I'm Not Convinced

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Ok, so before my seminar I FORCE myself to go over to the tin boat section at BPS and try to see what the big draw is....Can't do it......nope, not for me. Move over from the polished vienna sausage cans to the Painted vienna sausage can that is bigger and more expensive and I see a lot of problems. Seems to me if you are going to buy tin for all of the reasons you have said you buy tin, that big painted model won't work. That paint will scratch, that aluminum will dent and bend even though Tracker put a rub rail the width of a firestone radial aaaaalllll the way around it. I figured they thought you tin guys were so used to bangin into stuff that you would need it. I would like to see you drag that rig over stumps and rocks...So, what's the draw?



Then the fresh smell of fiberglass and the warm sun reflecting off the flake (no it wasn't Neeley...metalflake) drew me over to the 9 series boat with the 8's and 7's quietly waiting for their turn to claim dominance on their owners home water.



Yeah, it's winter in VA also...........



TOXIC

 

[Jeff Griffeth]

Boys, I can see the lid on the worm can opening now.......LOL

 

[Texas Transplant]

For me, it was simple.



Wife wanted a LARGER DRYER ride, for a reasonable amount of money. Also, she wanted something with a full windshield (my fishing partners this past year liked that feature quite a bit also), to help protect from both the wind and cold.



I could have bought a smaller glass boat, but she would not have been happy. Only so many dollars to spend.



Having said all that, my next boat (maybe this fall???), will likely be a glass one - as the wife has decided what her level of participation will be going forward (not nearly as active).



And after all, for quite a few people, the Tracker versions are entry level boats. A number of us 'step up', down the line.



Of course, I still don't 'get it' that someone will fork out $35-40K for a real nice bass boat, that doesn't improve the fishing abililty of the occupants at all.



Tex

 

[James D.]

i wouldn't have started bass fishin if it weren't for my little nitro glass boat. i was lookin for a tin boat to go catfishin and crappie fishing in, but that little nitro was too purty not to be in my garage. been bass fishin ever since and now i'm addicted to it. (dem crappie and catfish luv dem sparkles too!)

jd

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Tex, very few guys actually NEED a $35k rig. They want them and have the credit and so get one. Most weekend anglers need only an 18 or 19 footer with no more than 175 ponies on it, but ego gets going and you gotta be bigger or faster then the other guy in the club. Now guides and pro anglers need more room for gear, a faster rig, because simply put, in tourneys....time IS money! And we want a softer ride. When you spend all day in a boat, day after day in rough water, THEN you need a bigger boat. And you need reliability, so hence the $35k for a quality rig. Now to a degree a bigger boat WILL make you a better angler, because you can get across the lake in waves and 18 footer cannot, and it's roomier so you have more storage. You can run faster, so you have more time to fish, but I do agree, there is a point where you have to admit the boat is but a tool and the skill lies with the angler. But it's the same thing as why don't guys that want a truck go buy a Mack or INTL? They don't need one, they only need a 1/2 ton. Most who get a 3/4, only need a half ton. The big rigs, like Scott sells are for the "pros" in that field, over the road drivers. I have stomped many a 2002, 20+ footers with 225's on the back, into the dust with my '89, 18 footer and a 150. It was even more fun from my 16' tin rig and 40HP, sitting there hauling hogs out behind some dude in a TR-21 with an attitude who wasn't getting bit.

 

[JAMES MOORE]

AMEN, Rob the boat doesn't make the fishermen, or improve the quality of their catch. Knowledge, experience and the ability to predict whats effecting the fish at that moment in time to come up with a technique/method to catch the fish is all that matters plus the patience to stay with it to catch those fish. A Bass is Bass Is Bass, regardless of where their found.

 

[Scott Wildwood]

It's an issue of versatility and price. Always has been always will be. If you plan to use/abuse, tin will outlast and out perform glass till the cows come home. And like Rob was sayin' Tracker is really geared for entry level boating with entry level prices. They gotta have a Caddy to complete with the Lund's, but that's all marketing. How many $30k+ tin boats do you think they really sell?

I own a Tracker, do I want a Nitro? You betcha I sure do, but I don't want a mortgage on the thing neither (that's why I'm sure I'm gonna win that $25k spending spree). My 2000 ProV 16 w/40hp is paid for. How many of them boys do you think have their $20-40 rigs paid for?





Best regards and fish more

Wildwood

 

[Rich D]

I agree to all the comments, except for that trouble maker Tox! LOL!! I also prefer a deep v hull over the mod v hull.



Rich D

 

[Mike Levesque]

When I first read this, Tox, my first thought was, as Jeff kinda said, "here we go......", but it got me to thinking, in my case the boat was my first "new" boat, yes, also in my case, an "entry" level boat. It's "painted" tin, a 2002 Pro Deep V 16, and not really having anything against the glass boats, or the people in 'em, it was also a financial decision, another thing to consider, was having 4 kids, I'd rather have my youngest, and my hyper dog, "down in" the boat rather than "up on" the boat, if that makes sense....Also, we do as much Crappie,Cat,and Walleye fishin' out of it as we do Bassin'...and finally, ALOT of lakes in Illinois have hp restrictions, that was another factor in our decision.... egMike

 

[Staci Matheis]

Almost all my life, I had owned canoes and fished streams for trout. Then, about 10 years ago, I was up on Long Island for a family reunion and decided to rent a boat for a morning just to do a little fishin'..... Paid 40 buxs for a half-day rental of a beat up, old, wooden dingy with a 5 horse outboard that was old when I was born! Boy! Did I feel like I was getting ripped! But that's what the market was up there.



Worse yet, I had a blast! Decided that I was gonna get me a boat of some sort when I got home.....



