Blog
- 21' & 23' Super Vee Pro
- 20' Intruder Outboard
- 15' Smokercraft Alaskan Split Seat
- 17' Smokercraft Osprey
Alumaweld Boats of Eagle Point, Oregon has a long and proud tradition among N.W. guides. Founded in 1971, the first boats to roll off the assembly line were drift boats, in fact, the very first aluminum drift boats built.
The rigors of day-after-day whitewater and fishing trips on Oregon's storied Rogue River proved to much for wood boats, and inspired the development of more durable materials and designs. From those beginnings sprang a company completely committed to serving the needs of the region's anglers.
Today's designs reflect that commitment. Durable, detailed, high performance fishing machines, Alumaweld started by building boats for the serious angler and full-time fishing professional and still builds to that standard 31 years later.
The Super Vee Pro stands as the quintessential professional-grade fishing boat in the West. This boat, more than any other Alumaweld builds, has become the most asked-for fishing platform among top N.W. fishing guides...and for good reason, they are purposeful boats that function beautifully for their intended use.
What makes the Super Vee Pro so good?
First and foremost, this "family" of boats was innovated by full-time professional guides and has continued to evolve in response to the precise needs of a variety of professional applications throughout the West.
Alumaweld's developed excellent listening skills that you'll see evidenced in every square inch of this boat, starting with the unique 10° whitewater bottom.
Western anglers fish a wide range of waters that, for many, may necessitate running in ankle-deep water one day, bays the next and big open water fisheries a few days later. Particularly for the pro's, their boats have to be versatile. The Super Vee Pro's 10° bottom vee is well-adapted to the West's diverse fisheries and can capably run across shallow riffles while still delivering a pleasant ride in big water chop.
Alumaweld's long been known for it's construction, having made significant investment in proper engineering of all its designs. The Super Vee Pro is certainly no exception. The bottom of the Super Vee Pro starts as a single piece of premium hardened aluminum. Alumaweld learned long ago that multiple piece bottoms are trouble. Welding two or more pieces of aluminum together results in small deviations at the foundation of the boat from which greater deviations occur throughout production.
At Alumaweld it's good in...good out. That's what engineering brings to each Alumaweld that's built. In a word, consistency.
To produce boats that are consistently excellent demands that the foundation is as close to perfect as possible. This is where investment in sophisticated engineering pays off. Alumaweld, some time ago, innovated the box girder stringer system that provides exceptional bottom strength while maintaining the integrity of the design through a near flawless running surface that enables each Super Vee Pro to achieve its full performance potential.
These box girders run the length of the boat and are welded continuously to the bottom, transom and to a forward transverse brace referred to as "frame four". This system results in an incredibly stout, yet true, bottom that runs shallow yet capably navigates big water environments like the Columbia River.
There's volumes of thought that have gone into each and every Super Vee Pro. Not only from owners but in the initial design where Alumaweld worked diligently on the engineering, ergonomics and overall layout of the boat.
Engineering speaks to features like: walk through space; the design of the gunwale and tackle trays so you have a secure place to net and fight fish; the flare of the sidewall so you maintain interior space while achieving optimum freeboard characteristics; and construction initiatives that make every Super Vee Pro the very strongest and best running in its class.
Ergonomics relates to the feel of the boat. You'll see this in the height of the seat box, upholstery design, visibility over the bow, transom height for optimum comfort when running the boat with a tiller or running your trolling motor, interior freeboard and proper placement of rear and forward storage compartments, tackle tray height, and several other features. Part of a boat functioning properly is how good it feels...that's where ergonomics comes in and Alumaweld's gone to great lengths to assure the comfort of its passengers.
The beauty of purchasing an Alumaweld Super Vee Pro is the ease at which it can be modified. An extensive options list allows the owner to "tailor" the boat to their specific use and application. For instance, the Pro Guide Fishing Package features a number of important features like a transom work/storage station with a wash basin, several storage doors and areas built into the transom, side storage compartments for fish finders and radios and a washdown pump assembly. To describe it doesn't do justice to the utility and look of this detailed and useful option.
