This Boat Will Change Boating Forever 

My Dad bought a Montgomery Ward 14' aluminum boat in 1957. When the Chris Craft outboard motor company went bankrupt he bought three of their 10 HP motors at a steep discount. He put the best one on the new boat. That changed our lives. Water skiing, fishing, swimming and trips on the Big Muskegon River in Michigan made our summers great. He gave the boat and motor to me in the 70s and I used it for years.

I have a 21’ triumph. It’s made of HDPE and rotomolded like a cooler. Great boat, it’s light, responsive, great ride and tough as hell!

You mention thet the market is shifting in the direction of plastic boats and it is, however that shift began 25 years ago and the younger generation ran with it . Kayaks are available for allot less than a grand and are easy to transport and some of the other plastic boats like the Whatly boats are unsinkable and thats hard to beat

I'm 81 now, and I still have the 12 foot aluminum jon-boat I bought from Sears Roebuck for $67.00. That was back in 1968, and I bought a 2.5 horse air-cooled outboard motor with it for another $87.00. I made the mistake of leaving the boat out in the back yard one winter, and something chewed a big chunk out of the transom, but I was able to replace that myself. I've since got rid of the motor, and replaced a few rivets in the boat, but the boat is still useable. I did put a 6 horse motor on it one summer, and scared myself spitless the first time I went full-throttle with it! That said, I'd still like to try fishing from a kayak, or one of the new plastic bit designs, and it just seems like they'd be a decent way to recycle some of the throw-away platic we're burying ourselves with nowadays.

I bought a plastic Pond Prowler this June to finish out the fishing chapter of my life. I’ve had many boats over my lifetime (just ask my wife) and didn’t want to spend much now, not knowing how long I’ll be able to keep going. My last bass boat I gave to my Son, and he traded it in on a Skeeter. So, I can see how a plastic boat could be entry level, or the final level of boating/fishing.

I just bought a slightly used 12-foot Tracker Topper jon boat . I have begun to realize the points you’re making, Wayne. It’s a very basic and very decent little boat, but most importantly a hot commodity of enjoyment and appreciation of the great outdoors…priceless!

83 and been through a lot of boats. I have been kayak fishing for over 30 years. Main design was plastic sit on tops. Grandson is getting my fiberglass fishing kayak. Last year I bought a Hobie pedal drive which I keep on a trailer. I have a 16' aluminum fishing boat that does not get used. I still have a 12" PortaBote with 6 hp engine I bought for hauling with the RV. I prefer it to the 16' boat.

Bought my 2011 Old Town Sportsman 154 (15' square stern canoe) for $400 used with a trailer in 2020. I have made numerous mods to it, including my most recent upgraded 3hp Newport NT300. I love my plastic boat for its simplicity and how light it is (120lbs empty). You are right, the push is towards these smaller fishing kayaks and small skiffs, I think mainly because fuel is getting more and more expensive. The bigger the boat, the more expensive they are to maintain, its very simple!

I have an older 15’ fiberglass tri hull boat and abosolutly love it. I wanted a boat that was small, easy to haul, launch, beach, fuel efficient and decently peppy but was also stable. Old fiberglass boats can be gotten for next to nothing or even free. I got another 15’6” Glastron im gonna redo the floors in and put a hot motor in it.

I bought a very expensive porta-bote around 25 or 30 years ago and have never regretted it. Even now it is almost worth twice what i paid for it. I am 74 years old and could not get into or out of a kayak without a lot of help, and maybe a crane.

Ive had a 15'x8' plastic roto molded plastic boat for the last 5 years, love it. It's indestructible

I was lucky to get an old aluminum 12' jon boat that I'm positive was made in America. The metal seems thicker than newer boats and still light enough for two of us to pick it up. I'll still enjoy my fancy fishing kayak and also have fun with buddies in the jon boat. I looked hard at the variety of plastic boats available and I don't have confidence in their long term durability.

I’m team aluminum, but I like that the free market can do what it pleases. Who am I to force people to buy aluminum?

Im a veteran canoeist and kayaker getting too old and arthritic so in the market for a small jonboat. I found the Sun Dolphin American 12' on sale for under $600. Seemed to meet all the criteria. About 550# capacity, not too heavy, rated for 6 hp, prewired for trolling motor, seemed like a deal. But when I looked at one in person I changed my mind. Only the rear floor drains. the middle floor and the fore section have no drainage system. The boat has 2 drain plugs, one only drains behind the aft seat, and the other drains the inner cavities of the boat between the hulls. The only way to get water out from between the other seats is to flip the boat. So you cant put the boat up to max speed and pull the plug and drain the boat while underway, a simple thing on an aluminum boat. That simple fact put me off it. So I'm shopping for a used 12' alum. even if I have to do extensive renovations.

