Weldbilt

[RUGER]

I put this in the waterfowl forum but thought I would ask in here too:

I am gonna buy me a boat and it will be used primarily for duck hunting and, knowing my son, probably some bowfishing.

I really want an F&F but they are HARD to find.
1652 or 1654 is what I really want.

Been looking at the Weldbilt boats and kinda like how they look.
I believe they are semi-v.
Not sure if they offer a 54 or not, about all I have seen are like 1648 & 1748.
Not perfect, but would be stable enough I suppose if we hunted out of it with a blind.

I know nothing about them and wanted some input on their pros / cons.

 

[fishboy1]

I know they build a very solid boat. Not sure about the sizes though. Was sold on their construction then lucked into a deal on a different boat before I could finish up my research on models etc...
I would get the widest bottom I could and the high sides.

 

[Dodge Man]

http://www.backwoodslanding.com/special-order.html

For bow fishing and boat blind hunting i would go with a wider bottom them 48" if I could for stability.

In the 16' sizes are 16x36, 16x42, 16x48, 16x52, 16x56, 16x60.

I have been looking at them a lot and I really think I will buy one of these boats. I am pretty sure I am going with a 18' probably a 18x52 or 18x56 or 18x60 in the .100 gauge. I will probably have me and 2 kids minimum fishing and probably 3-4 adults most days when going duck hunting.

 

[Spurhunter]

So many companies are building quality all welded boats now days. I had an Xpress 1650DB and really loved it. One thing to consider is turning. Many aluminum boats slide in tight turns. This is a pain when running rivers or sloughs. My Xpress with a 50 horse motor would run mid 30's and turn on a dime. No sliding whatsoever even wide open. I have run other aluminum boats that would slide so bad it was scary. The wider the bottom, the better. I wouldn't consider anything under 50". Also, there are a couple manufacturers still using .125 instead of .100 if I'm not mistaken. That might be something to consider as well. I have no ties to Xpress or any other boat company but I will say my next aluminum boat will most likely be another Xpress. Good luck.

 

[Crosshairy]

So many companies are building quality all welded boats now days. I had an Xpress 1650DB and really loved it. One thing to consider is turning. Many aluminum boats slide in tight turns. This is a pain when running rivers or sloughs. My Xpress with a 50 horse motor would run mid 30's and turn on a dime. No sliding whatsoever even wide open. I have run other aluminum boats that would slide so bad it was scary. The wider the bottom, the better. I wouldn't consider anything under 50". Also, there are a couple manufacturers still using .125 instead of .100 if I'm not mistaken. That might be something to consider as well. I have no ties to Xpress or any other boat company but I will say my next aluminum boat will most likely be another Xpress. Good luck.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the sliding problem with turns generally associated with flat-bottoms? Some flat-bottoms have ridges in the hull that I always thought were supposed to help give some "grip" to the water when making turns, but I've never researched the hull types and their associated turning radii.

 

[Spurhunter]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the sliding problem with turns generally associated with flat-bottoms? Some flat-bottoms have ridges in the hull that I always thought were supposed to help give some "grip" to the water when making turns, but I've never researched the hull types and their associated turning radii.

I think flat bottoms are worse. Some aluminum boats have pieces of angle welded to the bottom front to back to help. I think they are called strakes. I've been told the more they have the better it will turn. The problem isn't exclusive to flat bottoms though. I've seen modified V's with very similar hull designs that handled very differently. I'm don't have the answer as to why. I know that Xpress turned like it was on rails and I had a G3 that would try to slide up on the bank.