Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - Small Craft Hull Types Pluses and Minuses

hazelnut · 02-27-2008, 06:15 PM

When considering the purchase of a small utility boat many questions arise. There are many choices that offer different benefits to the buyer.

Many islanders need a reliable durable second source of transportation. Aluminum style boats can be a great choice for many. They are usually the most affordable and require less maintenance. From experience they are easy to maintain and can be beached or pulled up on land when not in use. This will offer peace of mind to those who may be absent from Camp for an extended period of time. A bilge pump can be added to an aluminum boat to aid with water removal. This by no means should be relied upon for any extended period of time. An aluminum type skiff/dinghy can and will sink (go underwater) if filled with water, rain or otherwise. This is also a consideration for safety purposes. An aluminum dinghy will sink if swamped or if the hull is compromised in a catastrophic way. When purchasing an aluminum dinghy consider what you will be relying on it for. Do you need a secondary source of transportation during the summer? Perhaps you will be hauling trash and debris. Aluminum boats make an excellent choice for this purpose. If you will be using an aluminum boat for primary transportation during any type of rough weather and cold conditions in the early spring or late fall you might want to be aware that there is some elevated risk associated with this. One thing is a certainty the lake can be unpredictable during those times. Small aluminum craft can become compromised in those situations and sink.
Another popular consideration is the Pontoon style craft. Pontoons have fast become a reliable and safe choice for many islanders. They are second to none in terms of hauling debris, furniture, appliances, building material etc. Pontoon boats are also quite safe unless of course one of the pontoons becomes compromised in the form of a puncture or tear. The fortunate thing here is one would most likely be aware of a tear or puncture due to running aground or a collision. If that is the case proper action in the form of a weld repair can be taken. A Pontoon is less likely to be involved in an emergency situation such as sinking or capsizing as the owner would usually be aware of the conditions of the pontoons before departing. Risks involving rough weather conditions would be minimized due to the buoyancy of the pontoons. This is not to say that one couldn't be thrown overboard or that the craft wouldn't suffer catastrophic damage during extreme conditions. As always proper precautions in these situations should be taken in the form of life jackets and such.
Fiberglass style dinghy or skiffs are another popular choice. Many small fiberglass boats are available for purchase new and used. Whether center console, tiller drive, right hand drive there are many makes models and years to be had. There is a very important point that needs to be discussed when purchasing these types of boats. First of all all fiberglass boats are not made the same. Essentially there are two types perhaps even three. Many manufacturers of small fiberglass craft assemble their boats similar to todays typical Runabout. There is an outer hull with the inner deck area affixed to the outer shell. What that leaves is an open bilge area, the area under the deck of the boat. Most of these boats will have some sort of bilge pump to evacuate any standing water. When buying a used boat in this class one should take care to inspect all the seals that would prevent most rain water or lake water from seeping down into the bilge area. Boats that do not have tight seals in the decking area might fill up fast. Many of these boats might have self bailing scuppers at the back of the upper deck to aid with water runoff. A good solid bilge pump is a must for this style of boat. Also available in this class are open skiffs without the decking area. These boats can suffer from the same problems that plague aluminum craft. Essentially these boats are a reverse bathtub. If left unattended for long periods of time these boats can and will fill up with water. Even the best bilge pump can not keep up with a weeks worth of heavy rains. These boats can also suffer from catastrophic failure if the hull becomes compromised or if the boat becomes swamped. Again the uses of these boats are similar to the aluminum dinghy. Great for hauling although precautions to prevent scratching or gouging the fiberglass should be taken.
This finally leads me to my personal favorite (although not everyones) and that is the foam filled fiberglass hull. These boats are sold under many different names, the most popular being the Boston Whaler. Other brands are the Wahoo, McKee Craft, and Edgewater to name a few. These boats typically use a high density foam to fill up the bilge area leaving no open open area for water to collect. The two pieces, decking and outer hull are usually fused together with the foam creating one solid piece. With no bilge area a bilge pump is usually not required. Most small "whaler's" have no pump, they have a self bailing system. Scuppers at the back of the boat evacuate any water that may collect on the deck. A "whaler type" boat can be filled with water and people and STILL FLOAT. In fact a Whaler can be cut in half and the half with the engine can still be driven. See:
http://www.whaler.com/Rec/default4.a...ent=whywhaler2
The "Whaler type" is definitely the safest choice in terms of usability in adverse conditions. There is far less likelihood of this type of boat becoming compromised, swamped or capsized. Again with all craft proper precautions should be taken in case of emergency. However, a "Whaler Type" boat is essentially a life-jacket with a motor on it. This type of boat is widely regarded as "Unsinkable." As with all boats there are considerations when purchasing this type of boat. First and foremost, cost. These boats are typically anywhere from 20%-50% more expensive than your typical aluminum craft or fiberglass type. These boats are not quite as spacious for hauling large cargo such as furniture and building materials. One must also take great care to ensure that fiberglass damage is taken care of in a timely manner as over time water can seep into the foam core and cause damage or crack if frozen.

This is by no means a comprehensive definitive answer to this question. This is a guide based on personal experience with several years of boating experience and ownership of almost every type of boat described above. I currently own a Monterey 248LS and a Boston Whaler 13 Dauntless. I have owned several different skiffs/dinghy's over the years not limited to but including a 14 Sea Nymph a 14 Lowe (aluminum) and a 15 Sailfish (fiberglass). By far the Whaler has proven to be the most reliable trouble free design among these boats. I have three small children under the age of 4. I have no qualms about taking them in the Whaler in October or April, weather permitting. I can not say the same for my previous small craft.

I hope this has helped those of you who were either searching for this type of boat or those of you who were misinformed on this topic.

