Pondering the idea of selling the flats boat and moving down into a smaller boat for gigging/sheephead fishing. Then in a year or two getting a more family friendly bay boat.
The question is the what are the pros and cons of lets say an Alweld 1552 LA Flat vs a 16 J Carolina Skiff both with a 30 HP tiller.
I want something that can hit a piling or oyster bed and not fall apart. thank you
Key West Stealth
150 V-max
Look at the cast and blast at Hanckel 17’ aluminum flats skiff best of both worlds.
I was shrimping one night and there was a storm way out yonder. Lightning struck miles away and my hair stood straight up. My buddy was in the front of the boat and he could not even speak. We both felt the shock go through us. I have never used that boat again. We sold our place in Frogmore and left it in the yard, free for the taking. No more aluminum for me. I fished my entire childhood in that boat and thought that was all there was. That thing scared the crap out of me.
‘87 Pacemaker 31’ SF
‘04 Renegade 29’ 2 225’s
‘97 Maycraft 17’ 40 hp
I’ve had quite a few Aluminum Jon boats. I grew up fishing an hunting Murrells Inlet & Georgetown areas. Aluminum Jons are great utilitarians because they are light weight, run shallow on little power and can be scraped across oyster bars or dragged up on docks with little damage other than to paint. They generally have good capacity for their size and and in their simplest form they are easy to maintain since you aren’t reaching deep into a double walled hull to pull wiring or attach fittings, etc. The negatives are that they have a tendency to be loud, scorching hot or freezing cold against bare skin, and they will beat you to death in any kind of chop. Rivets pop out and welds break. Additionally, if you do have a broken weld, repair requires a TIG welder instead of a few ounces of epoxy to fix. Finally, clean storage options are usually easier to rig with a glass boat.
A glass flat bottom like a CSkiff will have similar characteristics when it comes to ride, capacity, and low power options, but will quieter and more comfortable in extreme temps. Additionally, a CSkiff is modular and easy to set-up in almost any configuration. Likely to be a little heavier for same size and I would be more reluctant to drag one across an oyster bar though they would be easier to repair.
I don’t think you’d go wrong either way.
Personally, I sold my 14’ Jon when I bought my flats boat and though I really enjoy my boat and think it’s the best option for most of my fishing, I do miss having a small aluminum Jon for crabbing, shrimping, gigging, and just beating around. What it comes down to is most of us need at least three boats for everything we want to do in the salt.
16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120
I just sold a 16ft Aluminum Boat and bought a J16 CS. The main thing about the CS is that it isn’t so hot during the summer. It’s pretty tough, so I wouldn’t worry about oyster shells. It’s a tad bit heavier than the Al boat though. Both are great shallow water boats.
John
Pathfinder 23 HPS
aluminum is lighter and faster for a given HP
fiberglass is heavier quieter and cooler
I grew up fishing in aluminum jon boats. They always got the job done but I had a similar incident with the lightning. We thought someone threw a stick of dynamite at us because it came out of no where and instantly my ears were ringing. I’m not crazy about the stability of the aluminum either. I have a j16 and its like a small barge. I take it anywhere from the creek to the jetties, on a good day. I can launch and trailer it in 2 feet of water. Hanckels sells the j16 bench model without motor for less than 3k.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Malibu Stealth 12
94 J16 Carolina Skiff/2004 yamaha 25
I fish a J14 and i’ll second all the comments on the j model boats. I have a 25 merc tiller and on a jackplate and foil i run 30-33mph wide open. The 14 is good for one or two people fishing. Will carry 5 just fine when beach hopping. The 16 is goo for up to three fishing. The 14 is rated for a 30hp and the 16 is rated for a 40hp. All have a 64" beam. The 14 is 280lbs bare and the 16 is 330lbs bare.
If it is choppy you will get wet. No way around it. Handles just like a skiff should and it’s fun to drift through corners once you get used to it. I can fish all weekend on 5 gallons of fuel or less and it trailers like theres nothing back there. You can launch it almost anywhere and easy to pole and paddle around the flats. However, oyster beds are not kind to the hull.