Other options (just a few of the many) include items like a unique removable fish cleaning station that is installed through the gunwale; livewell system;interior lights; other seating configurations; and several other Alumaweld "value packages", that make finishing the boat to your precise requirements easy.
In short what used to be custom work has evolved to standard production items...the benefit to the customer is reduced price. Any time a builder has to initiate a custom item it will surely escalate the price well beyond a standard "production" item.
To the uninformed or uninitiated these boats could be called, "overbuilt". With several feet of weld in just a single foot of gunwale it's easy to see why these boats might be considered overbuilt. But they're not...
First, Alumaweld's Super Vee Pro carries a limited lifetime warranty. With this kind of assurance they better be built sturdy. Second, the Super Vee Pro was intended as the office of guides who fish 200 to 300 days a year. Their desire is to fish 200 to 300 days trouble-free a year. Building to a trouble-free standard requires every element to be built super strong. Last, these are boats that may be in ankle deep water one day, bucking whitewater the next, and challenging open water wind-chop the third day. Alumaweld's Super Vee Pro has to be built tough to stand up to these kinds of demands.
There's some notable differences between the 21' and 23' Super Vee Pro models. Certainly, size. Add 2' to the length of a boat and you'll see an enormous difference in interior space, add 10" to the width (the 23' model has an 82" wide bottom) and the differences are even more compelling.
The shear-line between the two models is different as well. The 21' model has a subtle upsweep to the bow while the 23' model has a level shear-line that makes visibility over the bow much easier in this longer version. The level shear-line also gives the boat a sportier look.
Both models, even with the reduced shear-line in the twenty-three footer, shed water beautifully making the ride dry and comfortable. Alumaweld's done a fabulous job of addressing these details so that the owner's boating experience is optimized wherever possible.
To dry the ride of their boat up Alumaweld adopted an age-old construction characteristic from the fiberglass builders. With a chine that runs lower to the bow than most welded aluminum builders who pull their chine to the tip of the bow, Alumaweld boats effectively knock annoying spray and splash down and away from the boat. A subtle but important difference.
Alumaweld, picky about the details, also invested in engineered turning and lifting strakes. These are carefully designed wedges of aluminum that are welded to the bottom and enables the boat to lift properly and achieve optimum performance. These engineered strakes also enable the boat to plane more quickly, carve through turns more predictably, and track properly for trolling, backtrolling, free-drifting (a favorite fishing technique) or while at anchor. These bottom strakes also provide protection and strength to and already bullet-proof bottom.
You'll see dozens of other fine details throughout the boat. The seat boxes for instance, feature lips on all four sides of the box rather than three, two or one lip. Four lips bent into the top of the box assures the water-tightness of the box. They've also painted the boxes inside and out. Bare aluminum can stain items that might be jarred around during the day and make contact with the inside of the box, painting it eliminates this worry. Alumaweld seat boxes are fitted with stainless steel hinges for maximum durability, and stainless steel strain relief cables keep the hinges from springing by allowing the lid to only open to a little more than 90°. And that's just the seat box!
The same is true of the seats, the deck lids and lid bracing, flooring material, paint and finish items, components, wiring, fuel systems ... everything ... every last detail has been addressed and considered in the design and production of these awesome boats.
Though outboard jets have been around for probably close to 50 years now, there's been some revolutionary changes and improvements to them over the last decade especially. For boats like the 21' and 23' Alumaweld Super Vee Pro the most significant development has been the innovation of the new Power Jet by Specialty Manufacturing.The Power Jet has a larger intake, that when matched to the appropriate 4 blade stainless steel impeller improves the acceleration, power and even top-end speed of these typically inefficient drive systems.
In side-by-side testing with the older S-200 outboard jet and the new Power Jet the Power Jet added 4 mph top end speed (right at 40 mph), considerably better acceleration, and reduced minimum planing speed by 500 rpms. In a word this new jet adds, power.
