Small Aluminum Boats

The Smokercraft is the only one we have seen so far.....at Boat Country in Everett. We had a 14' 2003 Lund before the CDory. I was surprised at how "substantial" the 16' Smokercraft looked. We plan on looking at Master Marine next at the Lund and Crestliner and maybe Cabela's.

Weight is a consideration so we plan to stay away from the thicker aluminum.

Any suggestions for other marinas or stores to check out before the Boat Show?

Good point on the marine grade alloys, AstoriaDave. Unless I missed it in the specs, none of the boats I have googled has included the aluminum alloy.

Thanks for everybody's experience and insight.
 
Lund and Crestliner are built at the same plants, and use 5052-H34. The majority of small recreational boats are going to use 5052 H36 or H34. For the welded and mid size boats you are more likely to see 5083 series aluminum. The "H" indicates the degree of hardening, which may be cold worked or heat treated. The more important issue may be thickness of the sheets of Aluminum and how it is formed and supported. Minimum thickness of the metal should be 0.090 or more. Certainly these aluminum alloys can corrode and be subject to electrolysis. It is really important to wash the boats down very well and get all of the salt out of the boat.
 
I have seen a guy in a Klamath around Sequim. He is a crabber, and that boat is shaped to take on some waves and come out on top. I don't really know much about it, but I like the high bow, and I have seen him come in with some stupendous loads. If I were looking for an aluminum boat, Klamath is one to consider.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I did spend a lot of time researching boats and evaluating them for my intended uses. I decided on the Alumaweld because of the heavier plate. Klamath was my second choice. They are good boats and have some nice design features.
 
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