I love my J14 and the only thing I would change about it is that I should’ve gotten the 16 instead. I bought new and I would highly reccomend it. You get the warranty and the opportunity to set it up the way you want from the get go.
2012 Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc, Foil & Jackplate
I prefer fiberglass myself… but its much easier to push aluminum with that gig pole.
My aluminum jon boat had a gash in the bottom from hitting oysters (a few drinks, a corroded spot light, and complete darkness).
I cleaned it up, applied life caulk to an aluminum license plate, stuck it to the bottom, drilled holes and added rivets. Its been that way for years with no leaks.
My 17ft carolina skiff, and my dad’s j16 have lots of rash on the bottom. If you dont care about cosmetics, the boat doesnt either.
Also, if you loan it to your friends and they run it up on a sand bar, the carolina skiff will slide back in easy
Key West 2300cc Mercury 225 optimax “Fish Tale”
Have had this Lowe since 2005. Has never had loose rivet or weld leak. Has been ran up on oysters, hit plenty of docks and has been rubbed up against plenty of barnicals. Things i would never do with fiberglass. She also has a nice ride.
A wise man once said “Do as I say not as I do” Good advice when I tell you that.
I had several alum Jons and a J16 CS. Oysters will scratch into the alum as well as the glass. Glass is easy to fix. You generally don’t go plowing into an oyster rake hard enough to do major damage to either. I have always been on the fence as to which was better. Now that they make a green or dead grass glass boats I side with the glass. A lot cooler in summer, quieter, and smoother ride in a chop. Both will wet you in a chop if wind is blowing and the flat bottom slams on waves. That 4" of foam in a double hull of the J16 makes a huge difference in the ride IMO. One you feel and the other jars your teeth! There is a difference. Do get the max HP on the glass boat - you will be glad you did in the long run. It takes a little more HP to cruise with a load in the glass boat. I have I 1436 PolarKraft with a 15 I duck hunt and fish out of now. Plan on passing that one to my son. I have a 16-17’ glass boat on my wish list now.
J Ford
You can’t catch 'um on the couch!
having owned and fished both (jon bote: 16’ dura-craft 16/42 & small glass bote: 15’ aquarious) I’ll tell you that I’m glad I have the glass… especially in salt and would choose it 5 to 1 over my old dura-craft. My glass bote is a 15’ bay skiff (v-bottom skiff). It was a little CC but I took the helm out so I didn’t have to buy a new motor. The topside layout is like a skiff- a bench in the back where I mounted a seat and drive tiller but the beauty is the huge flat unobstructed flat floor like a skiff. Way more stable than my jon and I can actually walk around barefoot in my glass bote for two reasons. 1) jon bote has ribs that are not fun at all to step on or stub your toe 2) agree with statements above regarding how heat/cold of the elements. Also my glass bote runs a lot more quite and dry.
run both with the same 40hp 2-scroke yamaha… duracraft is about 5 mph faster but a lot harder to hold on to at times
I have to be a little more careful when I sheephead fish but I can keep the skiff in the water overnight and don’t have to worry about aluminum bote cancer (electrolosis).
If you ain’t retie’n, you aint try’n…
thank you for the responses - the J16 is become the first choice except when I read about water logged hulls. I will hopeful be allowed to keep it in the garage, so that will help but it is still a concern.
The cast and Blast is a nice boat to nice- about 12 grand more than I want to spend on a beater and the bow is to pointy for my intended use. Along with 18 inches to long for the garage.
Key West Stealth
150 V-max
The water intrusion issue is one reason why I opted to buy new. The J models have nowhere to let water into the hull until YOU drill holes in it. As long as they are sealed correctly(3M 5200), you won’t have any issues.
2012 Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc, Foil & Jackplate
FYI my boat has seen plenty of water in it and is in the weather quite a bit and three years later all is still fine. Still light as can be and no loss of speed or performance. The only holes in the floor are in the very rear and are only for the battery holddown, fuel tank holddown and the center support for the rear deck. No need for holes anywhere else. Rod holders are 5200’d to the sides and both the decks are mounted to the rails.
