Boat Review: Alumaweld 18' Super Vee LT

The beauty of running a boat on the Willamette River in the summer on an early weekend morning is you can really put the boat through its paces. The river is relatively flat and the traffic is so minimal that it feels like you have it all to yourself.

Those conditions were ideal for testing Alumaweld’s 18’ Super Vee LT. We ran with a light load. 12 gallons of fuel, two average sized people in the boat and a Mercury 80 jet for power.

The Willamette near Portland is just a few feet above sea level so we were able to get the most out of this package and gain a real sense of what this boat’s all about.

Unfortunately the jet had not been modified to optimize it’s effectiveness which surely would have added a couple miles an hour to the bottomline speed of this package. Just the same it performed flawlessly.

Like most of Alumaweld’s line, this Super Vee LT features a one-piece bottom. This is an essential difference you’ll find in Alumaweld. This design feature assures bottom trueness, strength and consistency. Multiple piece bottoms lack these features and most importantly cannot, by their nature, achieve the tolerances found in a one-piece bottom. Simply stated, you’ll get consistently better performance using a one-piece bottom.

Additionally, if the bottom is not right then everything that’s added will not be correct either. Squeezing every bit of performance out of your boat means maintaining exacting tolerances from start-to-finish.

The Super Vee LT is a particularly interesting Alumaweld family. A distinguishing feature of this family is its 6° bottom vee that’s perfect for running shallow water. A series of lifting and turning strakes is married to the bottom which allow this boat to handle exceptionally well through high speed turns and track perfectly for trolling, backtrolling and free-drifting.

The entire Super Vee line has been carefully balanced using a calculated length and width ratio which is enhanced by moving the fuel forward in the LT Series. The shallow bottom vee reduces the area under the floorboards making an above deck installation the best possible choice.

There are certain things Alumaweld just won’t bend on. One is changing the design of their hulls. These are the product of painstaking engineering and testing. Second is maintaining interior and exterior freeboard…both critical elements in a seaworthy boat. Placing the fuel under the floors would substantially reduce the interior freeboard and feeling of security a person has in this boat.

Like most of Alumaweld’s model line the Super Vee LT has evolved with the market. This is a thoroughly developed boat that’s enjoyed extensive use throughout the West particularly by guides whose requirements are generally more taxing than the average recreational angler. You’ll find an extensive options list for boaters looking for customized touches and plenty of standard features so you get a complete boat right from the start.

The specs on this hull are impressive right out of the gates: 86” beam, 66” bottom width, .160 bottom thickness and a side height of 28 ½”. You’ll get a 28 gallon built-in fuel tank as standard along with two folding sportsman’s seats on locking seat storage dry boxes (really dry), bow dry storage and a fish box, full level floatation, aluminum transom storage box with a tray, interior rod racks, welded cleats and lots more all standard.

The hull design makes running this boat a complete pleasure. Even with what is largely considered to be light horsepower for an 18’ boat this boat snaps to attention and runs effortlessly with Mercury’s stock 80 jet (with a prop it would 115 h.p.). In fact, an 80 jet is all this boat needs. It’s balanced, performs nicely, handles well and, unless you plan on taking really big loads through shallow water, is all the engine this package needs.

A design characteristic you’ll find very appealing is how easily this hull releases from the water. In other words, it achieves plane easily and once on plane the engine never sounds like it’s working. Because of this, the 18’ super Vee LT is controlled with a minimum of effort and is exceptionally easy to handle.

It’s apparent that Alumaweld has been around a while. You’ll find several mounting areas for your fishfinder and you’re free to mount your trolling motor to either side of your primary power. These are the details some manufacturers miss and Alumaweld prides itself on paying attention to. The same details that make this boat a dry ride that lifts quickly and squeezes every bit of performance out of this hull.

Speaking of performance, using a calibrated GPS we consistently achieved a top running speed of 34 mph at wide open throttle. Again, this was with a fresh engine and a stock shoe on the jet. Not that any apologies are in order, that’s terrific performance for a boat of this size with what is generally considered to be moderate horsepower.

In our favor was a slight wind chop that kicked the water up just enough to allow the hull to release even more than it would in dead calm water and we were very close to sea level.

Finally, the 6° bottom is an ideal choice for shallow water. Several summertime low water guides prefer this design and a trip to the Cowlitz would confirm this as several Alumaweld’s have made their way onto that river and drift into water that’s only a few inches deep.

All-in-all a wonderful test of this boat which has been one of Alumaweld’s most popular open models. Anyone interested should take a test run to see, firsthand, how well this boat runs and handles…you’ll be convinced that Alumaweld stands by their slogan of “serious fishing pleasure.”

BACK