that I wasn't going to go through that again so when we got home I bought my Lund Pro Angler. Still have that 14' FD in the family, though, my daughter has it now.
Guys around here prefer welded aluminum boats rather than riveted. Less maintenance and much more durable