Plastic vs. Aluminum small boats

[red_eyes]

looking for pros + cons of these kinds of boats, anyone has ever owned a plastic one.I was looking for a aluminum jon boat, but i was looking at the plastic ones too. I prefer aluminum over plastic because its more durable, easy to repair. would like to hear some of your thoughts.

[broken rod]

 with plastic they bounce off the rocks better with out denting or putting holes in it
 i my self have aluminum thats because it was given to me  i would think for a smaller boat either wood be nice they make some pretty nice smaller plastic boats
      has anyone ever have one crack

[red_eyes]

one reason can you get a plastic one repaired as easily, would they be good for catfishin

[daffydone]

Hey guy's, I have a 10' 2" plastic bass tender boat, I love it! it fits in the back of my Ford Ranger, it's kinda heavy though for it's size. but it's nice to get into small areas where you normally couldn't put a bigger boat. it will hold a good amount of weight and it is pretty safe.  I have had a 4 horse suzuki motor, a trolling motor, a stowaway 850 battery and two full size men in this boat and it was still safe on a 70 acre lake, the only thing that I don't like about it is, there is almost no storage. I would suggest an 11' or 12' boat, it is kinda cramped with all the gear, I bought mine when these boats first came out and they didn't have the larger ones. ( at least, not where I bought mine) I payed $600 at the time, I don't know what they are going for now.

[broken rod]

i was really surprised by the weight of some of the plastic boats also gander had one out and we picked it up pretty heavy 

[sparkie]

Depends on what type of plastic it is.  Some can not be repaired.  I have a polyethelene Pelican canoe and I'll never buy another one.  Got a small crack in it and have never been able to stop it from leaking.

If you do a web search no one makes any material to patch this type of material used in small boats and canoes. Some have materials that may fix the leak but will not guarantee it from leaking again.  If I had to do it again in would aluminum.

[venisonman]

Try Oceankayak.com
Their repair material worked well on my poly yak. It's an Ambush and I use it for hunting and fishing! Now that's what I call multi-tasking!

[broken rod]

vension thats a pretty sweet rig would work great up here in wisconsin

[sparkie]

Thanks venisonman I'll take a look.

[RJP]

Sparkie:

Is your Pelican the "Ram-X" type of plastic?

How did you put a crack in it - if you don't mind my asking?

TIA

Russ

[LoneWolf]

The Pelican is probably not made of Ram X because the RamX is repairable. I had the Coleman Crawdad jonboat and was very pleased with it. It was 11' long and after adding an anchor system and padded swivel seats I found it ideal for up to two people. I had the MinnKota Endura 44 pounds of thrust electric trolling motor on it and the boat moved at a descent pace. I mostly fished smaller lakes or the larger ponds. One of the pros to the plastic boats is it tends to be more silent. If you went over a semi submerged stump or gravel bar the aluminum would be noisey compared to the plastic. On the other hand the aluminum would be more durable.

[genz_man]

I still have the boat that lonewolf is talking about. It works as well as he mentioned. I bought mine in 97 for around 600 bucks and am more then pleased with it. Coleman sold the division to pelican and they now make a similar boat but not as good I believe. I can throw it right up into my pickup truck and be on my way. I have a 36 thrust minn kota and it gets around just fine in the larger ponds and smaller lakes. It is very good at getting into tighter spots where other boats cannot get into. My buddy has one of those bass tenders and that is also a nice boat but wider then the crawdad and not as easy to slip into those tight spots. One day I hope to be able to afford one of the basspro avalanche models. Hope to in a couple of years. I will still keep the crawdad to fish the smaller spots though.

[bayonne]

i was in a craw dad some years ago they are awsome little boats and had a sturdy floor with wood strips i was impresed with that littel light boat was very fishable

[tinboat]

Let me tell you one thing about aluminum boats - they get hotter than blazes in the summer sun!!!! The plastic never gets anywhere near as hot. Just remember to bring a cushion to sit on, and watch where you put your hands, no bare feet.