Best Aluminum Fishing Boat Brands: Walleye to Bass

For freshwater anglers, the first decision is not a brand — it is a material. The best aluminum fishing boat brands earn their followings on construction: how the hull is joined, how thick the metal is, and what the builder will warrant in writing. Fiberglass bass rankings and saltwater brands live in our broader best fishing boat brands ranking; this post covers the aluminum class only, from walleye deep-Vs to jon boats, and judges it on the metal itself.

How to Compare Aluminum Fishing Boat Brands

Start with the joint. Riveted hulls are mechanically fastened along seams that can flex microscopically; the method is a century proven, field-repairable with basic tools, and used by Lund, Alumacraft and Starcraft. Welded hulls — Crestliner, Tracker, Lowe, Xpress — are stiffer and smoother, with no seam fasteners to work loose, and repairs want a TIG welder and a specialist. Neither method is "stronger" in the abstract; the honest questions are gauge (the metal's thickness where it meets the water), stringer and rib design, and the written warranty behind them. Gauge is where marketing gets slippery — several makers publish no gauge at all, and this ranking states figures only where the manufacturer itself prints them. Then come the fishing tests: casting deck height and stability, livewell size, rod storage, and the dealer within reach of your water.

Lund and Alumacraft: The Premium Aluminum Brands

Lund is the walleye standard, building in New York Mills, Minnesota since 1948. Its range runs in four categories — Deep-V (Pro-V, Tyee, Impact, Fisherman), Bass (Renegade, Pro-V Bass), Heavy Gauge and Jon, the utility end of the range running up to the SSV series of open V-hull workboats — and the construction story is the IPS hull: a pronounced centre keel and double-riveted seams, per parent company Brunswick's description of the design, backed by what Brunswick calls Lund's industry-leading lifetime warranty. Lund publishes no hull gauge, and this ranking prints none; what it sells instead is tournament proof — the Pro-V is the maker's own "aluminum tournament walleye fishing boat" — and the deepest resale market in northern freshwater.

Alumacraft is the construction nerd's premium pick, because it publishes the numbers. Its 2XB hull double-plates the running surface bow to stern on the Trophy, Tournament Pro, Edge and Competitor lines: two .080-inch sheets for .160 combined, or two .100-inch sheets for .200 combined — up to 60 percent thicker than competing models, by the maker's comparison — joined with aircraft-grade rivets and a single-piece keel a full quarter-inch thick at the wear points. The line runs Navigator, Dominator, Trophy, Competitor, Voyageur, Classic and Escape. Alumacraft publishes no warranty terms on its site, so buy it on the metal and the dealer, not on paperwork promises.

Crestliner and Starcraft: The Welded-Hull Contenders

Crestliner leads the welded camp. All-welded construction is the maker's headline claim, and its split personality covers the freshwater map: Deep-V hulls positioned for multi-species big-water fishing, and Mod-Vs the maker says carry the largest casting decks in their class for bass and crappie, plus Retriever jon and utility boats. Parent company Brunswick pairs the build with a "Lifetime + 3" warranty — lifetime structural cover plus three years of broader protection, in the group's published wording.

Starcraft is the riveted traditionalist with the class's most explicit warranty page: its "Lifetime +6" programme spells out a Limited Lifetime Warranty on hull and structure plus six years on all components, flooring and upholstery, transferable to a second owner with parts and labour included. The construction is equally specific — riveted 100-gauge 5052 H34 marine-grade aluminum over a one-piece bottom, with the Power-Trac hull's machine-formed ribs and Torsion Beam Construction stringer system. Starcraft's own history notes it introduced an aluminum Deep-V fishing boat in 1965, and that depth shows in a catalogue that still treats aluminum fishing as the core business rather than a sideline.

Tracker and Lowe: The Value Aluminum Brands

Tracker wrote the value formula, and its warranty page is the most transparent in this ranking: the TRACKER Promise 5+Life combines a 5-year bow-to-stern warranty with a limited lifetime structural and deck warranty for the original owner — transferable to a second owner within five years, with no pro-rating. Construction is welded, and Tracker publishes its metal: the Pro Team 190's hull is listed as 0.100-inch 5052 marine alloy over a robotically welded longitudinal stringer system. Mod-V, Deep-V and GRIZZLY lines ship with custom-fit trailers as standard — the packaged, ready-to-fish proposition that made the brand. The utility end of the catalogue is the Topper line of plain jon boats, the simplest and barest boats Tracker sells.

