I've been a bass boat owner for the majority of my life. I've restored older fiberglass boats because of my limited budget and I've also been able to save to buy a shiny, 21-foot fiberglass rig that made me feel like a total hotshot. I got to thinking the other day and for whatever reason, I grew up thinking that you had to have a fiberglass bass boat to be a "real" bass fisherman. It's what I saw on television and in the magazines, so it's really all I knew to be honest.
But man, there's a trend happening in recent years that we can't really ignore much longer. A bunch of anglers, whether they're weekend guys or full-time touring professionals, are flocking to aluminum bass boats. The number of newer tin boats I'm seeing on my local fisheries is absolutely blowing my mind. I've talked to boat dealers and they're having to drive thousands of miles to other states just to pick up aluminum boats for committed buyers. They agree that it's unlike anything they've ever seen.
Does this mean fiberglass boats are bad? Absolutely not. They're incredible boats and have all kinds of fancy options. What it does mean, in my opinion, is that the new technology and hull designs available in aluminum boats are giving folks the opportunity to finally get in the game at a much lower cost.
I've been eyeing aluminums for the past year. Since this redneck's wheels have been turning so much on this issue lately, I wanted to share my recent thoughts on this trend. I still have no idea what I'll do but I imagine a lot of folks are in the same position right now, so maybe this will be a helpful exercise for all of us.