MuddyBottomBluz Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 I currently have a 17 Roughneck with a 60 Johnson that I converted to center console with the help of a forum member, you know; the one that still plays with sticks and fire!? I also know RacerX has a new aluminum boat as well but I saw this one on Florida Sportsman Best Boats and was blown away by it. The company is called Avid out of Mississippi, fairly new company and they make all kinds of aluminum boats and I gotta tell ya, I was impressed! I posted the link for the top tier bay boat boat but they make other sizes, this is a 23 footer! and yes that is a 250 hanging on the back of an aluminum boat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 2 hours ago, MuddyBottomBluz said: I currently have a 17 Roughneck with a 60 Johnson that I converted to center console with the help of a forum member, you know; the one that still plays with sticks and fire!? I also know RacerX has a new aluminum boat as well but I saw this one on Florida Sportsman Best Boats and was blown away by it. The company is called Avid out of Mississippi, fairly new company and they make all kinds of aluminum boats and I gotta tell ya, I was impressed! I posted the link for the top tier bay boat boat but they make other sizes, this is a 23 footer! https://avid-boats.com/23-fs-mag/ and yes that is a 250 hanging on the back of an aluminum boat!! Muddy, I have the 21 FS from Avid. I went with the 115 Vmax SHO for fuel mileage and I currently top out at 43 at WOT full fuel and 2 people and gear. She drafts 11-13. I love the way she rides and fishes... I would have bought a glass boat but just could not justify the cost at my current state. My 2020 21' FS with the Vmax SHO cost me $36K out the door with a 10" Humminbird Helix and a 24V 82lb 60" Riptide iPilot. I can send pictures of her if you would like to see her....I have the option of going to a 200 if I wanted to. Maybe later if I plan on racing her 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 Good looking sleds. Looks like a Pathy costing way less. Good luck and thanks for sharing. Would love to see pics of yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shallowminded6 Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 Real world, how does it ride in chop? Im always skeptical about metal in saltwater due to corrosion, looks awesome for lakes like okeechobee etc for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 Aluminum has been around for years....they have their application; however, I would suspect there is a significant difference between fiberglass and Aluminum when it comes to the ride under heavy seas conditions... dc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 So here is my boat during the break in period, I know it is not in a heavy chop or rough seas, but none the less thought I would get you some looks...I own a 21 FS from Avid. I've had her in a 2-4 ft chop on Lake Hartwell blowing 15-20knots running around 30 and while there were a few chops that I smacked pretty hard I suspect it to be no different than any other 13 Degree dead rise hull. As far as Aluminum in saltwater.. There are a ton of them up North and over in the West coast of Washington and Alaska. Avid actually built this hull for inshore, backcountry fishing. The owners of Avid have also been in the boating industry for years and I do mean decades. IMG_2613.MOV 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 31 minutes ago, Wanaflatsfish said: Aluminum has been around for years....they have their application; however, I would suspect there is a significant difference between fiberglass and Aluminum when it comes to the ride under heavy seas conditions... dc Aluminum boats are nothing new, they do offer advantages in certain situations. To me, they shine in shallow, protected waters in regards to inshore fishing. You also have to really keep an eye out for corrosion/electrolysis. Aluminum also cannot be repaired as easily as gelcoat/fiberglass. The weight of fiberglass can be an advantage as well as the ability to get a more specific hull design in a mold that cannot be done with metal. The avids do not carry much deadrise forward, you have little to tab down and break waves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shallowminded6 Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 Boat looks awesome Racer. Ya never thought about the amount of aluminums in the northern states. Guess a john boat as a kid tainted my thoughts some. Those are sharp looking boats and I dont think I would want to run a fiberglass one in anything more than 2-4’. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 FYI Boaters Exchange in Rockledge just took this line on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 1 hour ago, SouthernWake said: Aluminum boats are nothing new, they do offer advantages in certain situations. To me, they shine in shallow, protected waters in regards to inshore fishing. You also have to really keep an eye out for corrosion/electrolysis. Aluminum also cannot be repaired as easily as gelcoat/fiberglass. The weight of fiberglass can be an advantage as well as the ability to get a more specific hull design in a mold that cannot be done with metal. The avids do not carry much deadrise forward, you have little to tab down and break waves. I completely agree with you Browndog, they do have there disadvantages when it comes to weight and the deadrise, but that can also be an advantage at times. And yes, fiberglass is definitely easier to fix than aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted March 1, 2021 Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 2 hours ago, Wanaflatsfish said: Aluminum has been around for years....they have their application; however, I would suspect there is a significant difference between fiberglass and Aluminum when it comes to the ride under heavy seas conditions... dc You are correct WFF. But I don't know of any flats or bay boat that wants to be caught in heavy seas conditions. You do your best right to know what is going to happen while out on the water. But as we all have talked about before, you plan to the best and if it even remotely seems like a bad day, you don't launch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted March 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 