Kinda complex story, but I'll make it short 'n sweet:

In 2005, I bought a brand new G3 HP170 (17' rig with 90" beam) with a 4-stroke 115 Yammy.

Fished it HARD, scratched it up, trolling motor wore out, etc. after 6 years.

It sprung a leak in the hull and the company gave me a brand new 2011 Eagle 180 (18' rig w/85" beam) and put my Yammy 115 on it.

I've only fished it about 10 times and I'm thinking about selling it (book value is about $16,800) and buying a 2005/2006 Ranger 185VX with a 150 HPDI Yammy for about the same money.

I fish big water, like the Coosa River lakes (Neely Henry, Logan Martin, etc.) and the TN River lakes (Guntersville, etc.)

The problems I have with my G3 are:

• Wind blows me all over the place
  
• 55# Minn Kota 12V seems to drain a brand new DuraLast Deep Cycle battery in just a few hours (I fish in current and it's a struggle)
  
• The ride in a G3 will KILL YOU running in medium to rough water - you have to putt back to the landing
  
• Storage room SUCKS on the Eagle series. There's room for 3 rods in the rod box and you have to bend your 7' rods to get them in/out
  

I must say, the F115 motor has not missed a lick in 6 years! That motor is worth EVERY PENNY. Runs like a sewing machine and I have not spent 1 penny on ANY repairs.

Now, I don't want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire, but I really think I want something like an 18' Ranger/Triton/Skeeter.

I'd like to get something I can keep for the long haul, 20+ years, if possible. I sure hate to give up a 4 stroke engine for the HPDI though, especially with $4 gas.

I'm on a tight budget and can't afford to spend $100 on GAS to go fishing on the weekend.

Any advice you can offer is much appreciated. Thanks!!!!

Why would you give up on the 4-stroke?

Ranger/Triton/Skeeter all can be had with 4-strokes

http://andreasmoser.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/dhl-ups-express-post-mail-boats-venice.jpg

Kinda complex story, but I'll make it short 'n sweet:

In 2005, I bought a brand new G3 HP170 (17' rig with 90" beam) with a 4-stroke 115 Yammy.

Fished it HARD, scratched it up, trolling motor wore out, etc. after 6 years.

It sprung a leak in the hull and the company gave me a brand new 2011 Eagle 180 (18' rig w/85" beam) and put my Yammy 115 on it.

I've only fished it about 10 times and I'm thinking about selling it (book value is about $16,800) and buying a 2005/2006 Ranger 185VX with a 150 HPDI Yammy for about the same money.

I fish big water, like the Coosa River lakes (Neely Henry, Logan Martin, etc.) and the TN River lakes (Guntersville, etc.)

The problems I have with my G3 are:

• Wind blows me all over the place
  
• 55# Minn Kota 12V seems to drain a brand new DuraLast Deep Cycle battery in just a few hours (I fish in current and it's a struggle)
  
• The ride in a G3 will KILL YOU running in medium to rough water - you have to putt back to the landing
  
• Storage room SUCKS on the Eagle series. There's room for 3 rods in the rod box and you have to bend your 7' rods to get them in/out
  

I must say, the F115 motor has not missed a lick in 6 years! That motor is worth EVERY PENNY. Runs like a sewing machine and I have not spent 1 penny on ANY repairs.

Now, I don't want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire, but I really think I want something like an 18' Ranger/Triton/Skeeter.

I'd like to get something I can keep for the long haul, 20+ years, if possible. I sure hate to give up a 4 stroke engine for the HPDI though, especially with $4 gas.

I'm on a tight budget and can't afford to spend $100 on GAS to go fishing on the weekend.

Any advice you can offer is much appreciated. Thanks!!!!

Before you throw out the baby with the bath water so to speak, you may be better off trying to work on your tin boat's main problem first.

Swap out that 12V for a 24V trolling motor. More pounds of thrust plus less amp draw means longer battery life.

Will a fiberglass rig look good for many years? I see their values are VERY cheap after 10 years. Does fiberglass get weak over time? I know nothing about those types of boats. Thanks!

im sure they do cause over time you run into transom problems regel coating some fiberglas spots get soft but im sure if you maintain it well there wouldnt be a issue for yrs. and yrs.

