Savage Ranger 480

[swingdoctor]

Yeah. i just don't see any 5.0 boat with 4 adults working to well.
i thought he said 18 feet

We've fished in 16 foot boats before and although I agree it is a bit tight with 4 adults, we were fine, it was fibreglass though and I don't know if that makes a difference. Maybe its because we're not very big.

[bowl]

Yeah buying a first boat is headache but when ya find the one its like
:banana:
fiberglass makes a difference.

[swingdoctor]

Yeah buying a first boat is headache but when ya find the one its like
:banana:
fiberglass makes a difference.

Ideally I would have preferred a fibreglass as it sits better in the water, but its harder to launch and retrieve, is harder to steer and not as forgiving with bumps.

I'd also hate to be the guy taking more then 1/2 an hour to retrieve the boat on a busy weekend, and holding eveybody else up.

I asked this in another topic but nobody has yet answered the question, do you know the difference between a "plate" aluminium boat and one that is not plate.

[Nude up]

I think you have the wrong info re f/glass boats versus aluminium boats. Fibreglass will be more forgiving in "bumps" due to there weight for the same size. I can not see the difference in launching a 4.8 aluminium as a 4.8 fibreglass imo launching a boat is launching a boat it all depends on the trailer.
The difference between an aluminium boat and a plate boat is the thickness of the aluminium. The industry like to call any boat over 5mm thick plate. I call them backbreakers you may have guessed I prefer fibreglass if you want a better ride go glass.

[bayman]

Depends on what trailer you got a what ramp you use it's not hard to handle fiberglass boats imo

[anth2013]

Yeah buying a first boat is headache but when ya find the one its like
:banana:
fiberglass makes a difference.

Ideally I would have preferred a fibreglass as it sits better in the water, but its harder to launch and retrieve, is harder to steer and not as forgiving with bumps.

I'd also hate to be the guy taking more then 1/2 an hour to retrieve the boat on a busy weekend, and holding eveybody else up.

I asked this in another topic but nobody has yet answered the question, do you know the difference between a "plate" aluminium boat and one that is not plate.

Swingdoctor here is ur answer,
What is a plate aluminium boat?
While there are some manufacturers who enjoy the confusion surrounding the definition of a plate boat,BarCrusher sit comfortably at the oposite end of the spectrum and is happy to provide as much detail as you require.
Most people perceive a plate boat to be a heavily-built aluminium boat and therefore more durable.There wil always be opportunists who try to pass off lightly aluminium boats as plate boats.
Technically, aluminium plate is 6mm alloy plate and thicker.However,few trailer boats are built from 6mm aluminium these days as its very heavy,quiet expensive,and doesn't provide any great advantage in terms of strength over 4mm and 5mm material.
In this light,the best definition of a plate boat is a boat that's built using a properly constructed sub-floor frame with a welded-in aluminium floor,heavy gauge,high-tensile 5083 aluminium alloy and cut from flat plate.
If it has ribs or extrusions running down from the side deck to the floor along the inside of the boat,its obvious the boat is built using the lightweight tinnie construction method,rather than a true plate style build.
If a boat is to be used in a metre or more of wind chop on bays or in swell offshore,it will be subjected to tremendous force that will stress the hull.To withstand these stresses,the hull needs to be properly designed and well braced and stiffened so it wont flex excessively.
Excessive flex causes fatigue crackling,which means the boat will start to crack around the welds,split and, ultimately,fail.Well-built boats can withstand these forces,while lightly-built boats can fail.
Think about what happens when you bend an empty aluminium can to and fro.Yes,that's right.....cracks,splits and tears.This is exactly what can happen to a lightly- built aluminium boat if stresses by running through waves on windy days.
Do the plate aluminium boats you're considering purchasing incorporate a properly constructed sub-floor frame?Are they constructed from heavy-gauge,high-tensile aluminium cut from flat plate?Do these boats feature welded-in,fully-sealed aluminium floors as opposed to carpeted plywood or treadplate held in place with a few self-tapping screws.


Hope this helps :thumbsup:

[swingdoctor]

Yeah buying a first boat is headache but when ya find the one its like
:banana:
fiberglass makes a difference.

Ideally I would have preferred a fibreglass as it sits better in the water, but its harder to launch and retrieve, is harder to steer and not as forgiving with bumps.

I'd also hate to be the guy taking more then 1/2 an hour to retrieve the boat on a busy weekend, and holding eveybody else up.

I asked this in another topic but nobody has yet answered the question, do you know the difference between a "plate" aluminium boat and one that is not plate.

Swingdoctor here is ur answer,
What is a plate aluminium boat?
While there are some manufacturers who enjoy the confusion surrounding the definition of a plate boat,BarCrusher sit comfortably at the oposite end of the spectrum and is happy to provide as much detail as you require.
Most people perceive a plate boat to be a heavily-built aluminium boat and therefore more durable.There wil always be opportunists who try to pass off lightly aluminium boats as plate boats.
Technically, aluminium plate is 6mm alloy plate and thicker.However,few trailer boats are built from 6mm aluminium these days as its very heavy,quiet expensive,and doesn't provide any great advantage in terms of strength over 4mm and 5mm material.
In this light,the best definition of a plate boat is a boat that's built using a properly constructed sub-floor frame with a welded-in aluminium floor,heavy gauge,high-tensile 5083 aluminium alloy and cut from flat plate.
If it has ribs or extrusions running down from the side deck to the floor along the inside of the boat,its obvious the boat is built using the lightweight tinnie construction method,rather than a true plate style build.
If a boat is to be used in a metre or more of wind chop on bays or in swell offshore,it will be subjected to tremendous force that will stress the hull.To withstand these stresses,the hull needs to be properly designed and well braced and stiffened so it wont flex excessively.
Excessive flex causes fatigue crackling,which means the boat will start to crack around the welds,split and, ultimately,fail.Well-built boats can withstand these forces,while lightly-built boats can fail.
Think about what happens when you bend an empty aluminium can to and fro.Yes,that's right.....cracks,splits and tears.This is exactly what can happen to a lightly- built aluminium boat if stresses by running through waves on windy days.
Do the plate aluminium boats you're considering purchasing incorporate a properly constructed sub-floor frame?Are they constructed from heavy-gauge,high-tensile aluminium cut from flat plate?Do these boats feature welded-in,fully-sealed aluminium floors as opposed to carpeted plywood or treadplate held in place with a few self-tapping screws.