I'm going jetski fishing!!!!

I honestly could care less if my boat was made of Aluminum or plastic especially if we can start building plastic boats from recycled plastics . what is important to me is i want my boat to last a long time and not have to worry about about it flexing and cracking like some of the budget friendly plastic boat do or have

I love throwing my bass raider 10 in my gmc savana and just fishing for 5-6 hours…no trailer, no maintenance and it’s pretty stable 2 people for a 10 foot bathtub 😂I got my garmen Sv on ther my 50lbs thrust and I’m able to catch fish. Works for me

Thank you for your video, very interesting content. I have 3 small plastic boats they are tough but I am always concerned about damage. GRP is easy to repair but I have no way of repairing my plastic boats nor access to professional repairers. Love your channel.

I started out with wood boats and still have one. There's aluminum and then there's Alumaweld among others, I have an Alumaweld boat and it is built for hard use for a lifetime. There are others that run the white water rivers of the west coast for many purposes. Know why you want your boat.

I'll keep my 1987 Bass Tracker TX-17. Grandad had cypress boats, which he built himself. He rented them out in his fishing camp from the 1940's through around 1972. He kept a coffee can in each one to bail them out. He used tar to cut down on leaking. By the 1970's, people usually had their own boat on a trailer. Before then, many brought their own small outboard motor in the trunk of their car to use. Others just paddled.

I was introduced to sit-on-top lake kayaks about 14 years ago. I have a 10' Ocean Kayak which is perfect for fishing. It's the only Non-hole-in-the-water boat I've ever had.

My dad bought a 16 foot Grumman aluminum canoe when he got out of the Navy after WW2 that he and his brothers used. My brothers and myself fished out of it a lot growing up. My nephews are still using it to this day. I wonder how long a plastic canoe would have lasted?

My father in law has an aluminum johnboat, he had to buy and assemble a trailer to pull it with, he can’t handle it as easily as he used to at 72 years old. Meanwhile, my mom at 75 has been an avid kayaker and fly fisherman her whole adult life. She can carry her little plastic kayak down to the river and kayak herself to her favorite eddy. She can even put it on top of the station wagon by herself, and take it down (although if here’s a handsome younger man there, she’ll ALWAYS ask him for help😂). The difference between aluminum and plastic is cost, weight, speed of construction, and convenience. There’s no contest, even though I do love fishing from a johnboat.

I like light boats. A 20 hp on a rib can run 30 mph. I can move it by hand, if i have to. Plastic boats are heavy as compared to aluminum. I bet plastic boats are more durable? They would make good rental boats.

I own a Smartwave 4200, PE Runabout in NZ...best buy for local island hopping and fishing. 40 hp 2 stroke, 250kg .

My local boating place sells NEW 12 and 14 foot Aluminum Jon Boats from $750 to $1500 and I live in a high desert. So, I get that not as many people are buying them as before, but the market certainly hasn't dried up and blown away. I wont name the place until after I purchase my boat next month. Pretty sure though the little Jon Boats are everywhere. Back when I was stationed in Louisiana I literally tripped over aluminum Jon Boats everywhere.

i am developping a pontoon houseboat. The prototype i live on is about 10 years old, the hulls are made from HDPE. I admit it has none of the charm of wood or even aluminum, but it is just so much more carefree. I can beach it straight onto rock without worries of punctures. I' d never go back to fiberglass, aluminum or wood. The lenght of the hulls is about 40 feet

Anyone that actually thinks they will stop making aluminium boats? You can still buy wooden boats 80 years later.

I like my aluminum boats. Currently own two. I prefer 14/15/16 footers in utility V bottom or flat bottom styles. I run 1967, 1971,1974, 1976, and a 1980 vintage Johnson and Evinrude motors. But then, I’m 64 years old, what else might one expect from me? I cut my boat handling teeth on the ol 1971 aluminum V bottom fishing boat beginning at 12 years old. Yep I still have that boat and enjoy it regularly. Had one fiberglass boat in my life. It was a good one but I’ll stick to aluminum. Can’t kill em off even if you only give them a marginal amount of care.

The Jon boat was never the best option. Watching this made me realize that the jet ski is the best option.

Blow molding is super cheap and fast. Even if plastic is heavier, the cost advantage make a huge difference. An aluminum kayak doesn’t sound comfortable having your skin touch wet metal.

