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Pro's and Con's on Fiberglass Airboat Hulls

C

coondog123

Well-known member
It would really help me for some of you experienced guys to share with me some of the pros and cons of a fiberglass hull compared to an aluminum hull.

I appreciate the way you guys interact and bring your different views on Airboat subjects together on the forum and still show tremendous respect for one another. In no way am I looking to bring forth a subject that will cause argument but with my limited experience you sharing your experience with me will very helpful.

If you would rather e-mail thoughts on the subject then send them to
coondog123@aol.com
 
Glass hulls are easier to come by it seems as everyone pushes for aluminum there really not that much weight difference the way there built , I think more glass boats are setup and used as open water boats rather then dry boat but they run dry set up properly

just my opinion
 
it really depends on prefference. i have owned several of each and liked running both hulls.

pros and cons for fiberglass.
1. fiberglass hulls are generally cheaper when new.
2. they can be repaired out in the marsh with a patch repait kit to get you home.
3. you have a variety of colors to chose from when building.
cons
1. fiberglass hulls dont last as long as aluminum without magor repairs.
2. they dont hold there value for resale like aluminum.
3. with alot of hill running usually you break the stringers before the rest of the hull goes bad.
these are just some of the things i have run into
 
Gold you know more about airboats then I do, so I am not sure on the weight difference but it seems some of those glass boats sure do sit deeper in the water.
I like an aluminum hull but there are some freaking sweet glass hulls out there. They look cleaner since there are no welds or rivets.
One thing about glass though your limited to the hull style that someone has a mold for. Unlike aluminum where it can be made to your specifications.
Also a glass hull can take small bumps without folding like aluminum.
I used to hear old timers say glass boats will not slide like an aluminum but with polymer on the bottom I am not sure its the glass/aluminum as much as it is some of the old glass boats were more designed to be deep water boats.
Lastly glass can be laid in different ways and some boat manufacturers take a lot of steps to get a hull consitant and strong. Its possible for a glass boat maker to take an easy route and end up with a boat that has weak points especially if a boat is used and it already has repairs. I think aluminum is a little more transparent in this regard.
 
There is allot of people who know more about airboats then I do, But i do have quite a bit of experience in designing an building lots of different type hulls, so maybe my comments can help answer someone questions now and then
Really if you think about it they build boats out of concrete :shock: and they float :D the same theories apply to airboat hull designs the more displacement the hull provide the higher it will float another words a wider hull floats more then a narrow hull and each current hull designed was thought of for the builders area of use thus you have narrow deep side open water boats and have 4" tall deck overs for other areas
there are several ways to build a fiberglass hull and depending on materials an process used can be built lighter then FACTORY aluminum hull if you want to pay for it


You need to decide what you need a boat to do, then look for that style hull design doesn't matter if it is glass or aluminum :D
 
This is what you get with a fiberglass hull. This one folded when he hit a patch of black mud then flipped over.
500956943207_0_BG_1_.jpg
 
It folded up from the rear and flipped. You can see part of the split just to the right of the guy standing buy the boat. Follow the top edge and you can see it.
 
I would ask the guy that own's it what happened his name is Rick! I was told it rolled but who knows. My opinion if you run mostly water fiberglass hull are good If you run mostly ground aluminum hulls are good! I have ruined several fiberglass hulls in under two years and a few in one year! But then again I was young and drove it like a truck across dry ground 3 or 4 times a week! If you run around cypress knees at all I would also go with aluminum!
 
Waterthunder":wrcsajt4 said:
If you run around cypress knees at all I would also go with aluminum!
Click to expand...

just curious to why you say that? Barebottomed (meaning no polymer) a cypress knee could eat right through an aluminum hull at the very least its gonna put a nice size dent in it. If your both running polymer the chance of a stress crack isn't about the same on aluminum vs fiberglass??
 
like alum for durubilty but i must say the best riding boats ive had werer glass or carbon they tend to dampen vibrations and bumps on the ground a ripples in the water and with a good poly job they can be pretty tough within reason and ive seen aset of earmuffs go right thru the side off a alum boat so it really boils down to the money .imo
 
I have ripped holes thru fiberglass hulls from cypress knees one hull was junk afterwards. I have also hit several knees in aluminum boats and only one was dented and I just hammered it back out you couldn't even tell! Just going on my own personal experience. Every fiberglass hull I have owned no longer exists but most all of my aluminum ones do! It's a matter of preference but to be honest I haven't seen too many 30 year old fiberglass hulls around but I have over three 35 year old plus aluminum hulls on my street alone!
 
I've owned both and I like both. Remember that when guys tell you "I've done ripped holes in...whatever" that some folks also wreck cars and trucks at an alarming rate but it's not neccesarily the vehicles fault :wink:

I think alot of it depends on the terrain you ride the most in. I really loved my Cottonmouth around Hatchineha and lots the Polk County boys run them and Predators and Gilleo's....all glass boats. We ran the hill hard during hunting season and I've patched my share of cracks and whatnot.....

My aluminum Hammant was a screamer too. I never did get used to the way it handled compared to the Cottonmouth..not bad just different. But I put a few dents in her that I couldn't easily reach to hammer out. Would you rather patch a cheaper glass hull or live with dents ina more expensive aluminum one?

I think more weight should be placed on the design or make of a hull than what material it's made of. I've seen great strong glass hulls and real crappy one's. Same with the aluminum.

Talk to folks who run where you will run the most and ask them why they prefer what they have.There's usually a reason.

Adam
 
To be honest I believe the area you ride has the most to do with it! Think about it 90% of all boat around lake Kiss are fiberglass and 95% of the hulls around Lake Washington and Winder are aluminum. This is because over the decades people have found out what hull works best for their region!
 
This in a sense is more about your preferences , everyone here has owned a lot of hulls, probably more than i have but like everyone is saying think about where you will be running that boat the most, and what kind of riding you will be doing, Currently I am having another cottonmouth built , I like the give in a fiberglass hull but I don't run a lot of dry like a lot of these guy's do, like blackpowderscout said over the years you will do some patching my advise is to ride in both and make your decision from there.
 
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