I'm not knocking aluminum boats, I've owned several. However, I think the benefits of a glass boat outweigh the benefits of aluminum. I have a 200 fuel injected 2 stroke Merc, and yes, at top speed (around 65) it definitely drinks the gas. I only run wide open when the water is glass smooth and I want to have some fun. At a 40 mph cruise it's pretty reasonable on fuel consumption and from my experience probably is more economical on fuel than a 100 hp motor running wide open to attain the same speed. If you know what to look for in a motor, and know how to check compression, then you can buy used pretty confidently. In most cases you can buy a 10 year old boat, re-power it and still save a ton of money over an equivalent new boat. In 2008 I bought a 1997 Astro 2050 F/S for $7500. The boat looks virtually new. Haven't done a thing to the motor, it runs like a champ. A new boat of the same size, features and power costs from $37,000-$42,000. I can buy a heck of a lot of fuel for the price difference.
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