# Aluminum micro skiff suggestions



## ducktrooper (May 6, 2008)

I'm looking a getting a bigger boat for flyfishing and duckhunting--16' range with wider floor beam. Stabilty and shallowness are key factors.

I'll be looking at Gheenoe LT 25, Towee, and Riverhawk B60. Are there any good aluminum skiffs that are in same price and performance range? I don't plan to run a mud motor....thanks.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

The Grumman Sport Boat is in the same category.


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

Not the same category but I am a big fan of G3, Xpress and Alumacraft aluminum boats. 

This xpress is nice
http://www.xpressboats.com/view/hunting


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## ducktrooper (May 6, 2008)

Thanks...I checked out the Express...they are very heavy and out of my price range. The hull I need must be able to draft 4-6" of water and run skinny with a standard tiller. I will be flyfishing rocky rivers more often than duck hunting in deeper water.


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

Carolina skiff, river hawk, gladesmen or a LT 25 would be best then. I always see older xpress and alumacrafts on craigslist. You dont see many G3's forsale used. There is a camo LT 25 forsale on custom gheenoe. Hull only for $3500

http://www.customgheenoe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15953


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## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

I've got just the thing for you, like Tom in Orl. said: Grumman sport http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1337543127/5#5

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&item=221029536400&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT#ht_500wt_1182

I'd jump on that in a heartbeat.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

The Grummans are made to do what you describe, but they are only 15' and too narrow for your specs and I think they are often riveted.  I prefer welded hulls.  

If I wanted a aluminum hull that had to take a hit in a shallow, rocky river, I'd want a Go-Devil hull.  They have a 16' hull with a 44" bottom that weighs 455# with a MSRP of $4050.  There are many other mudmotor hulls out there, so look around.  They run fine with regular motors.  Don't rule out a mudmotor for your purposes.  If you are banging the hull off rocks, you'll probably hit rocks with the motor also.  Mudmotors handle that better than regular outboards.

Like CasaCola, I also like the Xpress hulls.  My dad has a high end Xpress hull.  IMO, the high end Xpress hulls are solid and very well built, but they draft too much for my purposes and they are heavy due to being finished out with carpet, raised soles, console, rod boxes, etc.  My dad's has the Hyper-Lift hull and is a great boat for running and gunning, but it is a miserable backwater hull and I hate push poling it.  To keep the weight and cost within reason while still getting Xpress quality, look at their jon boat line.  There is a 16' mod vee with a 50" bottom that weighs 341#.  That is pretty good and their price isn't bad if I remember properly from back when I was looking at them, although I can't find a price for a new one on-line.  To truly draft 4-6", you may have to go with a completely flat bottom instead of the mod vee. They have a 16' deck boat hull with a 52" bottom that weighs 385#.

I'd also check out Tracker/Grizzly and WarEagle. They all make good aluminum hulls from what I have heard, but I have no personal experience with them.

Nate


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## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

Grumman boats is now Marathon boats(run by ex-management and investors): http://www.marathonboat.com/square-15.asp


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

There was another one that popped up on this forum from Alabama or Louisiana. I want to say they had a whole line of aluminum boats but they had one narrow hulll that was definately a Microskiff. Anyone remember who it was or the thread?


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## tbutler (Dec 16, 2008)

No longer made, but the Lowe Roughneck 1652 has the wider (52" wide floor) hull you are looking for, and makes a good multi-purpose boat for flats or river fishing, duck hunting, etc.


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## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

I run a 16x48 alweld shallow v to the transom, It drafts around 6-8inches, my waterline is exactly 6" from the center of the v at the transom...TONS of people run alweld hulls down here in louisiana mainly for durability, Ive seen people running them with jets in the rocky bottoms on youtube and it looks like they do a mighty fine job at it, Also the boats can be built to order with whatever layout you want and also a prop tunnel or jet tunnel is an option along with floor width etc, Many people run them about 18ft long flat bottom and narrower for a more shallow draft in the 4-6 range...My hull was between 3500 and 4000 to give you an idea of price


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## hcarroll (Dec 27, 2011)

Mine's not a micro but I love my G3 1860 CCT, I duck hunt and hit the flats with it. Another option is Gatortrax. They make some sweet custom aluminum boats but may be a little pricey....


