aluminum or plastic flat bottom boat??

so im going to bass pro shop this saturday and hopefully coming home with a boat and all the fixens, i asy hopefully cause if they dont have what im looking for in stock then im obviously not gonna buy something else that i havent researched just to come home with a boat. my question is this if you were buying a little 10 to 12 foot boat brand new what would you prefer? plastic or aluminum? keep in mind i wont be using an outboard only a trolling motor , ive read pros and cons on both and my main issues seam to be as such, with plastic you sit up higher in the boat rather than an aluminum jon that you sit down in so plastic dosent seem as stable. i like aluminum cause id like to have a deck and swivel seat built on at some opint like shawns boat but its not something that i cant live without either, and ive heard that although aluminum dents easier that the plastic cracks after a while so while i know aluminum is extremely hard to weld i also dont want to be patching plastic all the time. any first hand help is appreciated

so im going to bass pro shop this saturday and hopefully coming home with a boat and all the fixens, i asy hopefully cause if they dont have what im looking for in stock then im obviously not gonna buy something else that i havent researched just to come home with a boat. my question is this if you were buying a little 10 to 12 foot boat brand new what would you prefer? plastic or aluminum? keep in mind i wont be using an outboard only a trolling motor , ive read pros and cons on both and my main issues seam to be as such, with plastic you sit up higher in the boat rather than an aluminum jon that you sit down in so plastic dosent seem as stable. i like aluminum cause id like to have a deck and swivel seat built on at some opint like shawns boat but its not something that i cant live without either, and ive heard that although aluminum dents easier that the plastic cracks after a while so while i know aluminum is extremely hard to weld i also dont want to be patching plastic all the time. any first hand help is appreciated

http://m.trackerboats.com/#riveted-jon-n-utility-boats?modelyear=2013

There are your options, I have the 15LW so does Kevin from BIGMOUTHS, Shawnerramone is the 14 pretty sure, very sturdy boat handles all types of water ive been on long pond in 2 foot rollers I got a little wet but she got me home no issues, they have them all on the floor and a back yard full I think I paid 1,200 with tax

Ok great thanks, I was actually checking those out earlier. I wanted plastic but the more I research the more I wanna lean towards aluminum. Thanks for the info

Ok great thanks, I was actually checking those out earlier. I wanted plastic but the more I research the more I wanna lean towards aluminum. Thanks for the info

I owned a plastic pond prowler similiar to the pelican that North Shore has also a great boat just not enough room for me...good luck

I spent the past 2 years in a plastic Bass Hunter and grew out of it pretty quickly. By about 1/2 way through last year I didn't even want another person with me so I could stand and fish...then I fell off in November but by then I already knew I was going up to the aluminum.

I had a 12' jon boat for over 20 years.... the boat was great .... yep it dented (a friend borrowed it for use on a fast moving river) but the boat held up well. Every spring I pressure washed it and it would look like new. Had it decked out pretty good at one point with lights, swivel seats, ect and it was a great boat to fish from. I never fished from a plastic setup so can't provide a comparison. I still have a tin boat .... 17' Mod V, side console and it works well for me ....

Last edited by tate on Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

I spent the past 2 years in a plastic Bass Hunter and grew out of it pretty quickly. By about 1/2 way through last year I didn't even want another person with me so I could stand and fish...then I fell off in November but by then I already knew I was going up to the aluminum.

same. mine's a 12' aluminum topper though. it's a true cartopper. no trailer needed. light enough to pick up easily.

I spent the past 2 years in a plastic Bass Hunter and grew out of it pretty quickly. By about 1/2 way through last year I didn't even want another person with me so I could stand and fish...then I fell off in November but by then I already knew I was going up to the aluminum.

I forgot you took a dip last year!

I'll never forget that swim. Chilly

Are you going to trailer this boat? The 14'+ boats get pretty heavy pretty quick when yo start adding decks and seats ect. The BEST cartopper out there is the old school coleman crawdad. Throw a couple pieces of 1/2" plywood on the floor and you are good to go. Light enough to throw in the back of a pickup solo or on the roof of a car with 2 people. There is always 1-2 on craigs list. A fair price for one is $200 to $300 for just the boat. More if it comes with a tm, upgraded seats, ect.

the best cartopper is a pimped out beaver fever 12' tracker which is 87 lbs. with nothing in it!!

Brooksey, I still have the 11.5 foot jon boat for sale. Its an old sears gamefisher. It has zero leaks and has 4 bass pro rod holders.

Let me know if your still interested. I haven't put it on craigslist yet.

Dan

Its very light and fits in the back of a jeep cherokee or any other SUV that the back seats decline. It hangs out a bit but its lot easier than puttting it on the roof (in my opinion). Especially if your alone.

I love the easy access but I needed something bigger for vacation in NH.

Rich I am not trailoring my boat its gonna either go on top an suv roof rack or preferably the back of a pickup cause I'm in the market for a new used vehicle ( my car ain't gonna make it anothee month ) I'm probably gonna end up with a 10 or 12 foot aluminum tracker. Thanks for all the atories guys this is the kinda stuff I needed to hear.

Ok great thanks, I was actually checking those out earlier. I wanted plastic but the more I research the more I wanna lean towards aluminum. Thanks for the info

I owned a plastic pond prowler similiar to the pelican that North Shore has also a great boat just not enough room for me...good luck

Our Pelican is 10' and very sturdy! It has to be in order to hall our two fat asses around, but I am in no way, shape or form ever worried about tipping because of stability. Neil is right though, space is limited and we utilize every c.u. of real estate on the U.S.S. Northshore! It all comes down to personal preference. Good luck and pm myself or kman if any questions on our boat.