before i get accused of it, i'm gonna be upfront... i love aluminum boats and am highly biased. i own an almar sounder, and make it a point to check out the other aluminum boats when i see them on the docks or on their trailers.

first, you will get more for your money going with aluminum than fiberglass (almar did some runs on a stock sounder that were much cheaper than comparable fiberglass boats.) of course, there are some great deals on used fiberglass boats that with a repower will give you a ton of boat for your money.

when you're doing a test run on these boats, check not only how they run in rough water, but how they rest in rough water (you will be fishing, not cruising in your boat). i've seen the acb's mentioned and they look pretty cool... but for fishing they are way too narrow imo and the finishing is terrible (at least on the ones i've seen).

check out the types of aluminum boats used by people who work them... you find very few of the well known stock boats being used hard. for a less-expensive option, pacific skiffs are pretty nice boats, and offer better fishing configurations imo.

chris