I thought your boat was an Avid RacerX, I looked for the original post about your new boat. Everything has its place, but another advantage with aluminum is towing, my F-150 does not even know it's there! I still use my boat in the Biscayne Bay here in Miami, my problem is that I get really wet in chop and a cross wind, I think spray rails will fix that problem though. Aluminum has come a long way and the boats are getting more refined but again it all comes down to where and how you fish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coto Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 9 hours ago, Shallowminded6 said: Real world, how does it ride in chop? Im always skeptical about metal in saltwater due to corrosion, looks awesome for lakes like okeechobee etc for sure. They use mostly aluminum boats in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska....that’s salt water and they do just fine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaco2 Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 aluminum...saltwater... not a good thing...i will stick with fiberglass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 The 23” was highlighted last night on tv. Looks great. Almost like the Pathy. 😀👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 16 hours ago, jaco2 said: aluminum...saltwater... not a good thing...i will stick with fiberglass Nothing wrong with that at all. Marionettes have been around forever and still going strong. Several aluminum saltwater boat manufacturers around. FYI, Aluminum is one the the most used materials in the building mega and super yacht for decades. Will last 40+ years. Will handle offshore and rough seas better than FG. Boats have also been made of fero cement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 It's funny because when I first got her and went to the lake, no one had any idea that it was aluminum until I told them it was. This company has done a great job in the build and design of this hull. The gunnel is a proprietary design and I can honestly tell you all that this boat is solid. It has a very large fishing/casting deck, tons of storage. The fuel cell is under the deck mid-ship and the batteries are under the console. Console is glass and laid out nicely. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan@FMM Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 21 hours ago, Headhunter said: FYI Boaters Exchange in Rockledge just took this line on. As well as Fort Myers Marine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROCK SI Posted September 23, 2021 Report Share Posted September 23, 2021 Just Purchased AVID 23 Fusion from Boaters Exchange with 175 SHO. only have 20 hours on it so still little new to it. Using it in Central FL Bays/Rivers and Inshore freshwater lakes and rivers. I love this boat! I have fared two afternoon storms with heavy winds and good size whitecaps. Rides great, Dry even in heavy chop/whitecaps. 3 people fuel and gear 55+mph, Hole shot is great! After break in during normal ops we were averaging 7 to 10 gallons per day 60+ miles of travel. Hope this Helps! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted September 24, 2021 Report Share Posted September 24, 2021 what is the weight on these boats vs fiberglass equivalent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted September 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2021 On 9/24/2021 at 11:30 AM, Wanaflatsfish said: what is the weight on these boats vs fiberglass equivalent The 23 is only 1,638 #'s does not specify with or without motor. The Pathfinder 2200 TRS is 2,850 w/F150 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeviam Posted September 25, 2021 Report Share Posted September 25, 2021 The one thing about aluminum that I see as an advantage is durability of the hull bottom surface if you frequently scrape bottom. Once that shiny gelcoat gets sanded down with oyster rash, there's a good chance for water penetration ('hydrolysis') which can cause osmotic blistering and other problems. Sabine makes an aluminum tunnel flats skiff that is popular with the Texas guys. They claim "no hull-slap", but I don't see draft numbers in their specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyBottomBluz Posted September 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2021 Another deciding factor for me would be where the aluminum was sourced. Is it domestic made aluminum or Chinese aluminum? Also gauge thickness obviously. Also my Roughneck hull was all welded but all interior components like the deck, console, live well, etc. was all riveted in. The rivets were corroding and popping so I obviously had to replace them but I applied silicone around and on top of the rivet when I installed them. I will say one thing, these aren't our daddies aluminum boats! However I still have an aluminum v-hull bought from a Grand Union supermarket in Miami that received slight damage after Hurricane Donna in 1960 when it was blown over as part of a display in front of the store! American Aluminum Baby! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubble Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 On 9/25/2021 at 7:59 AM, geeviam said: The one thing about aluminum that I see as an advantage is durability of the hull bottom surface if you frequently scrape bottom. Once that shiny gelcoat gets sanded down with oyster rash, there's a good chance for water penetration ('hydrolysis') which can cause osmotic blistering and other problems. Sabine makes an aluminum tunnel flats skiff that is popular with the Texas guys. They claim "no hull-slap", but I don't see draft numbers in their specs. I purchased my Pathy from a guide in Orange, TX. He was a Mav Pro that ran Pathfinders and Mavericks. When he sold me the Pathy he was not purchasing another and said he was in the process of selling the Maverick and building an aluminum flats boat. All of his trips were going in the skinny chasing reds. Said the aluminum boats held up better to the abuse. Makes sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smooth move Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 friend had this 26 footer built in Morgan City, La. very impressive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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