Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Aluminum Bass Boats

Looking for an aluminum bass boat but have been out of the bass game for while so not really sure what's on the market. Something like the Tracker 190tx or some variation of an 1860. Would prefer to stay away from glass.

Any suggestions on brands? Budget is about 30k.

In 2019 I was looking for a bass boat and wanted aluminum as well. After doing a bunch of research, I actually chose a Lowe Bay 20, a shallow draft aluminum bay boat.

For me it works better than a bass boat. It holds more people and has more seats. The center console driving position provides better visibility and comfort in rough water. You can fish around the sides of the console as well as on the fore and aft decks. The wells between the deck combined with the grab bar make a very stable place to stand for less sure footed folks, especially in rough water. It has both a live and a bait well. It had a higher weight capacity, more foam, and a thicker hull than an equivalent bass boat. The draft is basically identical to a bass boat, and it’s on a pad hull so it drives like a bass boat.

There are some trade offs. Compared to a true bass boat there is less deck and storage space. If you are only ever going to fish one or two anglers, a bass boat is probably just a bit better as far as layout. But fishing alone there is plenty of room in almost any boat layout.

You know more about boats than 95% of the posters here, so I’m guessing you kind of already know what you want. I think most of the major brands are pretty close in terms of build, and most of them are owned by Brunswick or BPS. The most valuable think you can add (besides safety equipment) is a strong GPS guided trolling motor with spot lock/anchor mode and track/heading lock.

Thanks. I will check that out.

I am not 100% sold on a traditional bass boat design.

Plan on doing a lot of deep water striper jigging too.

How much HP did you put in the lowe 20?

It’s rated for 150. I have a Mercury Pro XS CT 115 on the back. As you know, you can never have enough power, but then Pro XS CT is pretty peppy for its rating. It pushes the boat around the lake with 5 on board total pulling a tube. When strictly fishing in the spring or fall (no tubing) I swap from a 4-blade 17 pitch to a 19 pitch prop and the increase in speed is noticeable. If I had a choice, I would have gone 150, but I am certainly happy with what’s on there.

I do a lot of deep water jigging myself. Anchor mode/spot lock makes it super easy to locate fish and lock the boat on top of a school. The footwells around the console are actually where I prefer to stand when jigging. The footing is secure because you are standing lower down, and you are close to the electronics on the console (I’ve got a bow mount unit too). The remote for the trolling motor lets you completely control boat location and trolling motor function from anywhere in the boat.

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There are light gauge riveted aluminum hulls and heavy gauge welded hulls.
In the Northwest there are many boatbuilders that specialize in welded aluminum boats.
In the Midwest and East there are not many around but it's good to know that they exist.
North River Boats

Northriver? What’s that?



I am looking for a bass-ish boat.

I am definitely thinking the 115 CT for whatever I get.

Thanks for the info

I bought an aluminum bass boat 4 years ago that is a little different. Mine is a 1960 Semi V Alweld with an outboard Jet. I bass fish mostly in rivers. It has more cockpit space in it and shorter raised decks than current bass boat style. I am ok with that. And needed the ability to run shallow.
If I was going to buy a prop boat for lake fishing. I liked Ranger Aluminum most.

Had an Alumaweld for a good while and
had to sell it after the hospital bill collectors
finished bending me over.

If I ever get to where I'm able to buy another
aluminum boat, it'll be one from Louisiana
like a Hankos or similar.
They'll build whatever you want however you
want and not give you a ration of bs like the
professional bs'ing boat salesmen do at the
places I've interacted with. They build with
good materials and good construction
Stay away from a cheesy cheap boat unless
you're a good swimmer

My old boss had a Hankos built boat for the marsh in S Louisiana. His was 20 x 72". He had 2 40 horse surface drives on it. The boat was the real deal really sturdy build. Motors were problematic.

How stable are the 1860 models for bass fishing ? Two guys standing up.

Depending on how heavy you are I would guess it would be stable. Mine is 1960 and I am big. Mine is stable if I walk the gunwale.