In terms of handling you'll notice a difference between the 21' and 23' Super Vee Pro models. The 21' is a sports car while the 23' is a luxury sedan. The additional 2' of length and 10" of width don't hamper the maneuverability of the 23', for it's size it's surprisingly nimble. It is 23' feet however, and by virtue of its size it wouldn't be accurate or fair to say that it handles identically to the 21' model.
Both boats jump onto plane, run away from the competition, and fish like a dream. It's no wonder then why so many guides have gotten aboard Alumaweld's 21' and 23' Super Vee Pro's - they achieve the goal with style and grace.
What do the pyramids, Mt. McKinley and Alumaweld's 20' Intruder all have in common? They've all stood the test of time.
In an industry that's often characterized by "Johnny-come-lately's", Alumaweld Boats has been an enviable fixture for more than 30 years. Over those 30 years Alumaweld's brought to market a broad offering of boats. The Intruder has been one of the company's most popular entries and reflects all that has made Alumaweld the clear leader in welded aluminum boating.
For eons welded aluminum boats lacked the eye candy of their fiberglass counterparts. No particular attention was given to aesthetics instead these boats were characterized by rough welds, unpainted aluminum hulls, and boats built solely for utility. That is, until the market demanded more pleasing forms to complement these boat's function.
Alumaweld responded first with their Formula Vee, a series that reached for stars. The form was pleasing, the construction unparalleled, and the performance was consistently excellent thanks to enormous investment in engineering by Alumaweld.
The Formula Vee though, was out-of-bounds for most boater's budgets. When you set out to build the best the price generally reflects those costs of development and elevated construction standards.
By the late 80's the market was changing quickly. Alumaweld sensed those changes and responded with their price accessible Intruder Series. Over the last 15 years the Intruder's undergone a dramatic evolution.
By heavy gauge welded aluminum standards, the Intruder's still relatively affordable but it's not the boat it started out to be.
Beautifully detailed and fully-equipped, Alumaweld's Intruder has followed the needs of its owners with a form that's set apart by a sporty sleek profile that's functionally perfect.
The 20' Intruder, for example, is available with either a 10° whitewater bottom for shallow water use, or an 18° full vee bottom that effectively slices through chop and buffers an otherwise rough ride.
Adding to the boat's functionality is an enormous cockpit area that's ideal for Western fishing applications. The windshield assembly's been purposely set forward in the boat to provide added interior space. In fact, you'll find there's virtually no wasted energy in this boat. Alumaweld's Intruder has been thoroughly conceived with generous walk-thru space, a deep recessed bow with railings for added safety when setting anchor, a hull design that lifts perfectly, rides dry, and handles with the sureness of a slalom skier.
Fishing out of this boat has been a complete pleasure. It's stable, loaded with storage, and again, well conceived. For example, there's a welded in fish box in the bow. This box is fashioned with drains that make cleaning it a simple matter of spraying it with a garden hose. The box itself is plenty big enough to accommodate a full-sized Chinook salmon.
Storage box seating is standard in this boat. Alumaweld's storage boxes are marvelously dry...a unique feature in an age when most leak like strainers. The standard seats are also a cut above the rest, with no-pinch hinges, thick upholstery, and roto-molded bases and backs that won't rot, warp, or degrade like so many others.
Serious anglers will appreciate the balance and tracking characteristics of Alumaweld's Intruder. Four full length lifting and turning strakes are welded to the bottom which allows the boat to track properly for trolling and backtrolling. These strakes are proprietary extrusions that are unique to Alumaweld and have earned them the distinction as "Performance Path Lifting Strakes".
We tested this boat at an elevation of 2,000 feet and were pleasantly surprised. Matched to Mercury's 135 h.p. Optimax, a 14" (diameter) x 19 pitch stainless steel prop, a full load of fuel (38 gallons), 2 people and their gear we achieved a speed of 43 miles per hour at wide open throttle (5,100 rpm).
Optimum cruising speed was at 3,600 rpms with a fuel consumption rate of about 3.5 gallons per hour and a speed of just over 22 mph.
The 20' Intruder we tested had an 18° full vee bottom which worked beautifully. This hull corners like its on a rail, lifts nicely and was surprisingly quick considering the acute deadrise and draft of the boat.
