AluminumAlloyBoats.com

Hi everyone,

I am considering an aluminum Catamaran and wanted some opinions,

I really am very new to alloy boats and would like to know if anyone knows much about maxweld boats , specifically the 40x 15 cat they build.

I am a northeast canyon tuna fisherman and would need to run 100+ miles each way to the grounds and am clueless as to the ride a cat delivers in various sea states. ie, chop, swells, head sea, following sea?

the quality of the maxweld seems good and strong !

this one has twin volvo stern drive diesels.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Al

we have Max Cat owners here..."Nighthawk" and the boat belong to "Chaps" first.
(think I have that right)

They should be along shortly and if not hit members list and PM them about their boats.
NightHawks Max Cat is bad azz, from the photos is all I know. And I'm not even a kitty kinda guy. I'm a ole dog, kinda guy.

Welcome,

It may be your lucky day. I am not sure if this design would suit you, but they have a like new 40 footer for sale right now at $490k. There is an Armstrong 46' for 695k at GSIboat.com but it doesn't really look like much of a fishing boat.

Maxweld
http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2007- ... e-94079988


Bob

Here is another interesting option. This boat was designed by Jarek Kanios and built by NDI. It's 38' with a flybridge, powered by a pair of Suzuki outboards. I don't know much about NDI but I like the simplicity and price of outboards. The outboards are less than half the cost of diesels and free up a ton of below deck space for storing fish and fuel. Being a hardcore boater who hates down time, I really like the ability to quickly replace a power head, lower unit, or even hang a new engine and not waste half the fishing season on a repair.



Bob

Welcome

I owned a 27 Maxweld cat (which now belongs to Nighthawk, another member here on this board). Great boat, very well built and a dream to fish off of. The big Max cats are really impressive - huge! Cats in general feel great underfoot in rough water, very little roll as they seem to be like a 3 legged stool. If one corner of the boat is cantilevered out over a trough the other three corners keep things upright and comfortable. Andy knows how to design a cat hull. You should also look at the Armstrong boats.

Bob5292 wrote:Here is another interesting option. This boat was designed by Jarek Kanios and built by NDI. It's 38' with a flybridge, powered by a pair of Suzuki outboards. I don't know much about NDI but I like the simplicity and price of outboards. The outboards are less than half the cost of diesels and free up a ton of below deck space for storing fish and fuel. Being a hardcore boater who hates down time, I really like the ability to quickly replace a power head, lower unit, or even hang a new engine and not waste half the fishing season on a repair.



Bob

That is very nice, Nichols is a fine builder if you can afford them

I would suggest to the original poster that unless he is looking at an already built boat, it would be worth his while to compare the Armstrong to the Maxweld. They probably will both be in Seattle next week.

I think Armstrong has sold a few cats to folks and agencies on the east coast. Try www.armstrongmarine.com

I don't know anything about it, but here is one that has been for sale for a bit that looks like a good deal if you want one this big and have the $$.

http://anchorage.craigslist.org/boa/981478402.html

Well it's nice to find this forum, not to mention seeing one of our boats on the first page I looked at.
We built "Hey Jude" for a client in Petersburg, AK

We are a custom builder located north of Seattle in Freeland on Whidbey Island

We specialize in aluminum boats from 20'- 60' for recreational as well as commercial use in both catamaran and mono-hulls

I would welcome any inquiries regarding past or future projects

Please do not confuse custom with unaffordable. Custom simply means you get the boat you want, designed and built to your needs, not what somebody else decides is best for you.

Having just closed the Seattle Boat Show and moving out this morning I can tell you that all aluminum boats are not created equally and you get what you pay for. The production products are OK if all it does is sit in the driveway and get used a couple times in the summer. But for those of you wanting something that will last and handle anything you throw at it, take a long look at what you are buying. With exception to Pacific the market is primed and ready for quality aluminum boats.

The new boats on the market are attractive and priced to compete with their NON ALLOY cousins, but don't hols a candle to what they could and should be.

Regards,

Tom Moore
Sales Manager
Nichols Diversified Industries
360.331.7230
tom@ndiboats.com

Tom ,
Welcome to AAB , the caliber of boats that you build are awesome . I look forward to some of your customers or possible new customers coming to this site to share their boats or find out more about Alloy and it's uses.

I think I can vouch for NDI, I just dropped my LaConner off there to get some professional weld & fab done. Nice shop and people, I'll post up pics of the finished product when they are done.

NDI Maxweld

tlmjr wrote: The production products are OK if all it does is sit in the driveway and get used a couple times in the summer. But for those of you wanting something that will last and handle anything you throw at it, take a long look at what you are buying. With exception to Pacific the market is primed and ready for quality aluminum boats.

The new boats on the market are attractive and priced to compete with their NON ALLOY cousins, but don't hols a candle to what they could and should be.

I'm in the market for a smaller Aluminum 20-24' Cat. Can anybody point me in the right direction. It sounds as if they're out there and possibly new to the market if they were at the Seattle boat show?

Maxweld,

I looked through your web site and didn't find anything smaller than a 28'. your site says you have products starting in the 20' range. can you post a few shots of a 20-22'er

lorenz wrote:

tlmjr wrote: The production products are OK if all it does is sit in the driveway and get used a couple times in the summer. But for those of you wanting something that will last and handle anything you throw at it, take a long look at what you are buying. With exception to Pacific the market is primed and ready for quality aluminum boats.

The new boats on the market are attractive and priced to compete with their NON ALLOY cousins, but don't hols a candle to what they could and should be.

I'm in the market for a smaller Aluminum 20-24' Cat. Can anybody point me in the right direction. It sounds as if they're out there and possibly new to the market if they were at the Seattle boat show?

Maxweld,

I looked through your web site and didn't find anything smaller than a 28'. your site says you have products starting in the 20' range. can you post a few shots of a 20-22'er

Welcome to the forum. You'll likely have to contact Maxweld directly to get answers to your questions though I believe his smaller boats are all monohull.

I think you'll find that the reason you don't see small alloy cats is that aluminum cats in general are complex to design and much more work to build making them far too expensive to compete with monohulls in that size range. Additionally, really small cats are bad actors in a seaway. Cats need size to make them work, bigger the better IMO.

Are they still in business.I see the gates are closed?

alumnut wrote:Are they still in business.I see the gates are closed?

Gates are closed and someone on another board dug up a public notice naming them in a lawsuit - something about an insurance or contract dispute.

- Case

I know a person who had some very large cats built from him recently and he was using his money to pay for other things then boat building. he finally got his boats( through some teeth pulling), but said he thought maxweld was done.

Looks like they are done. :sad:

http://tillamookheadlightherald.com/mai ... M=39880.07