I've had both, starting with a good size aluminum jon-boat and eventually bought a 2003 18.6" Fiberglass Champion bass boat, with a 150HP Johnson. I bought the bass boat for some of the same reasons, smoother ride, storage space, comfort, durability etc. I'm glad I went to a fiberglass boat and I've been very happy with it, but there are some drawbacks. First, most fiberglass boats are extremely heavy compared to aluminum. Not only will you go through significantly more gas in the boat (mine has a 48 gal. tank), but the vehicle you tow with will also be pulling a LOT more weight. I towed my Champion with a Toyota Tacoma (small truck, V6 engine) for a while and it did o.k., but it definitely worked the engine and tranny very hard. That could lead to additional maintanence/repair costs down the road. Just my opinion... but if you do a lot of towing medium/long distance, you'll want to be in a full-size truck with a V8 that can handle the load without over-working the vehicle. I have an F-150 now, but between the boat gas and the truck gas, it's very hard to spend less than $100 for a weekend of fishing. As far as keeping the rig looking good... fiberglass gets water-stained very easily. It helps to wipe down the boat immediately after pulling it out, but you'll be doing a lot of washing/scrubbing to keep it clean. You'll also need to keep a good coat of wax on the hull to prevent staining/discoloring. As long as you do the work/maintanence they'll look good for a very long time, but it is a lot of work. Bottom line... If I wasn't fishing in tournaments all summer, I'd have an aluminum boat. They are light-weight, easy to haul around, and less expensive to own. Since I fish tournaments, there are almost always two people in the boat, I spend a huge amount of time on the water and have a lot of equipment to store, the fiberglass boat is worth the extra investment, in my opinion. There are trade-offs with both options, all depends on how you use the boat.

I've had both, starting with a good size aluminum jon-boat and eventually bought a 2003 18.6" Fiberglass Champion bass boat, with a 150HP Johnson. I bought the bass boat for some of the same reasons, smoother ride, storage space, comfort, durability etc. I'm glad I went to a fiberglass boat and I've been very happy with it, but there are some drawbacks. First, most fiberglass boats are extremely heavy compared to aluminum. Not only will you go through significantly more gas in the boat (mine has a 48 gal. tank), but the vehicle you tow with will also be pulling a LOT more weight. I towed my Champion with a Toyota Tacoma (small truck, V6 engine) for a while and it did o.k., but it definitely worked the engine and tranny very hard. That could lead to additional maintanence/repair costs down the road. Just my opinion... but if you do a lot of towing medium/long distance, you'll want to be in a full-size truck with a V8 that can handle the load without over-working the vehicle. I have an F-150 now, but between the boat gas and the truck gas, it's very hard to spend less than $100 for a weekend of fishing. As far as keeping the rig looking good... fiberglass gets water-stained very easily. It helps to wipe down the boat immediately after pulling it out, but you'll be doing a lot of washing/scrubbing to keep it clean. You'll also need to keep a good coat of wax on the hull to prevent staining/discoloring. As long as you do the work/maintanence they'll look good for a very long time, but it is a lot of work. Bottom line... If I wasn't fishing in tournaments all summer, I'd have an aluminum boat. They are light-weight, easy to haul around, and less expensive to own. Since I fish tournaments, there are almost always two people in the boat, I spend a huge amount of time on the water and have a lot of equipment to store, the fiberglass boat is worth the extra investment, in my opinion. There are trade-offs with both options, all depends on how you use the boat.

X2

Kinda complex story, but I'll make it short 'n sweet:

In 2005, I bought a brand new G3 HP170 (17' rig with 90" beam) with a 4-stroke 115 Yammy.

Fished it HARD, scratched it up, trolling motor wore out, etc. after 6 years.

It sprung a leak in the hull and the company gave me a brand new 2011 Eagle 180 (18' rig w/85" beam) and put my Yammy 115 on it.

Not many companies out there who would do this. Gotta give G3 a big hand-clap.

I have had two glass rigs, and my brother currently has aluminum. Overall, I like the aluminum rig better than either of my glass hulls. I also have not been in that aluminum rig in big water, so there's that. There are pros and cons to both. Before I went out and spent a lot of dough, I would take Lund Explorer's advice and start by replacing the trolling motor. Just having that aggravation removed might do a lot for your decision-making. It would for me, for sure. It's also hard to ignore G3's replacement of your hull. Do you think any manufacturers of fiberglass boats will replace your hull after 7 years?

I have been considering getting back into fishing from a bass boat, and when I looked at what was being offered in the boat market, I found none of them does exactly what I want. After much shopping and surfing online, I have decided that when I am ready to get a boat, I'm just going to build it. I even picked out plans at Glen-L Marine.

Just a thought, if you scratched and tore up an aluminum boat in just a few years then a glass boat might not be for you. A glass boat will give you a more comfortable ride in the big water but if you are scratching aluminum... You will be getting a lot of repairs done to a glass hull with those situations that will scratch and dent Al.

Kodiakcc01,

Great response and an honest comparison. Good things to consider.

Mike

The hull weights between aluminum and fiberglass isn't that big of a difference anymore. The G3 boat is listed at 2000lb on their website. That is the package weight though. The Ranger hull weighs 1530, add about 500 lbs for a motor plus some gear and the fiberglass isn't that much more. Definately not a huge difference. I agree that a 24v trolling mould help a bunch but the glass boat will ride better and the fishability will be quite a bit better as well as the storage.