Anti-fouling an aluminium boat is harder and more expensive.

Aluminum bay boats vs fiberglass. Overexposing fiberglass to the sun can degrade the gel coat the hull and eventually the boats core structures. Aluminum boats are lightweight with more speed and are dent resistant. Now youre not even in the same ballpark for strength.

Choosing the size and style of boat is one thing but what about the different material used to. There is no need to scrub one like a fiberglass boat. Aesthetics A fiberglass hull can be moulded into fancy shapes and sleek lines that an aluminium owner can only stand back and admire.

Most fiberglass has strength ratings well above aluminum and some have ratings about equal or slightly less. For example an aluminum Lund 1436 L that is 14 feet long and 57 inches wide only weighs 146 pounds while a Pro-Strike 14 2 fiberglass jon boat that is 55 inches wide weighs much more at 260 pounds. Truth be told even with poly boats from manufacturers like Triumph Walker Bay and Hobie on the rise the percentage of polyethylene hulls on the market is tiny when compared to either aluminum or fiberglass.

Aluminum is lighter than fiberglass and this fact is evidenced by the weight of similar sized jon boats. And the sides are 12. Go get the ksi numbers.

Fiberglass boats tend to weigh more so they generally have better seakeeping abilities and more stability than aluminum boats. Since aluminum boats are lighter than boats of the same size made with fiberglass they also gain an economic edge when it comes to powering and operational expense. It has a maximum horsepower of 150 which will definitely get the aluminum boat going but pales in comparison to the maximum horsepower ratings on larger fiberglass boats.

Thats not to say that theyre not out there. Aluminum can bend but it wont crack. Aluminum is great because you can clean up with just a pressure washer.