I have a 16' 1992 Alumaweld DB, have owned it for about 5 yrs. My question to other DB owners out there is do they all row like a tank? Don't get me wrong, I can hold the boat dead steady while plugging and steer it any which way I need to go but with myself and two other guys it's a huge damn effort to move this boat! Three guys have a considerable amount of difficulty just sliding this thing across the ground! Wondering if Alumaweld and others out there make different metal thicknesses and I happen to have the "tank" version. Would I notice a difference in ease of rowing by changing to a Willie or Glass boat? Thanks!!!

RM

Riverman, I've owned both wood and fiberglass (Clackacraft) and rowed 2 brands of aluminum, both Aluminums were tanks compared to my Clack., will definitely be buying another in the future.

Thanks AK,

The glass boat companies claim that they are as tough as aluminum but it seems difficult to believe. Here we are fishing some very small rivers and some serious collision with rocks is a given. The thought of glass hitting like that is scary!

RM

i have a 15 foot wood boat, but i only run me and the wife, 3 people is too much. did it once on the lewis too hard to keep balanced. kb

I've rowed them all and have a Willie now.. I love it. It rows better than the Lavro I used to borrow.
Perhaps it is not the boat but you don't have it balanced correctly. Too heavy in the front will make them much harder to row. Too much in the rear will also. The seat adjustments on the rowers seat and front passenger should do it.

On the glass boat toughness question, I used to have a clackacraft, have a Lavro now. Either boat could take a dead on sideways hit on the chine without fazing it. I've lost some gel coat in places, but have never had damage that actually affected the integrity of the boat.

I do know a guy who had a sharp stick punch through the side of his glass boat, but that's a different story. The only reason I worry about hitting a rock is that it might scare the fish.

Both of these boats were easy rowers. However, The aluminums I've rowed have always been comparable, so I agree with the other guy, I think you should look at how the boat is balanced.

Do you have a 48" or 54" inch bottom? The narrow bottomed boats are more work to move. You should also check to see if the boat is properly balanced...if your stern is riding too high/low, then boat won't respond well.

My buddy had an Alumaweld 16x54 and I thought it rowed like a tank. It had all the fancy boxes and trays and stuff, but it was a slug.

I have an old 16x54 Wooldridge without all the crap in it, and it's much easier to row and move around than my friend's Alumaweld was. Looks pretty much like it did in 1973, which is a nice thing about tin boats.

I'm pretty sure it has the wide bottom on it, so likely the 16'x54" model. The metal on the boat seems awfully damn heavy to me though, you could hit this thing with a sledge on the side and it wouldn't phase the beast. It is way too much boat really for what I am doing. You guys may be onto something with the balance idea. I always make sure the boat levels left to right but seldom worry about the bow to stern. Still, this boat is damn hard to move! Thank you very much guys for the comments.

RM

You can't beat physics. Force equals mass times acceleration. If your boat has seat backs, tackle containers, fish boxes, rod holders, etc. it will be a tank (mass). If your two passengers are monsters, they are (mass). You can wax the bottom of your boat to reduce "parasite" drag, and this will help. You should also check trim: pull on the sticks and see if the transom hits the water. If it does, move the center of gravity ahead. If your boat weighs more than about 300 pounds "ready to fish" but without humans, then it is heavier than mine.

Good point Ct,

I don't know for sure but I'm guessing this boat weighs close to 500 empty. No kidding, it is damn difficult for 3 grown men to move this beast across the ground. You can forget about trying to hand pull it up any kind of slope, not gonna happen. I do have backs on the seats and some minor storage, life-jackets mainly, and my two buddies are probably a combined weight of 400, so yes that is alot of damn weight to rowed around. Guess I need to find a lighter boat and skinnier buddies, lol. Thanks again.

RM