Boat Review: Alumaweld 19' Super Vee LS

For 20 years I looked for the one boat that would do it all. Until I purchased my Alumaweld 19' Super Vee LS in 1998 (then called a Stryker Open), my search had been in vain.

Even still, the way I chose to rig my Super Vee precludes me from accessing all the water I'd like to fish…it does though, satisfy most of my needs which has kept me happy and fishing frequently these past 3 and half years.

Alumaweld has long dominated the open boat market having earned that distinction decades ago with their introduction of the flatbottom sled. Guides from across the region piled into Alumaweld sleds intent on navigating shallow rivers that are the norm in effectively fishing migratory NW fish runs. A predictable evolution occurred as utility gave way to comfort and "Vee-bottomed" open boats took the place of the harder riding flatbottom designs.

Having spent half of my natural life in the boat business, I'm a particularly difficult customer. It's easy for someone like me to get mired in the dizzying complex of alternatives that so often confuses even the most seasoned boat buyers.

My challenge was to purchase a boat that was big enough to effectively fish the Columbia and large open water impoundments, yet not so big as to be heavily influenced by the wind. It would need to be rigged to fish for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, bass, walleye, bottom fish, and crab.

Stability was essential, so was ride…two characteristics that are often at odds. I needed storage space, a livewell, a deck to mount my electric motor, plenty of transom space to mount a trolling motor, a mounting area for my fish finder, room for downriggers, with plenty of room left to fight lots of big fish.

I landed on the 19' Super Vee LS initially because it hit so many of the attributes I was looking for. The full 10° vee bottom for starters gave me the best of both worlds. The full vee delivers a softer ride than most vee bottoms, even those with more deadrise than mine. It's a stable design, which is the by-product of the shallow bottom vee and 66" wide bottom, which together make the foundation of a great fishing platform.

I rigged a tiller-controlled Mercury 60ELHPTO as my primary power. I was soundly criticized for this initially, and wondered if I'd under-horsepowered my boat. Now several years later, I wouldn't change my selection. The Merc 60 runs this boat in the middle 30 mph range with a full load of people, fuel and gear. I haven't once wished I had more power on the back of my boat. The lighter motor (lighter than a 75 or 90 hp) keeps my boat balanced, which makes it easier to control while trolling or backtrolling.

Next to the 60 hp is a Mercury 6ML trolling motor. This combination has proved to be ideal for me. The 6 hp trolls down nicely for Kokanee, yet it's more than enough for use at the coast in a hard running tide.

I extended the front deck for two reasons:

1. More forward deck space for casting.
2. Hide batteries.

Having the added deck space for casting is handy for sharing the front deck while bass fishing. It's a real advantage when fly casting, the added space leaves room to keep essential equipment close-at-hand with plenty of space left to pile line while stripping it back to the boat.

I'd rigged one "cranking" battery and two other 12 volt batteries for use with my bow mount electric motor forward in the boat to assist the overall balance of the package. These were exposed until I'd extended the front deck. I'd also rigged an on-board battery charger for easy charging of all three batteries that's also located under this extended deck.

Having spent so many years in the boat business, if I've learned one thing it's that the sign of a well-rigged boat is that even though there may be lots of options and accessories the boat should never look cluttered. I feel I've come pretty close to achieving this goal in my boat.

A real key in keeping an open boat open is storage. I'm a big fan of Alumaweld's all-welded storage seat boxes. To my knowledge, there's no better box built…period. I purchased two for use in my boat and will probably have a third shortly that will replace my four-legged seat base. They're dry storage that I've had out with green waves coming over the bow, in torrential rain storms, and have had exposed to the elements weeks at a time with not so much as a drop finding it's way onto my valuables. These seat storage boxes are so thoroughly designed that they have stainless steel hinges for longevity, strain relief cables that prevent springing the seat box hinge, are painted inside to protect against incidental staining by bare aluminum, and have heavy-duty hasps that can be locked for security.

To complete my boat I added the following options:
· Remote trim switch mounted to the float box which means I never have to take my eyes off the water to trim my motor while under power.
· 12 volt DC outlet mounted under the port tackle tray so it's out of the weather but easily accessed for use with cell phones, external lights, etc.
· Nautamatic TR-1 auto-pilot trolling system which is probably the single-best fishing tool I have aboard, other than the boat itself.
· Battery charge indicator…this has already paid for itself many times over.
· Downriggers and fabricated downrigger brackets for the very best in controlled depth fishing.
· A 2000 gph bilge pump. When you need one it's good to know you've got plenty of pump to stay ahead of the water.
· A tachometer. A tach is essential for properly propping your boat as well as getting to know what rpm's are best under a given water condition.

Things I really like…
I purchased a Rogue galvanized trailer with my boat package. Because the trailer's been properly designed it tows beautifully. I've taken trips to Potholes Reservoir, Odell Lake, and Neah Bay, not to mention dozens of trips to the Coast and Central Oregon and have been very happy with the performance of my trailer. The Durawood bunks make loading and unloading a pleasure, even when the water's low like it was throughout the summer of 2001. The complement of angled side load guides further assists in properly loading the boat with ease. My Rogue trailer makes getting on and off the trailer a person job. Very nice.

The sidewall height of 29" cheats the wind in most applications and makes the boat easier to handle in inclement weather situations. 29" sides are ample for most fishing applications and provide a welcome level of security.

There's ample walk-thru space throughout the boat. More than once I've had a hot salmon take me from the back of the boat to the bow in just a few seconds, it's nice to have the interior space and easy access to the bow to more effectively get around the boat when I need to. Whether it's playing a fish, setting anchor or pulling crab pots, having plenty of walk-thru space makes working in this boat easy and unencumbered.

My boat tracks beautifully. For trolling and backtrolling, my 19' Super Vee LS holds its line nicely and resists wandering.

The way I've rigged my boat gives it the versatility that I looked so long to achieve. For most bass fishing applications it works well, it's a natural when trolling for trout or salmon, and it's plenty stable when flycasting or vertical jigging.

Conclusion:
If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm happy with the running performance, the way the boat fishes and the boat's stability and security. Because I have a prop drive I'm excluded from running shallow water though this boat's certainly a capable shallow water boat. I've had it out at the mouth of the Columbia several times but would prefer something larger with a windshield given the choice. A 19' open boat near the most dangerous bar crossing in the world is unwise, even when the weather's cooperating. Fishing out of Neah Bay and back toward Seiku the boat worked great both vertical jigging and trolling.