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.