Fibreglass or aluminium

[rickmarlin62]

my vsea is 1980 mod no probs luv it..fished out of dozens of boats over the years owned ten different boats myself..i wouldn't own a tinny..my thoughts only but ive seen enough mates buy em then sell em...my best mate owns a 5.5 stessl striker and has had it welded up four times so far..it only takes a couple of sinkers and hooks or swivels to start electrolysis in alloy...plenty of people like alloy that's why they sell so many..pik out pluses an minuses and work out what will tide you the best..if you like fishing estuaries in shallow water glass is quieter its generally more comfortable a ride than same size alloy...if you want to be able to drag the nose up on the bank and tie up to things alloy is the go.....everyone has a different opinion..so I wish you luck in your decision and hope you get heaps of enjoyment no matter what you choose...rick

[back cruncher]

Hi all...my brother in law has a seafarer Viking,a great boat it is.we often go out together in our own boats or together in each other's boat.my boats a bar crusher slightly bigger,his boat definitely doesn't ride faster or softer than my boat,it's much quieter though.ive been in his boat when it plowed strait thru a wave,mine has never done that.

if you want a decent riding boat make sure it's at least got a deep v,heavier the better.

[Sea Ranger]

What about a hull like this one ???

[back cruncher]

Hi all...noo2ozfish,what's the v from behind the boat ?

[Sea Ranger]

It's not my boat,, just one of a thousand I'm looking at.  So this is all I got

 

[rickmarlin62]

the vee behind the boat...hes talking about the deadrise..the angle of the hull at the transom..flat transom sit more stable but bang travelling..deeper vee transom travel better but not as stable at rest..rick

[Sea Ranger]

Interesting.

I just googled deadrise and found this pic which helped explain it.  SO the higher angle the more stable in the rough and the lower the angle the more stable at rest in calm seas?

 

 

[Fab1]

High dead rise (Deep Vee)also require more power than a low dead rise to get up on the plane.

They turn better at high speed.

They require more water depth to float.

They are more unstable at rest.

They are softer riding in rough conditions.

 

Low dead rise (Shallow Vee) plane easier and require less power.

They float in less water,they have less 'draft'(How much hull is underneath waterline).This changes with load.

They require less power to plane.

They are more stable at rest.

They are harsher riding in rough conditions.

As you can see there's pros and cons with each as a perfect boat for everything doesn't exist.

If most of my boating was going to be outside in the rough stuff I'd choose something with a deeper Vee in Glass by a long shot.

If I was mainly going to plod around in the bays,estuaries and rivers I would go aluminium and a shallower Vee all the way.

This is not to say that a shallower Vee can't be used in the rough and a deeper Vee can't be used in the estuaries and bays,it's just not ideal.

My advice is too really Narrow your focus on one of these things from each group.

Range in length e:g 4-5meters.

Engine size/ power type e:g 2 or 4 stroke.

Carrying capacity e:g 4 people

Ally or glass.

Fwd steer/Tiller.

runabout,open,side console,half cabin etc as the layout.

You get the point,You need to pick one of those attributes from each group to narrow your focus and cull out a huge amount of boats and wasted time looking for that ideal boat for "YOU".

Good luck.

 

[JonD]

So now you can start to see buying a boat which is good at all things is a compromise, just like trying to find one rod and reel of hat can do it all.

Most glass boats have deeper v hulls, some built very deep to handle rough sea a high speed. As you get older and start suffering back and neck problems like I do you then start looking for the softest riding boats you can find. The problem can be as mentioned they can be tipy at rest, so much in some cases that a cruise craft I once owned you couldn't have two people trying to land a fish from the rear corner on the same side in choppy seas.

Yesterday I was out in a cootacraft ( comercial abalone boat ) the only other boat in the windy conditions from here in Narooma was another comercial abb boat. These boats simply come into there own in the rough or busting their way out through bar crossings but you cant have everything as they are quite tender side on in the chop.

Ive owned around 30+ boats since he age of 12 and jump onboard as many different boats as I can, I feel like a bit of a boat junky as I feel I have to keep trying out the next to find that perfect boat. The Haines signatures have always been a favorate having owned 4 different models, the little Formula 15 was also a great small boat that ranked highly even taking that one out 45 km to the seamounts regularly.