Both Lund and Alumacraft make the semi v models as well. I use a 16’ Alumacraft for guiding on the Mississippi. It’s the John boat Flat back model semi- v but I need that for shallow running. I believe now they have deeper running “ bass” models.
It thought Alumaweld has some good ones.
Personally is avoided tracker as their aluminum was thinner.
Osky

I have a Ranger VS 1782 SC deep V Aluminum fishing boat. Really good boat for rough water with a semi bass boat setup. It has a large raised front deck with plenty of storage and 2 livewells to keep fish alive. The boat is all welded and quite a bit heavier than a similar boat by Lund or other top end aluminum boat builders.

This covers a lot of bases for me. Real stable with a bow mount for bass fishing, but has a V-hull for choppy water. Its a Lund.

What model is that ? Plenty stable for 2 guys?

This has been a great boat for us. Very stable and room enough for 2 fishermen.

Looks like what they sell as the "rebel", up here in Canada.

That’s a nice boat.

Its an Angler 1650. Has a 50hp. Two big guys, cooler, and gear, 27 mph. Ditch the cooler and unneeded gear and you can do 30 mph with the right prop. That package (80# terrova 24v, garmin 9”, onboard charger,) was $26k.

It’s very stable. Lund uses a hull shape that flattens out a lot in the back. My nephew is every bit of 250lbs and he can damn near stand on the gunnel and I’m ok on the bow.

DO NOT go with the full windshield on this boat. Its not as wide as an Impact or Adventure. For this boat, the extra space around the console is awesome. I usually prefer tiller boats for the space, but the side console is the best of both worlds.

Biggest complaint is the fuel tank is not built in. It lives under the back deck, which can hold 2 6-gallon tanks.

Before the Lund Impact we owned a 16 foot smokercraft. We fished that boat all over Colorado. There were a lot of good memories. In 2001, we looked at the Lund Rebel but decided on the Smoker as a better fit in our budget at the time. You may want to give them a look see.

I would look at Alumacraft as well.

xpress are probably the best aluinum bass boats. if you're open to multispecies boats, look into alumacraft, I have a 09' alumacraft Tournament pro that i love for all around fishing

Just like any boat, get as much horsepower as you can afford. I have a 21 crest liner mx21 with a 250 mercury on it. It’s not the best riding boat but it has a wider bow than just about any other boat….. the width at the bow is enough for 2 people to stand side by side and fish easily which is what 99% of what bass fishing is.

Aluminums get blown around by the wind a little more than glass but run shallower…. Always a trade off…. Gotta decide what your “must haves” are and go from there. I take my son and his partner on high school bass tournaments so we always have 3 people in the boat…. Real estate was a biggie for me and the other was minimum upkeep, I had 2014 Ranger 521 before this one and it was so fancy we would have to spend 45 minutes wiping it down and cleaning after every use….. I’m more of a utility guy so the aluminum has been great.

Ps….stay away from trackers….everyone considers them a “bargain” brand …. Their resale sucks and fit/finish is lowest possible. Express,Vexus,Lund, Gator trax all make real nice boats….. the new rangers are just re branded trackers since Johnny Morris owns em both now but if you’re looking used the older rangers we’re pretty good.

Check out Bassboatcentral.com ….. lots of info there.

Thanks. Yeah I went fishing at my old stomping grounds Lk Pleasant AZ this week. Def looking forward to bass/striper fishing.

Id still sell my Lund rebel side console

Gregor

Gregors are good boats but they make nothing that resembles a bass boat.

I am not familiar with Gregor but the pictures of v hull boats are not bass boats. Bass boats have lower sides so they can be controlled in the wind with a trolling motor and not be blown around. The hulls are designed to be a stable fishing platform that you can stand up on, on elevated decks and move around without rocking.

Well, from watching YouTube I need forward facing sonar too. Kinda looks fun.


Even those they are cheaper, thinking a Tracker 175 with 75hp Merc. Seems like in az I can get a very slightly used one for 10k off a new one.

My son-in-law has a Tracker 175 w/75 Merc. He catches the heck out of fish from that boat. He has had no issues with it.