What's particularly striking in this package is the openness of the layout. Anglers will revel in the interior space and should welcome the versatility and seaworthiness of the design.
Like all Alumaweld's the Intruder Series features Alumaweld's unique box girder construction which relies on two massive girders that are continuously welded to the bottom the entire length of the boat's running surface and then welded to a forward bulkhead and to the transom making it the strongest design around.
No corners have been cut - you'll see that in the grade of the components and in the details-like a glove box that's big enough for a couple days snacks, some fishing gear and your safety equipment. The coaming gunwale not only adds structure and strength but makes a nice tread area for getting in and out of the boat or as a mounting surface for downriggers or rod holders.
Alumaweld's 20' Intruder does a lot of things well but most of all expect it to quickly earn your praise as a favorite fishing companion.
The first time I ran Smoker Craft's 15' Alaskan Split Seat model, it was at Detroit Lake at the base of Oregon's Cascade Range. The boat was fully-loaded with me, my uncle and son, along with a full complement of gear, fuel, and extra's. Powered by only a Mercury manual start 15 hp outboard I was pleasantly surprised when I gave the engine some throttle and it planed quickly and motored down the lake at a brisk pace somewhere in the "upper teens", if not faster.
Detroit Lake's elevation is a moderate 2,000 feet, hardly enough to tax any engine, but enough that you'll notice the difference between sea level and this slight gain. Outboards are notoriously altitude sensitive so I was pleased to find the boat respond as well as it had.
Equally as pleasing was the manner in which the boat fished. Smoker Craft's 15' Alaskan is wide for its size (68") which provides adequate interior space for three anglers. The Mercury 15 hp outboard trolled perfectly as we caught our share of rainbows throughout the day.
This is an easy boat to own. Just about any size rig can tow it effortlessly. It doesn't require much horsepower to work well. It's easy to maintain, just hose it out after a day out fishing. Its all aluminum hull and superstructure are durable and won't rust or rot, making it even more user friendly. It's light and easy to move around so hooking it up to your rig isn't a chore, nor is moving it around at home. And last, it's full-featured, meaning, there's very little to add.
Not bad for a package you can own for less than $6,000.
It's for these reasons that Smoker Craft's 15' Split Seat Alaskan continues to be a favorite among N.W. anglers. It's perfect for trolling or crabbing in the bays, it's a design that works nicely on lakes and it doesn't occupy much space around the house. This combination of versatility and ease-of-ownership has made the 15' Split Seat Alaskan by Smoker Craft uniquely well-suited to our tastes here in the N.W.
Too often, "small" boats feel small. A 15' boat by most standards is too small, that is, until you get next to a Split Seat Alaskan. The trademark tall sides lend an air of security that's uncommon in boats this size, along with stout storage box seating that keeps your belongings out of harms-way, welcome bow storage for odds and ends, and full length floors that real finish this boat off in a grand way and add a certain strength and big boat feel to this package.
This boat's stood the test of time and reflects the effective use of space with such standards as a driver's seat that also plays double duty as fuel storage. Even the mandatory float boxes (boxes that house floatation) have been optimized with storage trays on top of these unobtrusive boxes for odds and ends like pliers, a spool of leader, or a cup of coffee while you're trolling.
Bottomline, Smoker Craft's 15' Alaskan Split Seat package is an exciting, year around package designed with the serious outdoor enthusiast and angler in mind. There's nothing "entry-level" about this boat other than the price. Whether you're looking to scale down, get started, or add to your collection of boats, you'll be happy with all that this easy-to-own package has to offer - we were, and that's after decades of boating experience!
It's difficult to say what the future holds for boating. Will their be radical new developments that will forever transform the style and design of today's boats? Will builders try to deliver more speed, comfort, economy or styling? Those questions are best left for those with crystal balls. The truth of the matter is that today's changes in boat design and configuration are, for the most part, subtle. But even with subtle changes, the results can be dynamic.
Smoker Craft answered the market in 2002 with the development and extension of an already popular series of boats, The Osprey. The 16' model has been wildly popular since its introduction just a few short years ago. The success of the 16' Osprey opened new horizons of product development - a 17' model.