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

If you are running rocky rivers then you don't really want any of the three you mentioned. You need aluminum.

All of the above mentioned are good so pick the one that fits your needs and budget.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

1756 G3 

-a


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## camp (Jul 31, 2011)

The grumman sport boat is a great little boat, fits like a glove in the back of an 8 ft. pickup bed. I've owned one for 15 years and love it...but it is not for fly fishing or standing up and doing anything. It has a very low center of gravity and rounded canoe hull. As long as you are sitting down it is stable and able...stand up and all bets are off. As far as the rivets go My 1975 hull has been used hard and seen lots of rock and never had a leak. Prettiest rivet work ever done on the "Grumman(aircraft) Grummans" Look for an older flat in the rear 12 or 14 ft. Lund if standing up is important.


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## Gsoloway (May 15, 2012)

I have been looking at the Towee Rivermaster. I saw one a few months ago. They look well built, are relatively light for a fiberglass boat (195lbs) and they have trays built into the sides for guns and rods. It looks very functional and has more capability as an all around sportsman's boat than some of the others you mentioned. I think I am going to order one in the next few weeks.


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## stasponge31 (Apr 24, 2012)

I don't know if it fits your needs based on what others are recommending but, I have a Tracker Grizzly 1648 with a 40 E-Tec on the back. It is a great boat. If it seems like something you may like I will list all the pro's and con's and would be happy to answer any and all questions you have.

Tight Lines!


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## ducktrooper (May 6, 2008)

thanks all. I think the grumman is too small for my needs. I really like what I've read about the alweld...they offer custom flat bottom jon boats in sizes like 1844 and 1848 where you can add smooth floor, seat options etc. The other thing I'm watching is the hull weight....Like to stay under 400 lbs and these run 300-320 lbs. I'll keep eyes open for a used 1652 Lowe Roughneck


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## yeffy (May 6, 2012)

Any shallow water rocky river boat needs an outboard jet and must be made of alluminum. Alumaweld makes a great boat boat that's super tough. I would stay away from any v type hull cause the distortion will cause the motor cavitation when running shallow. I ran one up and down the yellowstone last fall you can go through 2 inches when on plane and it drafts about 5 with 2 anglers fishing


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## jarededwards (Jan 27, 2011)

I think this bote is about to shake up the category of boat that you are asking about... I can't wait to see one in person myself... too bad they're in Steamboat Springs, CO!

http://www.hogislandboatworks.com/hog-island-skiff.html


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## jarededwards (Jan 27, 2011)

New picks of the Hog Island SW16:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150713154034032.404634.300558844031&type=3#!/media/set/?set=a.10150864922499032.412854.300558844031&type=3

This is a 400 lb. hull built just like a Yeti cooler... rotomoulded and full of foam and has been Coast Guard rated as sink proof. Opinions? Looks like a heckuva micro utility skiff to me. 16 ft x 78" beam. Back bench storage is big enough to be a gun box for duck hunting at 53" x 11". Not sure of the rating yet probably 20-30hp... 

What do you think?


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## tbutler (Dec 16, 2008)

Seems like it would be an awesome alternative to a jon boat, ideal for both flats and river fishing. Was there any mention of price?


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## tbutler (Dec 16, 2008)

I'll bet there would be very little hull slap, given the "softer" nature of polyethelene...


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## jarededwards (Jan 27, 2011)

I called the owner John today... bare hull price $3950 and starting production in June.  He just gave out a handful of demo boats to guides he knows to finalize testing.  Apparently he's got a Colorado Rainbow Trout Guide who also guides in Apalachicola, FL who got one... Bob Haines.  Maybe someone on here knows who that is?  I emailed him this link... John are you out there???

I would think this design would be a step up from traditional aluminum John boats, and even the Carolina Skiff plain flat-bottom design.  Plus how cool would a poly boat that can survive a 20 ft + drop to the gunnels be?  But there's no real spray rails on that thing and it's beam definatley keeps it from winning any "technical poling skiff" awards.  But I'm sure it would be stable, quiet and draft skinny for sure even loaded down.  Awesome idea for a working skiff no doubt.  I like how level it runs in the water.  Who know's maybe it ain't too bad in the chop either?  

Does anyone know how much a 16' long 70" wide semi-V aluminum boat would weigh or perform with a 30 hp tiller?  I'd love to hear some speed #s...


