wrote in message
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Finally going to make the plunge and buy an aluminum boat, but i am
confused. Our goal is to buy a boat that will last for many years to
come and also turn heads when on the water. The more i talk to
salesman the more BS i hear. What should i be looking for as far as
the quality of the welds, some look like art and some look like my son
who is 12 tried to weld for the first time. Does the apperance of the
weld matter? We are looking at a 200 Sea Runner Hewes Craft right now,
any comments would help at this point

Thanks

I too have been going through the throws of choices. But I also originally
included fibreglass as well. But down to aluminium as I write. So weld or
rivets?

First, rivets are used on aircraft for the following reasons, not all of
value on a boat:

- low weight per attached foot of seam than welding
- cheap and manufacturing ease of use
- thermal expansion and flex
- can be drilled out for access/repair/inspection
- welding is more expensive per attached foot than rivets

Having a few less pounds of boat isn't a big deal. Cheap is ok, but does it
make a good boat? Thermal expansion? Don't see boats going from 100F
to -20F with a 35,000 foot air pressure change. Finally, don't see you
removing a bottom quarter to get access for repair. The sum of it is, what
applies to planes is irrelevant to boats for the most part. And by the way,
planes also use welds!

Salespeople are almost always bull of BS. In any case do your research
independently.

I compared a Lund, G3 and a Weldcraft. My review of each compared to the
other. All three were in the 17' fishing type/range.

Lund, nice options, nice to look at. Lots of features. Large gunwales, I
like. Reasonably sturdy, pricy.

G3, similar looking to the Lund with similar options but a little "cheaper"
feeling than the Lund. Probably the small gunwales and floor flex did me
in. But not as pricy.

Weldcraft. That seemed like rugged welded boat. If you wife sees a 5 foot
log up lake she likes, in the other two boats you would want to talk her out
of it. With the Weldcraft I looked at, I wouldn't even blink if it rolled
up against the console.

Welded boats seem heavier and sturdier. Near as I can tell, they also tend
towards a heavier gauge of sheet stock. A 1 foot weld or a double seam of
20 rivets, weld is going to weigh in more. More weight to tow, but hitting
a 2 foot wave, the sturdy weight might help for a nicer ride.

I looked for speed comparison information and could not find any. Does the
protrusion of rivets below the water drag worse than the weight comparison?
Don't know.

Quality of welds, there are lots of information on the web, aluminium
welding is not as simple as steel. But a uniform set of waves that nicely
blend into both sides without pits and anomalies is good. On the Weldcraft
I looked at they looked good.

Have I decided, no.

And if a boat manufacture reads this. No, I don't want a CD player to go
fishing. I want to hear the loons and the ducks. Maybe hear a beaver flip.

Are other opinions welcome, yes.