Glass Vs Aluminum

[Guest]

I know this debate has gone on and on but I had a question. I do not recall the term spearing ever coming up when the glass guys are bragging about how much dryer and faster their boats are than the aluminum boats.

In the recent RCL event on Saginaw Bay, Wednesday, I experienced the fun of spearing a wave in a Ranger 620. It seemed like I had to hold my breath for about 5 seconds to wait for the water to stop coming over the windsheild. All the gear was floating around the boat in about 10 inches or more of water. It is like instantly sinking your boat and taking a good bath at the same time.

The Rangers may rule on flat water but I'll take a Lund 2025 any day on rough water.

Is spearing a wave a common problem with all glass boats? I could not imagine what it would have been like in March or April with 35 degree water. Well I know, It would have been ##### wet and cold!

Has anyone else had the fun of spearing a wave?

[Chad]

I hate to break it to you, all kinds boats can spear waves. The skill of the driver prevents this from happening.

[Bad Finger]

Agree 100% with that.....

[No difference?]

So are you saying that all boats spear waves but none are more prone to do so? I have been driving 17' to 21' boats for 20 years and never have speared a wave. This 20 years has been on the Central and Western Basin of Lake Erie where there are plenty of rough days.

In two days I got three baths riding in the Ranger 620's.

[mike]

Glad your happy with your 2025, it's a nice boat. I don't think that making a judgement on a particular boat or class of boats can be made after one ride. Driving skill can have everything to do with how well you boat performs in the waves. With this said "glass" will almost always give you a better ride, sorry to break that to you.

I've owned 1800 and 1900 prov's and will tell you they flat out can't produce the ride quality or the "dryness" you'll get in a similar sized glass boat. I do like the fishing friendly layout of my lunds but your findings are highly inaccurate.

[REW]

I too also have to agree with the comments about boat driving - to avoid "spearing".

Having said that - it is also important to know the handling characteristics of the particular boat that you are driving.
Some boats, have a very low bow, some boats are very heavy in the bow, some boats have very low sterns, some boats are very heavy in the stern - etc. etc. etc.

Before heading out into any kind of heavy seas - insure that you are completely familiar with the handling characteristics of the boat that you are driving, with the load and weight distribution that you are carrying.


for example - if you have a passenger in the stern much of the time - but that person moves into the bow - for fishing - and then stays there - during transit times to another fishing spot - the boat will handle entirely differently. Moving 200 lbs of a fisherman, from the stern, to the bow of the boat - will have a big time effect on dropping the bow of the boat.

When ever working heavy weather - until you really know the boat - trim the motor up quite a bit - and when you go to move - pop the throttle - just after a wave has passed - to pop the bow up -- before the next wave comes. It is also a good idea to get the bow up - when you have the boat moving either down wind or cross wind.
Only with the bow up - do you want to turn the boat into the waves.

The comments above - apply equally to both aluminum and glass boats.

I will also close by saying -- that if a person has driven a boat that is very light in the front - and naturally rises very quickly - and then starts driving a much heavier boat - especially - if it is heavier in the bow - there is a period of adjustment; before the driver will be completely comforatable in driving the new boat.

Take care
REW

[Water Dog]

I can show you military videos of the Aircraft carrier Enterprise spearing waves.
When the skipper comes over the com and sez, (Anyone out on deck will be washed overboard and not rescued!) You learn to respect old mother nature.
All this fiberglass vs. aluminum is just trash talk.
Give me a good skipper who knows his boat with fair winds, and following seas.
Let me fish well and come home in good spirits.
What more can any one ask for?

[PJM]

mike

Glass or aluminum, ride or dry it's like arguing politics.

[jerry]

Well, I've read all the replies and pretty much agree with what is being said. Here's my take on it:

I fish the RCL Circuit, so I get to fish some of the meanest waters available. Last week at Saginaw Bay, a Ranger owner tried to tell me how much drier his ride was than mine. I run a Lund Pro-V 2025 LE. I asked him where he travelled to in the 2-4 ft swells were in. He told me with the waves out, and into them back in. I explained to him that riding into and with waves tends to give you the driest ride. Ranger's advantage, in this case, is that when the bow settles into a swell while riding with a wave, she tends to cushion the ride, vs. the Lund or any aluminum boat, which tends to land harder and slap the water. The best way to witness this is to drive, not ride in, these boats yourself. I had the chance to drive a Ranger 620 during prefish for the tourney, and they handle about as smooth as any boat available.

The dive and spearing of waves question, though, is a question of handling. To this day, I have never speared a wave yet. I tend to take it easy as I like to get me and my passsengers back in one piece. Hope this answers your question.

[Marble Eyes]

I was in a Ranger boat on the first day also. 619 I believe.
The Pilot did very well, even with the rough seas. He had a bad seat on the passangers side, which caused the teeth to rattle a couple of times. :)

We got sprayed a few times but no spearing of waves. We ran
20 miles north out of Linwood but not thru the chute. We at different times of the day went in all diffent directions with those waves.

I thought the Ranger was better at keeping the spray off the riders in high seas. But I also thought it was a rougher ride. It was hard to tell with the bad seat in the Ranger. But we speared no waves.

[BRS1]

Fished Erie in April the 5 days before the PWT with a pro in a 2002 Ranger 620 and he was an incredibly capable driver and we ran close to top end in all types of conditions and his boat handling made me envious.

We never speared a wave and I don't remember any water except what was falling out of the sky.

The only problem with his boat was the low end seats wiht NO SUSPENSION. MarbleEyes is right, I kept my mouth closed so I wouldn't bite my tongue. With some suspension seats, the Ranger would have been a great ride. With the Pro Ride suspension seats in my Lund Pro V, it is as comfortable as any boat I have been in. If I ride in one of the other seats, I get pounded in rough water like anyone else would if your slammin' waves.

I think it is more the seats and driver than the boats. Once my driving skills improve I hope to offer as dry a ride as my Erie angling guide did.

Regards,

BRS1

[David Anderson]

I average 1 good spear a year. Have done it on a 16foot lund Pro Angler, Ranger 680T, Skeeter 135T, and my 620T. In every case it boiled down to a bad timing with a guy sitting in the bow. I would say that my fiberglass boats have been more prone to spearing as it seems to take more power to get the bow up.