I think size is the biggest factor, a 12 or 14 foot jon boat needs a long truck bed or a boat trailer while a kayak can go on roof racks and an 8 foot-10 foot plastic boat can go in a utility trailer.

I have two kayaks, bought them used for about half the new price. The are very fun. It's appealing to be able to throw one on your car and get on the water without the trailer, the ramp, and all the other things that come with a motor boat. I do love my motor boat though, and I'd love one of the new poly fishing boats in the 14-16 foot range.

My Dad would be so proud. He was a chemical engineer, who spent his career working with polyethylene.

I've used little plastic bass boats for decades, the little pontoon boats with 2 seats... and ive used kayaks but neither of them servers the confort level of going fishing with others in a boat big enough to walk around in a bit that didn't cost you more than a car. I think we are missing something in the middle... between the kayaks/mini bass boats and 15k bass trackers and pontoons. what form that takes is anyones guess but its largely missing from todays market.

One of the reason Jon Boats are becoming less popular has to do with another boating segment that is making it hard to use jon boats in large lakes. Wakeboard boats that kick up 4-6ft wakes at everything around them will sink an aluminum jon boat with absolutely no effort or time wasted. These idiots in their wake boats will come by you within 50 feet and throw a massive wake stuffing your shallow jon boat within seconds and down it goes to the bottom of the lake. People who are buying the plastic boats generally are using them in small lakes and ponds where that's not an issue, and often the plastic boats are filled with foam so they won't sink if they get stuffed with a wake. I had to get rid of my 9ft dinghy because it got stuffed by a wake boat in a larger lake and went with a 15ft fiberglass tri-hull. It still gets rocked pretty hard by those irresponsible and disrespectful jerks, but at least I'm safer than in a small shallow dingy or jon boat.

Fantastic info on this gravitation towards plastic boats. Just my thoughts though here …. A late 60’surfboard manufacturer who thought much cheaper foam injection plastic shell surfboard was the future. It didn’t last long. Consumers eventually want performance… Now, back to boats. I grant you, performance is not at issue but, I for one don’t understand why these “ kayak” boats are selling. Me? I still want a cheap boat that will comfortably accommodate 2 or more people! I don’t care what is made of. And I know there are a lot of people like me out there. IDK, maybe I just don’t understand the market.

That's just the ad from BassPro. That $15k bass boat is their bread and butter. Walk into a showroom and you'll find bare-bones aluminum johnboats. My local marine dealer has basic aluminum johnboats stacked like cord wood. They sell a ton.

I paid $100 on a 14’ Valco aluminum boat, yes had a couple of holes to fix but it was an easy fix, I’ll stick with my aluminum for now

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that more plastic in the ocean is exactly what we need 😂

I learnt to sail in a rotomoulded dinghy on a rocky dam. No other boat would have survived that. I'd happily own one as a powerboat, but the weight is still an issue. But for now I'm all about aluminium

How true. Not many blacksmiths on the corner either.

Plastic is temporary, like an iPhone. Aluminium is FOREVER !!

I bought a nucanoe unlimited and at 12.5 ft 85lb . I can cartop by myself and storage easily inside my garage . I could take my kayak on lakes without boat ramp. Maintenance free . I add a motor 55lb and hit up to 4mph

My son's friend has one that is a 16 foot center console boat in polyethylene. It is heavy for what it is so it needs a bigger than normal motor and goes slower than normal for a fiberglass or aluminum boat. Also it is not easy to modify and major repairs will be impossible. But it is incredible tough so basically impossible to kill outside of a fire in the first 30 years of normal use.

TRIUMPH has been making plastic Boats (ROTOMOLDED) for 20 yrs. I have a 2005 19' Fish and Ski. It is tougher than any fiberglass boat made. Triumph used to have the videos to prove it. It took sledge hammer blows to side that Boston Whalers could not. Then took ones at least 5 times worse and it just bounced off....

I have a kayak now I fish out of . I've fished from aluminum jon boats, more room better standing stability but seats not as comfortable. I want to go electric with a fiberglas or kevlar bass boat like hull with lots of battery storage an autopilot trolling motor and an electric outboard. All thats availble but I haven't seen a manufacturer that wants to put it on a trailer for me.

I still own a 14-foot aluminum boat. I also own a 16-foot double eagle fiberglass. The aluminum boat has seen better days. Needs some rivets and some aluminum welding.

As a person who does inshore salt almost exclusively… I LOVE my plastic kayak. Now I am looking at plastic boats. Lol I want to bring a kid with me fishing.