The Osprey represents one of those rare moments in boating when something new comes forward that's innovative for so many reasons. First and foremost, the boat works well. It's wide, deep, stable, planes easily and affords the owner plenty of important interior space.
It's a rich looking boat with paint schemes and finish work you'd expect to find on high-end models that are double the price. And most remarkably, the Osprey's affordable.
Anglers who identified with the smart styling and low sticker price immediately embraced the 16' standard and DLX models.
Wanting to capitalize on the success of the Osprey, Smoker Craft went to work innovating a new larger model, it took more than a year but the results were well worth the wait.
I had the privilege of seeing the first proto-type models of the new seventeen footer and the care that was given to every square inch of the boat. The 17' Osprey was truly a collective effort. Dealers weighed in, customer's, both past and present had their fingerprints on the project as well, and Smoker Craft's incredible building and management team lent their expertise in creating a product that looks to be a perfect fit for N.W. boaters.
Now, just a few months into 2002 it looks as if all the hard work's paid off. Sales of the new 17' model have been brisk as the market's responded with a resounding chorus of applause that's evidenced in escalating sales.
It's the pay-off for hitting the mark with an educated and discriminating market...N.W. anglers.
The 17' Osprey DLX features an enormous 91" beam with a depth of 36", and Smoker Craft's exclusive Rolled V Hydra-Lift Hull that allows the boat to plane easily and run more efficiently than conventional V-bottoms. The addition of the Rolled V Hydra-Lift Hull is a savings of sorts. The effectiveness of this hull allows the owner to purchase less horsepower to achieve performance that would otherwise be unobtainable with traditional bottom designs.
We tested the boat with a 50 h.p. 4 Stroke outboard. It planed instantly and ran beautifully with two adults.
But that's only part of the story. Like all Smoker Craft models, the 17' Osprey is backed by a Lifetime Warranty on all riveted seams and has dozens of construction features that set it apart from all others in its class.
Smoker Craft has made enormous investment in developing its proprietary AIRS (Advanced Integrated Rib System) construction. More than a buzz-word, AIRS is an honest standard that delivers incredible strength using a series of ribs that run latitudinally to the to bow area where heavy duty hat-channel ribs are placed longitudinally. The result is the strongest bottom in its class...period. Add to that 5 bottom keels that run the length of the bottom and you have a boat that's rock-solid tough and performs flawlessly at all throttle settings.
Smoker Craft's done a number of other things that really set them apart in the often cluttered fishing boat arena. The lapstrake sidewall for one provides added sidewall strength...a Smoker Craft exclusive. The pressed in spray rail is another unique feature that deflects spray away from the boat and its passengers keeping everyone dry, even in a stiff chop.
If it's the little things that count, Smoker Craft has risen above the noise to address the fine details.
The floor and deck is constructed from Panelam, a lifetime material that won't warp or rot and is a breeze to clean. Toe kicks are cut into each sidewall under the rod storage area and allow an angler's feet to slip easily into place for added security when netting or fighting a fish. Port and starboard rod storage is standard as is the cavernous locking glove box. A full coaming gunwale not only provides additional structure to the Osprey, it makes an ideal mounting deck for downriggers, or tred area for getting in and out of the boat.
Angler's will take note of the enormous fishing area that's provided in the rear half of the boat. In a world dominated by "not enough", Smoker Craft has done an exceptional job of addressing a common concern by making interior space a significant feature of the 17' Osprey. In fact, it's the first thing newcomers to this model comment on... "Wow, that's a big 17'!"
You'll find the features list is long at any price, thankfully, the 17' Osprey has been priced affordably in its category. Items like a 25 gallon livewell that also doubles nicely as a cooler or fish box , 24 gallon built-in fuel tank, tilt steering, port and starboard stern battery storage, custom seating, circuit breakers on all switches, trolling motor plug at the bow, instrumentation, and a horn are also all standard equipment.
Smoker Craft's 17' Osprey is no "also ran".... and that's precisely why it's running away from the competition.