I now own a boat that I vowed never to own and have been simply blown away to find it's a boat I can do everything in in comfort and safety. Super deep v and stability no tiny, tri hull, cat, or glass boat can rival for its size. I was recently 80km offshore with it and still able to cruise over the top of coral reefs at half tides. My fuel range is around 300km + from a 100 lt tank and I can cruise at 22knots all day ( max 30 knots). It fits in my 6m garage and can legally carry 12 passengers and weighs only 350kg. Ha ha no such boat, think again https://www.zodiac-nautic.com/en/shop/produits/boats/pro-en/pro-550/

Edited August 6, 2017 by JonD

[JonD]

By the way back to the original question, out of the boats you mentioned  I would buy the Whitley if it was me, Ive often had them on my high option list. another is the cyclone 540 which is claimed to be very good in rough water and at rest.

[Fab1]

Take on board what JonD is saying mate as you can't buy the kind of experiences in different boats he's had over the years.

Thanks for providing invaluable info on your posts JonD to try to help others.

Those zodiacs certainly punch above their weight don't they?But what suits you isn't for everyone.This is the key I think Bear.

Research and buy what suits "You" and only you.We can only give recommendations based on our knowledge and experiences that may or may not help you decide what your after.

Just keep in mind Bear that a novice skipper would more than likely not even tell the differance between say a 18 deg hull and a 22deg hull.I'll put my hand up and tell you now I certainly wouldn't.

Let us know how you go as I'm looking fwd to see what you end up with after all the headaches we've given you on your decision.

Cheers.

[back cruncher]

Hi all...a boat only rides rough if you drive them too fast.the deeper the v the faster you can drive them before they start banging hard.so if your never in a hurry and have a ton of patients get a flatter v boat,because stability at at rest is a good thing too.

[jeffb5.8]

I do 90% of my fishing and boating in the Harbour, Hawkesbury and Jarvis Bay.

i also usually have 1 or 3 kids with me, plus the wife or a mate.

i bought a 5.4m Bowrider as it give me the room to stow all the kids gear, seat extra people and it's great cruising the rivers and I can fish 3 guys in three locations.

at rest we can have two people leaning over the side and the boat hardly leans over.

it does bounce in the chop but I just slow down a bit.

i have been caught in 30km head wind with a 2.5m swell and driving rain and it was back braking at anything over 15knots. But that is rare.

i have been outside a little about 2km on a good day and it was fantastic but you pick you days and unless your a hardcore fisherman you don't want to be out there on a sloppy day as it's not fun.

So the alloy is great for me to launch Solo, pull up to a beach in the Hawkesbury or Jervis bay and let the kids go for a swim.

i drive onto my trailer and away I go.

Do I like fiberglass yes and would love the comfort of a half cabin yes, but for my boating lifestyle the Alloy bow rider at this point is my best solution.

As Fab said what, where, how and who is how you will answer your dilemma, just remember your mates won't come out as often as you think or they say they will cause life catches them out all the time.

Edited August 7, 2017 by jeffb5.8

[JonD]

Just something to consider after reading the above, if anyone does get caught in a situation where you may have to punch long distances to get back to where you launched, think about an alternative harbour that might make for a better ride with the wind and sea direction. If you insure with club marine you are covered for transport costs back to pick up your tow vehicle and trailer to bring to the safer harbour. Even if you are offshore and get caught with a strong westerly you can still tack your way home rather than hitting it straight on to you get within shelter of land ( if you have enough fuel).

What ever you get it will probably just be a stepping stone untill the next boat if you are anything like most of us boat owners ( or should I say addicts). 

Edited August 7, 2017 by JonD

[Fab1]

3 hours ago, jeffb5.8 said:

I do 90% of my fishing and boating in the Harbour, Hawkesbury and Jarvis Bay.

i also usually have 1 or 3 kids with me, plus the wife or a mate.

i bought a 5.4m Bowrider as it give me the room to stow all the kids gear, seat extra people and it's great cruising the rivers and I can fish 3 guys in three locations.

at rest we can have two people leaning over the side and the boat hardly leans over.

it does bounce in the chop but I just slow down a bit.

i have been caught in 30km head wind with a 2.5m swell and driving rain and it was back braking at anything over 15knots. But that is rare.

i have been outside a little about 2km on a good day and it was fantastic but you pick you days and unless your a hardcore fisherman you don't want to be out there on a sloppy day as it's not fun.

So the alloy is great for me to launch Solo, pull up to a beach in the Hawkesbury or Jervis bay and let the kids go for a swim.

i drive onto my trailer and away I go.

Do I like fiberglass yes and would love the comfort of a half cabin yes, but for my boating lifestyle the Alloy bow rider at this point is my best solution.

As Fab said what, where, how and who is how you will answer your dilemma, just remember you mates won't come out as often as you think cause life catches them out all the time.

Forget about mates coming out as often as you'd like.Most boat owners don't get out as much as they'd like due to many reasons.Im one of them.Lol.