# Alweld, SeaArk, or Alumacraft?



## Sam521 (Mar 9, 2007)

Thank yall for all your previous help. Did a little more searching and here is what I am looking at:

*Alumacraft 1860 Tunnel w/90 Yamaha* - 86'' Beam, .100 gauge aluminum

*SeaArk 1872TPCC Tunnel* - 95'' beam, .125 gauge aluminum, only rated for 80 hp?

*Alweld 1870 VVCC Tunnel w/90 Yamaha* - 96'' beam , .100 gauge aluminum

Personal experience and opinions greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## Supergas (Nov 30, 2004)

*BOATRIGHT !!!!!*

Boatright aluminum boats... the absolute best...

Supergas


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## hockeyref999 (Aug 12, 2005)

I have the Alumaweld 1860 tunnel hull, been a good rig. Mine has a 60 HP Yamaha two stroke, and tops out at around 25 mph. Unless you're planning on putting a jet drive on it for duck hunting, that 90 is way more motor than you need. Heavier and burns more gas than the 60, and the 90 is more expensive. The 60 HP hole shot is "right now".

One thing about the aluminum tunnel hull - it makes a lot of bubbles. You can't get the external transducer far enough away, and you can't mount one internally because it won't shoot through the metal. So the fishfinder only works when idling, not at cruise speeds. I have my transducer on the bottom of my bow mounted trolling motor, and use it for freshwater fishing. In the bay, it's so shallow you only see about three feet of the bottom with a 20 degree transducer anyway, so I don't use the FF.

Good luck. Remember, no matter what you buy, get what YOU want - it's your money.


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## bac430 (Oct 10, 2006)

*Alweld*

I have the 1756 Alweld tunnel with a 90hp Yamaha...love it. It goes anywhere and rides prety smooth. I probably don't need the 90, but that's what came with it.
Good luck.


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

20 ft S.A. 140 4srk. had it 2 yrs. handles all ponies but a 90 would still be enough. boat is solid but side consols start shaking at 40mph. I have no reason to look at another brand.


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## CavassoCruisin (Jun 21, 2006)

I have a 2070 Alweld with tunnel and sponsons; I have a 115 etec on it and it'll just top 40 mph. It floats 7" (or less) and runs the same. Can't speak for the others...


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## Old River Rat (Dec 29, 2007)

i don't know if this is true or not but when i was looking at a boats I was looking at the sea Arks also and then someon told me about a clause in their warrenty about their welds and basically restricting them to the rivers. IF you are outside of a river system and you bust a weld in the chop the warrenty is voided. I hope this is false but I just wanted to put that out there so you could check into it if you decide to go that route.


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## plgorman (Jan 10, 2008)

I love my 16' SA. Not a tunnel hull though. and he's right the fishfinder doesnt work unless you're idling. mines got a Yama 50hp 2 stroke and I can hit 37 when its just me on an ice cream day

Ive never heard of the warranty clause you are talking about with the Sea Arks. Anyone got a link? FYI Ive been in some stuff that my boat had NO business being in, getting beat to heck and ive never busted a weld. Ive also ran aground on mud/sand/oyster countless times at pretty good speeds. The only thing that almost broke was my sternum from slamming into the CC rail


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## dsim3240 (Nov 12, 2008)

i hope the alumacraft is the right answer because I ordered the 1756 tunnel last week. It should be ready for pickup the weekend. I have been told that the setup for a tunnel is critical. The moter needs to be place the correct height and distanct from the transit to get the best performance.


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## Fisher_Of_Men (Feb 28, 2008)

Old River Rat said:


> i don't know if this is true or not but when i was looking at a boats I was looking at the sea Arks also and then someon told me about a clause in their warrenty about their welds and basically restricting them to the rivers. IF you are outside of a river system and you bust a weld in the chop the warrenty is voided. I hope this is false but I just wanted to put that out there so you could check into it if you decide to go that route.


This is absolutely TRUE. I had a SeaArk 2096-Tunnel SuperJon that I purchased from Reynolds Marine in Baytown. When I purchased it I had them install a treated plywood floor. After about 7 years I went to replace the floor and upon removal of the floor I noticed the first three floor ribs had all broken welds. SeaArk said they would not warranty the boat because I fished primarily in the bays. I tried to reason with them and then they produced a page from their warranty. Bob Johnson of Reynolds didn't know this either, because he rigged the boat for me, for bay fishing. Bob did help me find a welder who repaired the welds at a very reasonable price.(under $500.00) I did own and fished the boat a total of 12 years. It was a great boat for back bays but it would take a pounding on the waves. I finally sold it and bought my Carolina Skiff.

Good Luck...


