"Calif Bill" wrote in message
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"Canuck57" wrote in message
news:yhvij.61683$EA5.61072@pd7urf2no...

"-rick-" wrote in message
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Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:

Riveted aluminum boats tend to be sounder than welded boats and as a
general rule, easier to repair. The better aluminum boats, like Lund,
Starcraft, Princecraft, are riveted boats.

Um... Are you at all familiar with the type of heavy duty welded
aluminum boats the poster inquired about?

For example:

http://www.precisionweldboats.com/

http://www.weldcraftmarine.com/

http://www.duckworthboats.com/

http://www.roguejet.com/

http://www.customweld.com/

http://www.thunderjet.com/

http://www.motionmarine.com/

http://www.hewescraft.com/

http://www.fish-rite.com/boats.html

http://www.northriverboats.com/

etc.

As to the original question I'm no welding expert but I did examine a
lot of boats before buying one. I liked the neat consistency and
smoothness found in the North River and many others with a few notable
exceptions (this was 8 years ago). I've had some major rock hits since
then and only required one repair for a crack at the jet-pump intake
seam. The .25" bottom thickness helps.

I do see a lot Hewescraft on the Columbia river lately for what it's
worth.

0.25 on the bottom, don't have to worry about hull damage if you park in
a mess of logs. Going to take a look at Hewescraft.


Actually the 3/16 does logs fine.

Sure better than 0.090 or 0.100.

Went fishing once in a tin can on a lake in the middle of Wisconsin,
Tomahawk I think. Found a large bay, and said this water does not look
right and slowed down. I was right, found out later why too. In the winter
if it freezes they dump stumps and logs into it for bass and it would be
like a mine field if you hit that with much more than adrift speed.

Needless to say, I took the tin in and had a gas. Lost count on how many
small mouth bass I nailed that day. But you could hear the aluminium flex
when you tapped one.

A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work.