When I think of aluminum boats I think of smaller flat-bottomed Jon boats, that’s all I really grew up with in Georgia, most of them tiller boats under 14 feet long. So, while they were not bad boats to fish off of I don’t think high performance when it comes to aluminum hulls. I think of loud, rough, and cheap. Well, back in June of this year I had that notion about aluminum boats flipped on its head. I got to experience the new generation of aluminum boats from ALUMACraft in the purifying waters of Lake Minnetonka, with the new 2025 Trophy and Competitor series of aluminum boats.
I got to spend a day out on the water riding and fishing on several models of the new 2025 ALUMACraft boats to really see how they feel in real-world use. First, let’s just go over some new features that they have added with the new 2025 Trophy and Competitor Series of boats. Starting at the bow of the new 2025 Trophy and Competitors they feature a new curved gunwale design. This gives better visibility for the driver while on plane and as an added bonus just looks good. Moving further back the inside of the bow has been modernized, now coming with an optimized spot to place a 12″ graphs and a trolling motor pedal footwell in the front deck. Letting you keep the front neat and tripping hazard-free.
Moving just a bit back we get to the completely redesigned Captain’s Helm. Now made of injection-molded plastic, the new helm is completely redesigned for better ergos while on the move. There are no more gauges now, the dash is fully digital with a 7″ Garmin Display. Additionally on top of the helm they made sure to have space to fit two 12″ graphs without taking away any visibility from the driver. Lastly, there is just tons of storage to be had in the helm, with even the molded angled footrests being storage space.
Heading towards the stern of the boats, you see a couple of big new features. The first is the new Flex Modules, which gives boaters the option to choose from 3 quick-install rear modules that give either more livewell space, more storage, or more seats. That way you can make the boat fit your needs better. The second big feature is the new X-PODS. These are two 16″ extensions on either side of the outboard, giving you more rear deck space along with more storage with storage lockers being built inside the X-PODS. Beyond the added deck and storage space the X-PODs help with achieving plane quicker acting as stiff trim tabs.
Another option for the rear deck of the boats is the new MAX DECK. On ROTAX S equipped 2025 Trophy and Competitors, you can add the optional MAX Deck. This gives the boats an additional 25 square feet of deck space. Perfect as a casting platform or just a spot to put down a towel and take in the sun. As an added bonus the MAX Deck in combination with the ROTAX S makes for an incredibly quiet riding experience compared to conventional outboards.
Now we’re done talking about some of the new features let’s talk about experiencing them in real life on the water. First up was a ROTAX S powered 2025 Competitor 185X with the MAX Deck. The plan for the day was to take several models of each series of boats out for a spin and go fish. This was my first experience with an ALUMACraft boat that wasn’t over 30 years old so I was pretty excited. Once we got out of the marina and out into open waters we gunned it. The ROTAX S outboard got us moving quick, of course until we had to slow down for a slow no-wake zone, but as soon as we got through that we were zooming again. And like I said earlier the ride was surprisingly quiet, the MAX Deck plus the Rotax stays quiet enough so even on plane you don’t have to shout to talk with each other out there. Another thing I noticed was how quiet the ALUMACraft 2XB hull was. I’m used to the ride of an aluminum boat being loud, with constant slapping and tinging noises as the hull cuts through the water. Instead, I was treated to a quiet ride that did not feel like any aluminum boat I’ve ever been on.
Well after a bit more of the gentle ride out we got to the spot, some deeper water with tall weeds growing halfway up the water column. The main target being pike, a treat for me because we don’t have them down south. And honestly, I was surprised at how simple of a fishery it is for these guys. We were just ripping rattle traps through the water column near the weeds as quick as we could to trigger a strike. These guys are just as voracious as a Spanish mackerel and even cooler, will follow a lure all the way to the boat before swimming off. With two anglers and a driver on each boat, the MAX Deck was a nice addition for three of us fishing. Giving each of us plenty of space to cast without any risk of someone getting a new rattle trap piercing. Normally being relegated to the back of the boat kinda sucks, but that was not the case here. The added height of the Max Deck took a second to get used to but I could definitely see it being an advantage if you were sight fishing.
Of course as soon we started getting into the pike, we had to go back to swap boats. I mean it makes sense, I was here to try out the new 2025 models. So next up was a 2025 Competitor 175X Tiller, which was without a doubt the most well-powered tiller boat I’ve ever been in, definitely not the old Jon boat I was used to. This boat was something else with a 90hp Mercury on the back of it. The new curved gunwale design of the 2025 ALUMACrafts really shone through here. Being seated so far back to control the tiller, those lower gunwales kept visibility high when the boat was getting on plane initially.
While the ride wasn’t as quiet as with the ROTAX, this boat was still missing the usual aluminum boat sounds that I was used to. This time instead of going out to the weed beds in the open lake we got out of the wind and started fishing docks trying to get into some bass. Setting up wind along the shore and letting the wind drift us along, or at least we tried to. But this proved to work pretty well getting us a few pick as well as double of a pike and a solid northern bass. But again we had to cut the fishing short and head back to do another boat switch.
This time I took the driver’s seat for a little bit, and I have to say this wasn’t the old 2hp Johnson I was used to when it came to driving a tiller boat that’s for sure. It is something else to be steering 90hp by hand. My hats off to you for the guys who do this on the regular.
For the last session of the day we were on a 2025 Trophy 205X equipped with a 350hp Mercury outboard. This was an impressive boat, because usually when I hear about a 350hp outboard I think of offshore fishing, not fishing in a lake. So this was something I had not expected to experience this day. So the plan was to head back out to the main lake this time, because he fished a ton and knew I did as well. But before we could go fish he had to show me what the boat was capable of, and this 205X Trophy was capable of a lot. We got out of the slow/ no-wake zones and gunned it. Absolutely screaming across that lake, the 2XB hull did not give a damn about any of the ferry wakes we went over. Once we were out in a large open section of the lake was when the real fun began.
He had to show off just what the hull could do, and man that was something else. 350hp screaming behind us while we are making loops across the lake. The whole time the boat felt super under control, I mean I was white-knuckling the seat, but he was handling the boat with ease. Even at speed during the loops and U-turns, I did not feel the boat lose grip. This thing was a beast. But after showing off what the boat was capable of and me getting my hat and sunglasses resituated we bolted towards the weed beds again to go catch some fish.
And fish we did catch, the sun started peaking out from behind the clouds and started the bit right up. Again using the rattle traps we had caught almost a dozen pike in about an hours span. While nothing was a giant, any pike was a cool catch for me. We were having a blast but again it was time to go in, so we headed back towards the marina for the final time that day, with me behind the wheel this time.
While I wasn’t going to go for the same maneuvers, I still opened her up where we could and made great time getting back. While it was never going to be a quiet ride with 350hp behind us it was a smooth one. Once on plane, we were just gliding over everything. The new 2025 ALUMACraft Trophy and Competitors are something else, absolutely loaded to the gills with storage space and packed with modern features. These are fishing machines that can easily double as leisure craft. These are definitely not the aluminum boats I grew up with, to see more details on the new 2025 ALUMACraft boats go check them out at their website.
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