used old "meaning cheap" aluminum 16' to 18' boats

[foakes]

foakes 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

[Midway Tommy]

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.

[farmer56]

"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  ...

[farmer56]

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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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[farmer56]

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

[foakes]

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

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.

[Midway Tommy]

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.

[Midway Tommy]

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.   

[Maxed Out]

 Guys around here prefer welded aluminum boats rather than riveted. Less maintenance and much more durable