I live in a community on fresh water. A fellow recently splashed an aluminum pontoon. Unbeknownst to him he had an electrical fault at his dock and his pontoons were destroyed by electrolysis in less than a week. I note some new pontoons are thermoplastic. That is the way I would go. I have a thermoplastic kayak which has been In hard sun for 12 years. Still perfectly functional but color has faded. Pretty impressive durability. I would imagine plastic is heavier than aluminum tho.

I'm having an all plastic hog island river skiff built right now. They've proven themselves to have insane durability, and my build is considerably less expensive than an aluminum boat with a similar setup.

Marketing has boosted the cheap plastic boat into big bucks

I like that you have chapmans on your book shelf.

My first boat was a 10' folding plywood kayak that I built myself in 1968. I got it for fishing. I've had quite a few boats since. BTW, I always considered fiberglass boats as plastic or plastic composite. Thanks for the video !

Addressing the realities of the market will always make you enemies. Great video!

I love your reminder that wooden boat people used to laugh at aluminum boats. I'll try to remember that when I laugh at plastic hull boats 👍

If the US can't drill for oil and the petroleum sector collapses there won't be any plastic anything. Brilliant. The only reason I don't own a plastic boat is I still have the aluminum boat gifted to me and my brother from our Mom and Dad in 1966. I would like to try a plastic kayak. Thanks for the video.

Any thoughts about UV degradation of the plastic materials?

When I was a kid, my grandmother would take me out on fiberglass boats. Fun catching fish, but it was torturous after the fact - itching for days.

Also I believe kayaks are more comfortable to sit in for a longer period of time, and they definitely are more convenient to travel them, just throw them in the back of your truck or on top of your SUV.

Sadly kayaking is usually a me thing and boating is a we thing. I started as a kid drifting on a dock float and moved to little boats and bigger boats then back to little boats. It's always a trade between light small cheaper and bigger heavier much more expensive. All to gain stability, safety and comfort. Until you can't afford to move it and sit watching the paddler go by. Plastic is so friendly when you fall on it or hit a rock. Inflatable has advantages but it leaks. Fiberglass is itchy. It's often about what you can realistically lift and launch by yourself without a trailer. Trailers are a whole other problem. We can't get rid of microplastics by making more plastic. We need a comprehensive plastic recycling plan. Trash can be made into boats but it isn't happening.

I love some of the new plastic boat designs. I love the kayaks but don't love the sitting position. I prefer to sit higher and like the ability to rotate. You have to watch the weight of these new offerings because you lose the ability to easily load and unload from a truck bed if that's important to you. I think you would have to have several of these to cover all your fishing needs. Knowing exactly what you want is key in buying one of these boats as your imagination can get you in trouble and you end up with something you didn't quite bargain for.

Got to thinking, funny that people are more so buying the small plastic fishing kyacks, & how when it comes to cars they keep getting bigger. Then I realised that yesterday when I took my two boys out on the lake in our aluminium ‘tinny’, there was a father & son whom each had their own Kyack they were fishing from, but side my side. I guess like you said Wayne, different thinking

Thanks for doing boating fellow Marylander

It’s about portability. Most younger people don’t own a truck. Kayaks are easier to transport. I have owned a Sun Dolphin Pro 120 for 20 years. My next boat is an Ultra Skiff or Lite Skiff. Nothing wrong with aluminum but prefer plastic. I had aluminum back in the 1980s. Sure the thing is still around somewhere.

I can remember when I saw a gasoline cast iron engine with aluminum heads and at the time it was considered junk by many . Now , most gasoline engines are made of aluminum .

I see 12' Sears, Montgomery Ward aluminum boats near me everyday for as low as $300.00. I could buy my Grampa's 12' foot aluminum boat any day of the week.

i bought a 14 foot aluminum boat not that long ago this year

With no disrespect to the video, Lund, Smoker Craft, Lowe and Princecraft all appear to be making aluminum 14 footers. And there are a bazillion 10 to 14 foot aluminum boats already out there, so if one prefers metal to polyethylene, they are to be had.

The main problem I have that keeps me from going with most of the plastic options is size. I have 2 sons and a wife that would sometimes like to go with us. I don't see many good plastic options that can ride 4 deep without being worried about taking a swim.

This is a good report. I’ve looked at aluminum boats but honestly I’m not understanding the high prices.

In Australia aluminium boats rule. For any given displacement aluminium is much lighter and easily worked.

