I'm originally from Texas but thanks to uncle sam I have been here since '01 well anyway im finally ready to get a boat and i found a deal on a 20CC aluminum boat for 12,000. Well the question is has anyone seen a crazy enough person to take a aluminum boat out on the ocean front?

The thing that will hurt is that saltwater is always tough on aluminum boats. I haven't seen too many people with them, but occasionally I will. It isn't impossible, but make sure to wash your boat down and flush your motor once you get into port. Good luck!

I used to run an 18' starcraft aluminum boat all around the bay and outside the bridge....you just have to be smart, pick your days and like ryfisher said, wash it down really good. Nothing wrong with aluminum, the shape of the boat means more than what it is made of. The starcraft I had was a deep v, and not a flat bottom, or john boat.

personly for $12000. i would look for a fiberglass boat. with the high cost of fuel there are a lot of good deals to be found be patient good luck with that

The boat in question is a G3 1860 CC DELUXE, not the 20. Someone mentioned a fiberglass boat, but does anyone know of one that would cost around 12,000 semi new to new?

In my opinion you can buy a lot of boat for 12k! First of all I would look to getting a boat with a good motor. The motor is the first consideration, the boat second. If you can't find a boat with a good motor, buy the motor used from a dependable source and then find a boat to go with it. Generally if you find a decent boat without a motor you can get it for a deal anyways. For 12K you will have to put some elbow grease into it to get it into military shape but other than that you should have mo problems. One thing to recognize is that right now is a great time to buy, folks out there with more money than sense are busy putting spanking new 4-strokes on their boats, and selling their perfectly good 2-stroke Yammy saltwater series for a song (I know, I bought my 99' 225 SS2 with less than 150 hours from a dentist for 4500!). Take your time, learn about saltwater boats and look at lots of them before you buy. Oh, and always put the largest, or near largest, motor on the boat it is rated for- Nothing worse than an underpowered boat just to get a few creature comforts in the hull. If I were you I would find a 22-23' boat which will give you a lot more options on how far out you can go. Trust me, if you are a fishing maniac, you will say stuff like "thats OK, I just need something to go around the inlet/bays" after a year you'll be buying a bigger boat to get out to the CBBT and then the CHX light, the tirangles etc etc. The 23 footer will do you well for at least a year or two.

Good luck

D

I got my boat (2003 18' Maycraft 115 hp Suzuki) for 13k, and I think I paid a little much. The thing that took me for mine was the engine never went over 5000 RPM according to the computer read out Deep Blue Marine had given me, with like 125 hours on the engine.

John

FishinfamilyO,

Sent you a PM.

Phil

JUST KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN,. MY FRIEND JUST PICKED UP A 22' GRADY, I/O W/ A NEW MOTOR FOR $4000.00 NOT A NEW BOAT, BUT GRADY'S ARE EXCELLENT BOATS. I PUT NEW DECALS & HE REFINISHED THE PLATFORM & HE WAS READY TO GO. BOUY 8 IN URBANNA HAD A ,I BELIEVE, 24' OR 25' GRADY W/ TWINS ON IT FOR $10,000. 2 STROKES I'M SURE, BUT A GREAT BOAT FOR ANYTHING. BAY OR OCEAN. THE GUYS AT BUOY 8 SELL ON CONSIGNMENT & SEEM TO HAVE FAIR PRICES. ALSO, YOU WOULD BE SUPRISED AT THE BOATS YOU WILL SEE FOR SALE IN A MARINA YARD.

A lot of fishermen on the Northwest coast (Wash. or Oregon) use aluminum boats. They are tough as nails. You aren't going to find a new 18' fiberglass boat that will handle the ocean for $12,000 new. I've seen a few G-3's going out of Kiptopeke or Oyster on the Eastern Shore. They seemed to do fine when the weather was fine. The baddest aluminum saltwater boat out there in my opinion are those Black Lab boats (they used to be called Pacific Boats). I saw a lot of them around Seattle a couple of years ago and one on the Eastern Shore last year. One nasty, solid looking boat...but pricey.

in regards to to the fiberglass boat, there are usually many on craigslist and similar sites for around $12,000. I would personally go with a fiberglass boat, but like everyone else said, an aluminum boat can be used in saltwater just as long as you wash it everytime you go out.

I had a 1860 Aluminum DuraCraft CC ( like the one you are talking about) and loved it. I still regret selling it.

They will handle the bay and inshore ocean but you will get wet if the wind is blowing. Its a great inshore boat. If you want to fish the bay and ocean I would go with a v hull fiberglass boat. The ride is much better with a 18 or 19ft v bottom that the bottom on the 1860. It depends on what is the kind of fishing you want to do with it.

First, I used to own an aluminum boat and a fiberglass boat. Boat we're the same length. With the advancement in boat technology it would only take you 5 minutes in each to realize how much better the fiberglass boat is. It is soo much more sturdy, when you move from one side to the other you dont have to worry about the boat rocking like you do in an aluminum boat. Plus like said before in the post, aluminum gets beat down by saltwater, FAST! For 12K you can find a perfectly good boat with low hours that will easily fish the oceanfront or the bay. Check ebay, or craigslist. I've bought 2 boats off craigslist and both we're cheap and in great condition.

I just sold a 24' Wellcraft cuddy for $16K that ran like a swiss watch & was equipped like a 40'er. It's not the age, its how the boats is maintained. There are some good deals out there right now if you look around.