I would be cautious about a used boat though. Honestly for the price, if you are going to use it as it seems that you will, just buy new. Under $3000 for boat and decks. Add in hardware, sealant and accessories for a few hundred more, add motor and trailer and you’re set. I had a blast building mine and really didn’t take that long.
2012 Carolina Skiff J14, 25 Merc, Foil & Jackplate
I have had the Carolina Skiff 14-foot wide, the J-16 and now have a all welded 1648 100-gauge aluminum Grizzly. I think all three are a lot of fun and your idea of going with a tiller is the ticket because it leaves you with wide open space for fishing, gigging and storage. Deciding between the two depends on your intended usage in my opinion. I have a flats boat as well so my jon boat is used pretty much exclusively for gigging, camping, hunting, beating around in the creeks and running the dog and kids to the island to swim on a couple of gallons of fuel. Yes the aluminum is hot and yes it is loud, but using some foam sheets between the ribs and with a wide variety of plastic, rubber, or neoprene mats to go over the foam the boat will be significantly cooler and quieter. I can beach the aluminum and come back after tide has backed out and still get it in the water by myself, doing that with a CS can be a little bit harder, pretty much need two people from my experience. I could not tell you for the certain the differences in the draw amount but I know for certain the aluminum draws less making it more ideal for gigging, I pole it by myself all the time in extremely slim water. Speaking of poling neither one of these two will pole well if you plan to flats fish out of it, without a keel both track terribly, I did get a poling platform made for my Grizzly but pretty much use it just to get a better vantage point of fish or to stand on to shoot marsh hens. The aluminum is by far the ticket for beating against pilings or going over a rake when gigging.
While the CS is heavier it is also more sea worthy in my opinion. The skiff seems to have more floatation than my jon which makes me feel more comfortable should I find myself in rough water and take a wave over the bow. The CS is more stable than my modified V and I would not hesitate to mount a decent size live well in the CS but believe it would be a little much for the jon. The CS requires more HP to push. The 14 wide I had was powered by a 25 an
quote:
Originally posted by chris Valuminum is lighter and faster for a given HP
fiberglass is heavier quieter and cooler…
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>Dang, hard to sum it up better than that.
I’ve spent far more time in aluminum jons and semi-V’s, but we also owned a 13.5’ Boston Whaler for a number of years. When my father died, I decided to sell it and let my mother have the cash.
Between the two, I’d trade 5 of my current boats brand new (14’ semi-V aluminum) just to have that small Whaler back.
Yes, fiberglass is far heavier, takes more horse to push it up on plane (generally), and is a bit more prone to oyster damage. But the stability and buoyancy have me convinced that my next boat will be something similar to that old Whaler.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
quote:Ummmmm....
Originally posted by Redfish_mattI’ve spent far more time in aluminum jons and semi-V’s, but we also owned a 13.5’ Boston Whaler for a number of years. When my father died, I decided to sell it and let my mother have the cash.
Between the two, I’d trade 5 of my current boats brand new (14’ semi-V aluminum) just to have that small Whaler back.
Yes, fiberglass is far heavier, takes more horse to push it up on plane (generally), and is a bit more prone to oyster damage. But the stability and buoyancy have me convinced that my next boat will be something similar to that old Whaler.
… The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
OK
Sorry for your loss.
18’ CC w/ 115 Yami
I read a lot about the CS skiffs taking on water in the foam, but mine is a 94 and is pretty beat up but I wasn’t able to find any water in the hull even after I drilled 5 holes in different locations. 2 holes were at the bottom of the transom and the other 3 were in different locations on the bottom of the boat. I thought for sure it would have water in it due to its age and condition but after letting it sit tilted for a day I didn’t get any water out of it. I wouldn’t worry too much about it on a new skiff.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Malibu Stealth 12
94 J16 Carolina Skiff/2004 yamaha 25