Re: Aluminum Boat Purchase
I have 14' alumacraft. Love it. Deep V, 20 hp motor with an aftermarket carb. GPS at about 22mph. Not sure what your budget is but the most economical way to do it is probably buy an older boat and get a newer motor. You want no leaks obviously and a newer motor gives less to worry about. You can also redo the electric and floors or whatever else pretty easily. There is a thread on this board with a bunch of folks helping me do it.
2stroke vs 4 stroke - lots of different opinions there. I have a 2 stroke (means adding oil to the gas) supposedly they need more minor repairs, 4 stroke needs fewer but more expensive repairs. 2 stroke may have more power too....not sure
Then there is tiller vs steering wheel. I have a tiller and often wish for a wheel but the tiller does leave less that can go wrong. Basically a motor, fuel line and gas tank.
I would suggest the 16' as that two feet can make a bunch of difference. Also if you are going to use in freshwater, most lakes have a 9.9 hp limit which sux imo. You basically need two motors. I only have the 20hp and am very limited as to where I can go. However when the weather kicks up in SH bay, I can beat feet out of there.
With your tow capacity, you can go a lot bigger though. My 14', motor and gear is probably no more then 800lbs
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