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## Old River Rat (Dec 29, 2007)

plgorman said:


> I love my 16' SA. Not a tunnel hull though. and he's right the fishfinder doesnt work unless you're idling. mines got a Yama 50hp 2 stroke and I can hit 37 when its just me on an ice cream day
> 
> Ive never heard of the warranty clause you are talking about with the Sea Arks. Anyone got a link? FYI Ive been in some stuff that my boat had NO business being in, getting beat to heck and ive never busted a weld. Ive also ran aground on mud/sand/oyster countless times at pretty good speeds. The only thing that almost broke was my sternum from slamming into the CC rail


I questioned it myself....I just wanted to throw it out there incase there is some validity to it. I don't know if it was another boat salesman trying to get me to buy theirs instead of the Sea Ark.


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## Old River Rat (Dec 29, 2007)

http://www.seaarkboats.com/warranty.html

has the warrenty listed there. It says the following. I don't know exactly what this means but I would check into it.

Transom Stiffeners are required on selected models when jackplates are used. These models include, but are not limited to, MV's, P's, Jet's, Tunnels, and DuckHawks. Use of jackplates with more than a 6" offset will void the warranty.
SeaArk Boats produces boats for recreational use in Class "D" (sheltered) waters. Use of SeaArk recreational products for commercial use or in waters other than Class "D" may void this warranty.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

A name like SeaArk seems misleading, if their warranty is void
when used in the sea. Their 100 gauge aluminum isn't meant to
withstand sea conditions; it gets rough out there and boats sooner
or later take a real pounding. Fiberglass is stronger but heavier. 
It'd still rather have aluminum, these days.


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## Sam521 (Mar 9, 2007)

Trouthappy said:


> A name like SeaArk seems misleading, if their warranty is void
> when used in the sea. Their 100 gauge aluminum isn't meant to
> withstand sea conditions; it gets rough out there and boats sooner
> or later take a real pounding. Fiberglass is stronger but heavier.
> It'd still rather have aluminum, these days.


The reason I was looking at SeaArk at all was that their website says they are made from.125 gauge aluminum? Is this not true?


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## capn (Aug 11, 2005)

Most likely the ribs are .125, but there are some hulls made from it too. I have seen several seaarks with broken ribs though, so my personal preference would be to go another direction for a bay boat.

The Alumacraft is a good boat, but you absolutely MUST get a 90 on an 18 footer to get any kind of performance out of it. You also want the tunnel-v, not the flat-tunnel, meaning that the bow has a mod v bottom instead of a flat bottom. Alumacrafts are not all created equal, either. There are some boat dealerships I would never, ever consider getting one from, but I have seen a couple that were really set up nice and they've made great boats. You need a hydraulic jackplate and cav plate and sponsons if you hope to get shallow water performance out of it. Don't let any salesman try to tell you differently. Dealerships that offer "specials" and try to convice you that you don't need more a 60 or 70 horsepower or any shallow water rigging are scam artists just trying to make a sale.

I don't have any experience with the Alweld, but I will tell you that adding width adds a lot of weight. You will lose speed and maneuverability with a wide boat, but you gain stability and floor space. But if I were going to do a 70-72 wide boat, I'd go with a 20 footer and 100-115hp outboard. However, if you are really using it in skinny water, and you expect to get stuck every once in a while, that 1860 and 90 are a whole lot easier to push than the 20 footer, just less space and a little rougher in the chop.

Big part of it is you need to look at the actual boats you're considering, and see how you like layouts and features. See what custom options are available and what you like best. Then get them on the water with a gps in hand to see how they handle.


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## Shin-Diggin (Jun 17, 2005)

I have a weldcraft and its a good boat. One thing I agree with thats been said here is don't under power the boat. Under power boats are no fun, been there and still there.


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## txshockwave (Mar 6, 2007)

you would be better off with a 1860 boatright texas scooter with a 90-115 hp outboard.


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## Hardbait (Jul 31, 2007)

Have the 18ft Alumacraft tunnel with a 115 optimax and a hydraulic jack plate, it will run very shallow, but will beat you to death in a chop. The earlier post about not underpowering your boat is dead on, mine started with a 50 which was soon replaced with the 115, it actually improved the shallow water performance, and the fuel burn is about the same with the optimax as it was with the carb motor. Top speed is only around 40, but it is also running an 18p prop. It has been a good boat, and has been beat up pretty well but have had no structural problems, just have to tighten a few screws occassionally. I have not seen many boats that will get on plane as fast as it will. Whatever you get, pick the one that is right for you, it is your money. Congratulations on your new boat.


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## wave hopper (Dec 27, 2004)

my buddy has a 18ft foot seaArch cc with a 55hp mercery for sale if your interested give me a pm


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