Lowe, founded in 1971 and building in Lebanon, Missouri, is the welded value alternative: continuously welded hull seams across its Mod-V, Deep-V and Roughneck lines, a limited lifetime warranty on hulls and plywood decking, and three years bow-to-stern on components — transferable, like Tracker's. Its named hulls (ProTrac Mod-V, PowerCore Deep-V) and the Roughneck jon/hunt line make it the value pick for buyers who want welded construction without leaving the value tier.

Princecraft and Xpress: Regional and Aluminum Bass Brands

Princecraft is the Canadian specialist: founded in 1954 in Princeville, Quebec by the Baril brothers, building in 5052-H36 marine-grade aluminum with twin plating from bow to mid-ship at the chine on its fishing models, over a deep-Vee reverse-chine hull. In the northern US and across Canada it is a first-division walleye and multi-species brand with the dealer depth to match; further south it thins out, and resale follows the map.

Xpress is the aluminum bass answer. Family-owned in Arkansas since 1966, Xpress bills itself as the creator of the original all-welded aluminum boat and built its name on the Hyper-Lift hull — a padded running surface that lets an aluminum bass boat behave like a fiberglass one at speed. Its Hyper-Lift and Xplorer series, spanning bass, bay, skiff and crappie categories, are the reason "aluminum bass boat" is a real segment rather than a compromise. Fiberglass bass royalty (Ranger, Skeeter, Bass Cat) is deliberately not ranked here — that field, and the story behind it, sits with the history of bass boats and the pair ranking.

Best Aluminum Fishing Boat Brands by Water and Species

All brands and construction details in the table are covered in the sections above. Shortlist two or three, then compare the actual boats in the fishing boat listings — in aluminum, an individual boat's dents, transom and rivet lines tell you more than any badge.

New vs Used Aluminum Fishing Boats: What Holds Value

Lund and Alumacraft hold value hardest, on walleye-belt demand: a clean Pro-V or Trophy sells in days each spring, and the buyer pool stretches across the northern tier. Crestliner and Starcraft follow, helped by their published warranty programmes — and note that Tracker, Lowe and Starcraft warranties transfer to a second owner, which directly raises what a used example is worth; ask for the warranty paperwork either way. Tracker and Lowe lose percentage from a much lower base, so the cash depreciation is modest. Princecraft value is regional (strong in the north, softer where dealers are scarce) and Xpress value tracks the aluminum-bass niche. Financing a newer example is straightforward through the finance providers in the directory. The all-materials landscape — saltwater included — is in the best fishing boat brands ranking, and the full type-by-type picture in the best boat brands pillar.

Best Aluminum Fishing Boat Brands FAQs

Is riveted or welded aluminum better for a fishing boat?

Neither, categorically. Riveted hulls (Lund, Alumacraft, Starcraft) are proven, flex-tolerant and field-repairable; welded hulls (Crestliner, Tracker, Lowe, Xpress) are stiffer and seam-free but want specialist repair. Gauge, stringers and warranty matter more than the joining method.

Which aluminum fishing boat brand has the best warranty?

On published terms, Tracker (5-year bow-to-stern plus limited lifetime structural, transferable) and Starcraft (lifetime hull/structure plus 6-year components, transferable) lead. Lund's lifetime warranty and Crestliner's Lifetime + 3 follow; Alumacraft publishes no terms.

What hull thickness should an aluminum fishing boat have?

Judge it where makers publish it: Alumacraft's 2XB running surface totals .160–.200 in of double plating, Tracker's Pro Team 190 hull is 0.100 in 5052 alloy, and Starcraft uses 100-gauge aluminum. Lund publishes no gauge — weigh its warranty and tournament record instead.

Which aluminum brand is best for walleye?

Lund's Pro-V and Tyee, Alumacraft's Trophy and Competitor, and Crestliner's Deep-V line are the walleye shortlist, with Princecraft the northern alternative. Pick on the dealer nearest your water and the layout of the specific model.

Bottom line: the best aluminum fishing boat brands split by construction and water — Lund and Alumacraft premium on the walleye lakes, Crestliner and Starcraft on published build-and-warranty proof, Tracker and Lowe on value, Princecraft and Xpress as regional specialists. Shop the fishing boat listings at BoatDealsDirect.com and inspect the metal, not the marketing.