When I bought my 10 ft John boat price and weight was the biggest factors my ten aluminum Jon boat with no accessories on it weighs 88 lbs all the plastic boats with the We're 12ft. And 200 plus pounds with no accessories so I went with aluminum as it would be easier to load into the back of a pick up truck

Seems as though one can build a boat out of many different materials. Whatever works to enjoy the water

I got a polycraft 4.5 center console and never looked back!! Tuff as nails, quiet on the water, easy to clean, not heavy at all by comparison!

Can't wait to hit Haulover Inlet in this bad boy!!!!

I like my Coleman 16 foot canoe. More comfortable than a kayak.

The price of those fishing kayaks is insane! A 14 foot boat with a 15-20hp engine is way better, more comfortable to fish in and can go everywhere those kayaks go.

Plastic boats are for kids in bathtubs. I grew up during the 60's running a 32ft wood diesel trawler offshore, out of Montauk, then Shinnicock, and owned 7 different types of boats of my own across my lifetime, from my first boat a 14ft/40hp evinrude 13yrs old, to my custom 25ft diesel stiegercraft that I had built for myself, I wouldn't be caught dead on a plastic boat. I would rather find a 14-16ft GLastron Jetflight and restore it to it's new splendor. I stand a better chance at landing a Carlson. Or a 17ft Checkmate. There are plenty of two stroke sweet water Mercury's to propel my project. I blew up piston 4 and rebuilt the same 140hp Johnson so many times, practicing for AWSA Slalom tournaments, that we kept a 2nd powerhead, so we would never miss a day of skiing.

Aluminum is darn expensive no matter what. Even racks for cnc machines are off the charts.

I’d take my 10 foot livingston over a plastic boat or kayak. I had a fishing kayak and it was hard to fish off.

I think there are only 6 aluminum smelters left in the USA and we only have about 2% of total market share world wide. Not that it's a driver in the small boat market but it's indication of an overall trend. I remember about 20 years ago perhaps longer Triumph Boats had a plastic hull 17-21' center console boats. Obviously ahead of their times. They are no longer in business. They were very tough boats and made extremely well:Roplene construction is a patented dual-wall system made by roto-molding marine-grade polyethylene.

As these youngsters get older backs,knees and shoulders will dictate a ton of garage sales!

There's nothing new about plastic boats. The Snark company started making plastic foam filled sailboats in the 1950s and they're still going strong.

This time I have a real question. At 1:56, there's a dark gray boat with a 50hp Honda on it. What brand of boat is that?

I had a 2000 Hunter 212 sailboat made from ABS plastic in Florida. The composition of the plastic was not stabile in the MN winters and the cabin top cracked horrible bad allowing water to soak into the roof. I tried DIY fixes and professional repairs but ultimately the boat was a total loss.

In my case, you are right. I wanted a little more adventure and looking into plastic or fiberglass. I am the only one that’s going out to the water so I wanted something I can lug around myself.

Chris Craft is still a proper boat.

The plastic boats have been around for 30 years, however they are way heavier than alloy, in Australia small runabout trailable boats 20 foot and smaller 90% of the market is alloy, 9.5% fibreglass .5% plastic and the largest I've seen is a 14 footer and really heavy,

Great vid. Here in New Zealand the plastic SMARTWAVE is v popular

There is aluminum canoes. I owned a Grumman for 30+ years. Governments don't make boats. Corporations do. plastic dinghys are very nice and would be quite desirable for the quiet factor while fishing. Larger aluminum boats are coming in favor because of the toughness of heavy aluminum. And just like metal hulls replaced most wooden hulls, different materials will come into prominence. Everything changes. Now, about those petrol engines...........!

Forget to mention inflatables had them for 40 years

I actually think that in time to come moulded plastic would replace fiberglass boats even in the 20 to 30 foot range.... Why? Because they would be computer controlled blow molded without a skilled fiberglass technician or skilled labour and the hull's price would be one third of a fiberglass Hull.

May just be a fad, plastic does have it's problems. Kayaks are great, but when you get old, paddling kinda starts to suck

Plastic kayaks are cheaper but I prefer something bigger than I can actually move in and put gear on

Keflar boat is one of the best. Titanium boat is the best boat ever build in human history.

Plastic is lighter and can mold into designer shapes and can come in countless piping colors.

I think value added up selling killed the small aluminum boat.

I wouldn’t say plastic boats are becoming the choice of the consumer. Rather manufacturers will push what is cheapest to make and get them the most profits which is plastic. Stores push the plastic as well because it’s easier to move and cheaper for them as well . Less risk on stock. Let’s be honest hardly anyone ever sees a plastic boat out on the water

It is a lot easier to learn to paddle a kayak than to row a jonboat