02-27-2008, 06:15 PM	#1
hazelnut Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 1,348 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 508 Thanked 462 Times in 162 Posts	Small Craft Hull Types Pluses and Minuses When considering the purchase of a small utility boat many questions arise. There are many choices that offer different benefits to the buyer. Many islanders need a reliable durable second source of transportation. Aluminum style boats can be a great choice for many. They are usually the most affordable and require less maintenance. From experience they are easy to maintain and can be beached or pulled up on land when not in use. This will offer peace of mind to those who may be absent from Camp for an extended period of time. A bilge pump can be added to an aluminum boat to aid with water removal. This by no means should be relied upon for any extended period of time. An aluminum type skiff/dinghy can and will sink (go underwater) if filled with water, rain or otherwise. This is also a consideration for safety purposes. An aluminum dinghy will sink if swamped or if the hull is compromised in a catastrophic way. When purchasing an aluminum dinghy consider what you will be relying on it for. Do you need a secondary source of transportation during the summer? Perhaps you will be hauling trash and debris. Aluminum boats make an excellent choice for this purpose. If you will be using an aluminum boat for primary transportation during any type of rough weather and cold conditions in the early spring or late fall you might want to be aware that there is some elevated risk associated with this. One thing is a certainty the lake can be unpredictable during those times. Small aluminum craft can become compromised in those situations and sink. Another popular consideration is the Pontoon style craft. Pontoons have fast become a reliable and safe choice for many islanders. They are second to none in terms of hauling debris, furniture, appliances, building material etc. Pontoon boats are also quite safe unless of course one of the pontoons becomes compromised in the form of a puncture or tear. The fortunate thing here is one would most likely be aware of a tear or puncture due to running aground or a collision. If that is the case proper action in the form of a weld repair can be taken. A Pontoon is less likely to be involved in an emergency situation such as sinking or capsizing as the owner would usually be aware of the conditions of the pontoons before departing. Risks involving rough weather conditions would be minimized due to the buoyancy of the pontoons. This is not to say that one couldn't be thrown overboard or that the craft wouldn't suffer catastrophic damage during extreme conditions. As always proper precautions in these situations should be taken in the form of life jackets and such. Fiberglass style dinghy or skiffs are another popular choice. Many small fiberglass boats are available for purchase new and used. Whether center console, tiller drive, right hand drive there are many makes models and years to be had. There is a very important point that needs to be discussed when purchasing these types of boats. First of all all fiberglass boats are not made the same. Essentially there are two types perhaps even three. Many manufacturers of small fiberglass craft assemble their boats similar to todays typical Runabout. There is an outer hull with the inner deck area affixed to the outer shell. What that leaves is an open bilge area, the area under the deck of the boat. Most of these boats will have some sort of bilge pump to evacuate any standing water. When buying a used boat in this class one should take care to inspect all the seals that would prevent most rain water or lake water from seeping down into the bilge area. Boats that do not have tight seals in the decking area might fill up fast. Many of these boats might have self bailing scuppers at the back of the upper deck to aid with water runoff. A good solid bilge pump is a must for this style of boat. Also available in this class are open skiffs without the decking area. These boats can suffer from the same problems that plague aluminum craft. Essentially these boats are a reverse bathtub. If left unattended for long periods of time these boats can and will fill up with water. Even the best bilge pump can not keep up with a weeks worth of heavy rains. These boats can also suffer from catastrophic failure if the hull becomes compromised or if the boat becomes swamped. Again the uses of these boats are similar to the aluminum dinghy. Great for hauling although precautions to prevent scratching or gouging the fiberglass should be taken. This finally leads me to my personal favorite (although not everyones) and that is the foam filled fiberglass hull. These boats are sold under many different names, the most popular being the Boston Whaler. Other brands are the Wahoo, McKee Craft, and Edgewater to name a few. These boats typically use a high density foam to fill up the bilge area leaving no open open area for water to collect. The two pieces, decking and outer hull are usually fused together with the foam creating one solid piece. With no bilge area a bilge pump is usually not required. Most small "whaler's" have no pump, they have a self bailing system. Scuppers at the back of the boat evacuate any water that may collect on the deck. A "whaler type" boat can be filled with water and people and STILL FLOAT. In fact a Whaler can be cut in half and the half with the engine can still be driven. See: http://www.whaler.com/Rec/default4.a...ent=whywhaler2 The "Whaler type" is definitely the safest choice in terms of usability in adverse conditions. There is far less likelihood of this type of boat becoming compromised, swamped or capsized. Again with all craft proper precautions should be taken in case of emergency. However, a "Whaler Type" boat is essentially a life-jacket with a motor on it. This type of boat is widely regarded as "Unsinkable." As with all boats there are considerations when purchasing this type of boat. First and foremost, cost. These boats are typically anywhere from 20%-50% more expensive than your typical aluminum craft or fiberglass type. These boats are not quite as spacious for hauling large cargo such as furniture and building materials. One must also take great care to ensure that fiberglass damage is taken care of in a timely manner as over time water can seep into the foam core and cause damage or crack if frozen. This is by no means a comprehensive definitive answer to this question. This is a guide based on personal experience with several years of boating experience and ownership of almost every type of boat described above. I currently own a Monterey 248LS and a Boston Whaler 13 Dauntless. I have owned several different skiffs/dinghy's over the years not limited to but including a 14 Sea Nymph a 14 Lowe (aluminum) and a 15 Sailfish (fiberglass). By far the Whaler has proven to be the most reliable trouble free design among these boats. I have three small children under the age of 4. I have no qualms about taking them in the Whaler in October or April, weather permitting. I can not say the same for my previous small craft. I hope this has helped those of you who were either searching for this type of boat or those of you who were misinformed on this topic.