Hope this helps :thumbsup:

Absolutely, thanks for that. The question is how do I now use this info to my advantage. So far we've kinda narrowed it down to 2 boats one a savage scorpion 500 1/2 cab and the other a trailcraft 480 runabout. Seen the savage not seen the trailcraft. Concern is that trailcraft is now made in China.

How do I know though when inspecting a boat if they use good material or is designed well? The Scorpion in particular has very little write ups. Do I stay with the established brands ie Quintrex Savage etc and "assume" they are well designed and built?

[swingdoctor]

I think you have the wrong info re f/glass boats versus aluminium boats. Fibreglass will be more forgiving in "bumps" due to there weight for the same size. I can not see the difference in launching a 4.8 aluminium as a 4.8 fibreglass imo launching a boat is launching a boat it all depends on the trailer.
The difference between an aluminium boat and a plate boat is the thickness of the aluminium. The industry like to call any boat over 5mm thick plate. I call them backbreakers you may have guessed I prefer fibreglass if you want a better ride go glass.

When I say bumps I don't mean over waves but crashing into things like the jetty or sand bars haha. My understanding is the fg cracks and alu just bends.

We launch quite often at black rock which can be quite shallow. Right or wrong the people we often fish with tell us alu is easier to launch and retrieve there.

[anth2013]

Yeah buying a first boat is headache but when ya find the one its like
:banana:
fiberglass makes a difference.

Ideally I would have preferred a fibreglass as it sits better in the water, but its harder to launch and retrieve, is harder to steer and not as forgiving with bumps.

I'd also hate to be the guy taking more then 1/2 an hour to retrieve the boat on a busy weekend, and holding eveybody else up.

I asked this in another topic but nobody has yet answered the question, do you know the difference between a "plate" aluminium boat and one that is not plate.

Swingdoctor here is ur answer,
What is a plate aluminium boat?
While there are some manufacturers who enjoy the confusion surrounding the definition of a plate boat,BarCrusher sit comfortably at the oposite end of the spectrum and is happy to provide as much detail as you require.
Most people perceive a plate boat to be a heavily-built aluminium boat and therefore more durable.There wil always be opportunists who try to pass off lightly aluminium boats as plate boats.
Technically, aluminium plate is 6mm alloy plate and thicker.However,few trailer boats are built from 6mm aluminium these days as its very heavy,quiet expensive,and doesn't provide any great advantage in terms of strength over 4mm and 5mm material.
In this light,the best definition of a plate boat is a boat that's built using a properly constructed sub-floor frame with a welded-in aluminium floor,heavy gauge,high-tensile 5083 aluminium alloy and cut from flat plate.
If it has ribs or extrusions running down from the side deck to the floor along the inside of the boat,its obvious the boat is built using the lightweight tinnie construction method,rather than a true plate style build.
If a boat is to be used in a metre or more of wind chop on bays or in swell offshore,it will be subjected to tremendous force that will stress the hull.To withstand these stresses,the hull needs to be properly designed and well braced and stiffened so it wont flex excessively.
Excessive flex causes fatigue crackling,which means the boat will start to crack around the welds,split and, ultimately,fail.Well-built boats can withstand these forces,while lightly-built boats can fail.
Think about what happens when you bend an empty aluminium can to and fro.Yes,that's right.....cracks,splits and tears.This is exactly what can happen to a lightly- built aluminium boat if stresses by running through waves on windy days.
Do the plate aluminium boats you're considering purchasing incorporate a properly constructed sub-floor frame?Are they constructed from heavy-gauge,high-tensile aluminium cut from flat plate?Do these boats feature welded-in,fully-sealed aluminium floors as opposed to carpeted plywood or treadplate held in place with a few self-tapping screws.


Hope this helps :thumbsup:

Absolutely, thanks for that. The question is how do I now use this info to my advantage. So far we've kinda narrowed it down to 2 boats one a savage scorpion 500 1/2 cab and the other a trailcraft 480 runabout. Seen the savage not seen the trailcraft. Concern is that trailcraft is now made in China.

How do I know though when inspecting a boat if they use good material or is designed well? The Scorpion in particular has very little write ups. Do I stay with the established brands ie Quintrex Savage etc and "assume" they are well designed and built?

If i was you I will choose well built aussie boats to suit our conditions like savage,haines hunter and others,I wouldnt choose any boat made from oversea,can be built poorly particular asia I dont know where this boat built from(trialcraft) never seen one and not suit to our conditions ,china are known for poorly made not just boats,any products are made there bcoz of cheap labour.Choose wisely select australian made boats,forget oversea if they are cheap not worth the problem later down the track.Think smart go to well known brands the more you pay the better boat will be.

[swingdoctor]

Anybody heard or have a stessco?