18'-19' All-welded V-hull Tiller?

[Butthead]

I've been looking to buy a new 18'-19' all-welded V-hull tiller with front and rear casting decks, spot for a bow mount TM, and carpet-free, that I can use on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. I can only seem to find one model with a dealer in the MD/VA/So PA area, that being a Crestliner Kodiak. Unfortunately, both the Lund Alaskan's and Smokercraft Freedom's casting decks are just too low to comfortably jerkbait from off the bow. I currently own an 18.5' fiberglass center console w/115, but really want to go to with something I don't have to baby and that requires less overall maintenance. I've ruled out the mod-V aluminums, because I want something with a little more freeboard and a steeper entry angle.
Any suggestions?

 

[LDUBS]

Alumaweld makes some large V-hull tiller boats. I don't know if they have the kind of casting decks you want. They are based in Oregon so may not be common in your area.

 

[WV1951]

Have you considered something that fits all of your needs except for the casting deck, then have something fabricated to attach to the existing deck to give you the elevation you want?

 

[MrSimon]

My vote would be a 20' Lund Alaskan. The 20 footer has a gigantic raised front deck, where the 16 and 18 don't. The 20 doesn't have a rear deck from the factory, but it would be VERY easy to build or get one aftermarket.

Also, Alumacraft has some incredible tiller models. The Competitor and the Shadow both come in 18' tiller models, and you can get them with all vinyl interior - no carpet. The rear bench is plenty large enough to stand and fish from. Actually, the Competitor 185 tiller is my dream boat.

 

[Butthead]

Thanks for the input guys.

I'm not really interested in having to fabricate a deck for a $20K boat. At that price, I want a finished product. If it was like $6K-$8K, I'd be all about fabricating it up.

I like the heavy duty build of the Alumaweld, but no local dealers.

I like Alumacrafts, but their deep-v's are just way too much money. The Crestliner optioned out is $22K MSRP, so I should be able to get it for a bit lower than that at the table. Plus, I want something more on the utilitarian side. No gauges, no consoles, preferably a removable gas tank, 60hp motor that'll push it in the low 30's and still sip gas.

Now this is a little shorter than I wanted to go, but the G3 Guide V177 T looks like a solid boat. Reviews seem positive, from what little I could find. I like the 13* dead rise and reverse chine hull. Any comments on those?

 

[MrSimon]

G3 makes a good solid boat.

The guide series is exactly what you're looking for. If you look around you'll find used ones for pretty cheap too.

 

[Butthead]

I hate how they bury the construction on some of these boats. I just found out the G3 Guide is riveted, so that one's out. #-o

 

[water bouy]

Get a riveted boat and whenever they give out have someone weld it up.

 

[MrSimon]

I know you are set on a welded hull, but some of the higher end riveted hulls these days are really really good, G3 being one of them.

Heck, there are tons and tons of 30, 40, and 50 year old riveted hulls still running dry and solid.

Personally I think hull thickness and construction quality have more to do with longevity and dependability than rivets vs welds.

For example, the riveted G3 has a double plated hull, using a sheet of .100 AND a sheet of .064 aluminum. That's pretty freaking strong. Compare that to a Tracker Grizzly that is welded, but only has one sheet of .100 aluminum. The G3 will be a stronger and longer lasting boat, even though it's riveted.

 

[Scott F]

How does the seating in the rear work with a rear casting deck and the tiller operation? When I had my boat built, I converted the tiller motor I had to a center console because I couldn't do the casting deck and have a seat position that I could run the motor from. Also, with a 19ft boat, seeing ahead might be an issue while running a tiller.

 

[Butthead]

I don't need a full fledged casting deck, just enough room to stand and mount a small pin style seat bracket to. I'd use the seat on the floor when running, then pop it up on the back when needed. Since I stand most of the time, I'd probably just bring an extra pedestal with casting seat and just pull it out when I need to make a run. Essentially it would need to be about the same amount of width as a bench on a small jon boat. I've been looking at the Mercury Big Tiller which would easily accommodate that, in addition to controlled trolling for spring striper. I've found 20' tiller boats for sale in the NW, but nothing nearby. 18' is my goal, but I didn't want anyone to think I was disqualifying something 18'6".

The reason I've been leaning towards welded is mainly because of the warranties and because of the pounding the hull is going to take in the bay. But it's also experience with perfectly dry riveted boats leaking not long after beginning to be used in the bay. It seems like that G3 would be perfectly capable with that double plated hull, but that adds weight to the rig. The only performance bulletin I could find was for the 16'7" with a 50hp on it. That maxed at 30mph with just 6.6 gallons of fuel. The 18' Kodiak w/60hp maxes at 36mph with a full 17 gallons in it. Granted, it's not a huge difference, but occasionally with 3 guys onboard, it may be. I'm just not finding enough feedback about the V177 on the web, which makes me somewhat hesitant to take the plunge on it.

I think I've come to the conclusion that the Kodiak is what I'm going to go with. It offers basically everything I want and I realize that I'm not going to find that Cinderella boat out there. But anyway, thanks for all the input guys!

 

[MrSimon]

You can't go wrong with a Crestliner. They are widely considered the gold standard in aluminum boats. The Kodiak has an awesome layout!

 

[WV1951]

I have been looking/studying tins since November, decided on a small used instead, but always kept going back to Crestliner. If I were to go new in a larger boat, I would have to say Crestliner would be my first choice. You have chosen well.