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## ducktrooper (May 6, 2008)

Thanks Redhead and others. 

About the HogIsland boat, I know for fact that one of the top fly fishing Orvis Guides in the USA ordered 2 of these and he usually has companies offering them to him.

This might be the trick...I was waiting for more photos, pricing, specs, etc.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

> Mine's not a micro but I love my G3 1860 CCT, I duck hunt and hit the flats with it.  Another option is Gatortrax.  They make some sweet custom aluminum boats but may be a little pricey....


They also have one in the micro category

http://www.gatortraxboats.com/c-4-the-rogue.aspx


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## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

RedHead- Are you asking 16 x 70 at the bottom or a 70 Beam? 
Generally speaking, the wider a boats bottom is the more horsepower it will take to move it the same speed as a narrower boat the same length due to more surface area on the water. My 1648 Alweld weighs in at the 320-340 range (if im not mistaken) And i run a 25 Etec Power Trim,  Trimmed properly with two people and a full load (full tank of gas, Cooler with 16lbs of ice and plenty of fishing gear I have seen 30 mph gps...Stock aluminum prop also


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## jarededwards (Jan 27, 2011)

> RedHead- Are you asking 16 x 70 at the bottom or a 70 Beam?


I'm guessing at the bottom since it's got to be pretty wide with the beam being 78"... a more accurate guess may be 60" since I know the inside of the back storage under the bench is 53" and the transom does tuck in a bit more then the widest beam...  Yeah still pretty wide.  Lots of room and good stability for sure but slower also. I've never heard of an aluminum boat that wide at 16 feet.  

So I'm thinking 400 lbs. with a 60" bottom may be just under 30 mph with a 30 horse and light load...  what's your guess?


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## jeross (Jun 6, 2009)

Granted, it's early and this was probably just an off the cuff guess, but his guess at the boat's draft seems a bit optomistic.

*Hog Island Boat Works* with a 150 lb. motor, 7 gallons gas, 2- 3 people, gear, ice, the essentials... 1000 lbs will draw 2 1/2".


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## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

I guess that is one of the advantages to buying an Alweld, You can pretty much tell them your length and width of the boat you want. They build their base line boats and they also build custom boats to the customers need. I have never seen any other aluminum boat manufacturer (sp.?) offer a deck like this...Shoulda got one on mine lol 

http://www.alweld.com/img/boats/large/caviar_3.jpg

When I was making my decision on boats, Looking at some of their flat bottom jons, I sat there thinking to myself, Is this thing a barge?? 
I also had my boat delivered in less than a month from purchase date. 
Sorry if I seem like a spokesperson, I am just a very satisfied customer...Really wanted an ankona or a native skiff but $ didnt allow it. I have nothing to complain about on my hull other than aluminum hull slap which I was going to have to deal with on any boat i was looking at buying


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## ducktrooper (May 6, 2008)

Hey guys...I think I found a great deal and hull style for a 2011 War Eagle, 848 ldv, or 18x48. Has smooth floor, 3 pedestal plates, front storage and raised front deck, and seat pods in back with electrical. Hull weight is 485 lbs, thickness is .100......but, transom height is 21"....not 15".

I'll plan to run a 25 HP...which I'll buy used. I do not plan to run a mud motor so can a short shaft outboard still work this high? Is it expensive to cut down the transom? Thoughts?


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## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

25 hp on an 18 footer seems a bit underpowered, What type of load do you usually carry while fishing? (people, gear, ice, fuel)
If you are planning to buy used you may not have a hard time finding a longer shaft outboard to fit the transom.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Most of those have raised transoms so you will need a long shaft. How do I know you ask. The brother in law bought one new and had a used 40 tiller short shaft on it when he came to show it off. Let's just say he ended up extending the foot... I would measure first and see if it is a 15 or 20... You can actually get a better deal on a long shaft most of the time..


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## ducktrooper (May 6, 2008)

there appear to be 2 issues on this boat after doing more questioning. First, it has a 21" high transom...not a 15". Not too big a deal if I get long shaft motor. Bigger issue is that it's 485 lbs. hull, compared to the 300 and 330 lb. versions from Alweld and Weldbilt. That's just too much boat for trying to handle over shoals and occasional gravel bars.


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