# Aluminum inshore boat?



## Darkhorse

First off; I'm not new to saltwater fishing, I fished Kingfish tourneys/general offshore for over a decade and was brought up fishing the central fla. coast. I'm just trying to weed out a lot of replys aimed at first time boaters.

I'm in the market for a new boat. It will NOT be a true offshore boat. I fish a lot for bass and want to fish inshore Ga. and Fla. I need a boat a soon to be 60 year old can launch and retrieve by myself and fish both marsh & inland.

So I've been considering something like a 1756 or 1860 CC or SC aluminum boat like the Lowe roughneck series or a Triton. Rigged with a saltwater trolling motor. And with either aluminum or galvanized trailer.

Questions are; How well will something like this work in inshore conditions?
How bad will it beat me up crossing a sound? I might/will get caught by weather and wind and chop. And what are the pro's and con's of the aluminum marsh boat?

All boats are a compromise. I've found a killer deal on a 19 CC fiberglass which will do well inshore and limited offshore but not the best for bass fishing. Whereas the aluminum might do well inshore & bass fishing and no offshore.

I'm just trying to get some ideas to chew over before I make a decision.


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## GLS

A flat bottom aluminum boat would be my last choice in an inshore saltwater boat.  That goes for a flat bottom fiberglass boat such as a Carolina Skiff.  Here on the Georgia coast we have severe tides.  That translates to faster moving water than you may have seen in Florida.  Chop created by tide against wind is common and there is nothing worse in a chop than a flat bottom boat.  You will find chop on any of the larger rivers at almost anytime.  There are millpond flat days, but not many.  If you have a choice, a galvanized trailer is prefered.  The 19' CC is a better compromise and safer.


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## wharfrat

IMHO welded (not riveted) aluminum boats with a heavy duty saltwater trolling motor makes an excellent inshore fishing boat. Go aluminum trailer, and though it will last longer than galvanized you still need to wash it down good, along with the boat and all your gear. There will be days when the water is rough, but find lee and fish closer to the launch and you will be fine.


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## Bream Pole

Not sure I would want to head out to Cumberland in it or expect to be able to run around Sapalo Sound unless weather was forecast for very, very calm seas.  Even then wind can change direction and produce some scary experiences in the sounds.  However in the rivers it will work great.  I wouldn't worry about the flat bottom.  I've fished out of a riveted jon boat in the rivers and owned three carolina skiffs and would rather have had them than the two v-bottoms I have owned for inshore river and creek fishing


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## Darkhorse

These boats I'm considering are all welded .100 thick aluminum. They are a sort of modified V hull, meaning they have a little V to cut a small chop then flatten out at the stern.
Being stuck on the other side of a sound is what concerns me though I don't anticipate that happening often. Truth be told I'll probably only make it to the coast a few times a year and then I'll be looking to stay out of open water as much as possible. There will be a few trips to Fla. to fish the flats on the west coast and a trip or two to the inshore side of Amelia.
What it will see is a lot of freshwater fishing and some duck hunting. And that sort of rules out the 19 CC as it drafts too deep and is hard to camoflauge.
But keep the opinions coming as a lot of things are being considered here.


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## Rodsmith

Not that I would recommend a bass boat for the salt, but my brother has a bass tracker 18 footer and that thing handles chop with the best of them. Think it is the modified V hull, but whatever the hull design it sports, I was thouroughly impressed and surprised by it. Aluminum has come a long way, and I would not hesitate to buy one like you describe if I didn't want to go fiberglass.


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## germag

This is the basic boat I bought and rigged for inshore and fresh water. It drafts very skinny....about 6" or so.:

http://sundanceboats.com/modeldetail.php?subid=MTQ5

Runs real smooth and dry.


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