Went looking for something inexpensive 'cuz I didn't know if I was going to really use it much. What I had in mind was an aluminum, v-hull with about a 25 on the back..... But every one I found was more than I wanted to spend or was leaking faster than I could bail.....



Driving down the road one afternoon, I saw this old, 15' fiberglass bass boar for sale with a 75 Evinrude on the back..... And an electric bilge pump so I wouldn't have to bail..... Stopped and asked..... $1,000! Exactly what I had told myself I wanted to pay. Sold!



I found that I loved the freedom the boat gave me to get where I wanted to go! Effortlessly! No paddling! Going UPstream! And I liked the POWER and SPEED! That boat hit, I'd guess, 40-ish..... I felt the NEED for SPEED!



6 Months later, I bought a faster and bigger boat - the Nitro 180 with a 115 that hit about 50.....



Now I'm in the Nitro 2000 / 200 Merc that'll get into the 60's.....



Next boat WILL run mid- to upper-70's!



To me, the thing is the SPEED!

And sparkles are flashier!



me!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Well.....



Let me say this, have you seen the price of the "bass lookin tin" and you WILL have the same problems (scratch/dent) that the glass boats do. A repair is a repair regardless of whether or not it's a stress crack or a scratch on that new Avalanche. I saw a tin rig with a 40 horse Merc $8,999....entry level?? I wasn't trying to fuel up the glass/tin debate because we buy what we buy for our own reasons and that's really all that counts but overall a lot of the reasons for tin are not making as much sense to me as they used to. Even the rough water reason (deep V) is loosing ground. Just ask Rob if his glass will take rough water.....Intro glass isn't much more than 9-10,000. Family fun.....let's see, 40hp or 115hp...See what I mean? I'm not trying to convert anyone but the line is getting blurred to me.



TOXIC

 

[Andrew Zuber]

Maybe its just the frost on your glasses!

LOL



TIN RULES!



az

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Tox...if you'd leave that stuff alone...you wouldn't have blurred vision. I see great now and my TIN RULES TOO! I'm convinced and sold on TIN!

TEE

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Tox, consider the sources. Just as I said above, us SERIOUS anglers use big glass rigs for speed, ride, reliability, comfort and of course looks. It's what seperates the men from the boys! LOL It's also why you don't see nascar drivers running family sedans!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Yeah Tox....consider the source...someone that is just as serious(if not more) about fishing but, not really worried about havin' a big ol' heavy sparkly boat.I guess if I had the money to by a NASCAR instead of a TRUCK...I still wouldn't...no need for it.

TEE

 

[Rob LaMoy]

From a recent publication in "Modern Medicine"



'Recent studies show that prolonged exposure to aluminum, cause mental defects, and social dysfunction. Doctors at the Boston center of reseach for disease and mental illness have now established links between aluminum boat ownership and severe cases of inferiority complexes, dillusional thinking, overall mental breakdown, and social incompatibility! This stunning news is of no surprise to the fiberglass manufacturers and owners association. Spokesperson Toxic Hammer, "Yes, we've always known this, but it is a delicate matter. There is hope for victims with our new program, 'take a tin handicapped angler fishing in a real boat'. We have seen significant recoveries thanks to this program and our hopes are high for the future. Our philosophy is that NO angler should have to endure the hardships and abuse of tin boat ownership. We are excited about a newly developing program where fiberglass boat owners that have older used models they are no longer using, can be donated and refurbed and donated to those tin owners that are seeking help and truly want to change."



Toxic has been in the field on tin to glass conversion for over 25 years and considered the world's authority on rehabilitation for those suffering from this condition. To learn more or make a donation, please contact, Scott "Toxic" Hammer at www.wewererightallalong.com or send checks to North Country Bass & Birds c/o Rob LaMoy!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Oh Yeah Rob serve me up like a Christmas goose!! I'm certainly not the poster boy for glass!! If that were the case, EVERYBODY would buy tin LOL. Everybody pile on Rob...not me....run away, run away.....



TOXIC

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Tox,

The new painted aluminum rigs look nice. They seem to be able to do more with those and keep the price down. For me, price vs function the price almost wins out. I can put up with or eventually change the function part, but the financial part does drive my bus.

The new aluminum looks nice, painted and some pretty cool features that I do not think that I can afford on a similar 'glass model.

But, then again, I guess that is why I buy stuff used and fix it up



Carlos



Glass Owner adn liking it

 

[Jeff Griffeth]

HAAHAHA! Great one Rob!

 

[David Kohler]

Tox - not all of us "tin" owners run our boats in lakes or other deeper waters. Some of us use our boats in very shallow rivers (just like your shallow minded thread). Just try and run one of those "purty sparkly" things on the Susquehanna or Upper Potomac once and see what it gets you! For me, tin is the best of both worlds. I can run it in very shallow rivers or on some of the bigger lakes due to the mod "V' design. Would I like a glass boat - sure! Do I need a glass boat - heck no! Shame on you for coming on here and trying to lump all the tin boats into one category. There is more to one's purchase than just economics, there is also locality and other variables at stake here too.



p.s. just kidding about the shallow mind thing.....

 

[Scott Wildwood]

Ahh I love looking for these threads. So much love and bonding.



Helmets, tin , glass, taxes, who does what, Penny Berryman, tree tops, beer, fishing, articles about Chevy truck owners, Scott's Birthday, BPS, boats, and did I mention fishing.....



How could it get any better....



Wildwood

 

[Bruce Freeman]

WOOOOOWWWWWW there: "NASCAR DOES NOT RUN FAMILY SEDANS"

Ford Taurus 4 doors

Dodge Intrepid 4 doors

up until the new Monte Carlo Chevy Lumina 4 doors

Pontiac Grand Am 4 doors..

These are family cars..CASHCAR has not had a real STOCK type car since 1970?

Just My redneck opinion..

BF