# Sylvan Aluminum Boat: To buy or not to buy...



## randallbob

I am looking at possibly purchasing a 1989 16' Sylvan aluminum boat. As always, before I make a big purchase, I like to do some research on what I'm thinking of buying. What I found was several posts, on various forums, indicating a nasty characteristic of Sylvan aluminum boats is their bows are week. I read several posts of bows caving in, denting and the aluminum tearing. Most of these cases seemed to be in (obviously) rough conditions where the operator was traveling at a pretty high rate of speed. Like 2 - 4 foot waves at 30 plus mph. In some cases I believe they were going even faster than that. The boat I am looking at has a 50hp motor on it. Will that push a 16' alum. with gear and 2 guys in it fast enough in rough conditions to damage it? (Disclaimer here: I understand if waves are big you need to exercise judgment in how fast you go. The best made boat in the world can be damaged if the operator is an idiot.)

I mainly fish inland lakes (Mosquito, West Branch, Berlin) but I will on occasion fish Lake Erie, I understand a 16' boat on Erie isn't ideal so I am usually very picky on the days I choose to fish on Erie. But, like one person pointed out, if I am on a big lake and the weather picks up, I want to get off that body of water ASAP. Should I worry I am going to damage my boat by pushing hard to get to safety? 

I also read, on a forum, that Sylvan was aware of the problem and had a major redesign of their hull in the mid 80's and that remedied the problem. Does anyone on OGF have any knowledge of Sylvan hull failures? Does anyone know anything about a hull redesign for Sylvan?

I understand the info I am getting is coming off the internet and that always needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, I also believe if there are that many posts on this subject there must be some truth to it. Again, I am relying on my OGF friends to help me out. Thanks in advance.

-Randy


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## Tbomb55

randallbob said:


> I am looking at possibly purchasing a 1989 16' Sylvan aluminum boat. As always, before I make a big purchase, I like to do some research on what I'm thinking of buying. What I found was several posts, on various forums, indicating a nasty characteristic of Sylvan aluminum boats is their bows are week. I read several posts of bows caving in, denting and the aluminum tearing. Most of these cases seemed to be in (obviously) rough conditions where the operator was traveling at a pretty high rate of speed. Like 2 - 4 foot waves at 30 plus mph. In some cases I believe they were going even faster than that. The boat I am looking at has a 50hp motor on it. Will that push a 16' alum. with gear and 2 guys in it fast enough in rough conditions to damage it? (Disclaimer here: I understand if waves are big you need to exercise judgment in how fast you go. The best made boat in the world can be damaged if the operator is an idiot.)
> 
> I mainly fish inland lakes (Mosquito, West Branch, Berlin) but I will on occasion fish Lake Erie, I understand a 16' boat on Erie isn't ideal so I am usually very picky on the days I choose to fish on Erie. But, like one person pointed out, if I am on a big lake and the weather picks up, I want to get off that body of water ASAP. Should I worry I am going to damage my boat by pushing hard to get to safety?
> 
> I also read, on a forum, that Sylvan was aware of the problem and had a major redesign of their hull in the mid 80's and that remedied the problem. Does anyone on OGF have any knowledge of Sylvan hull failures? Does anyone know anything about a hull redesign for Sylvan?
> 
> I understand the info I am getting is coming off the internet and that always needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, I also believe if there are that many posts on this subject there must be some truth to it. Again, I am relying on my OGF friends to help me out. Thanks in advance.
> 
> -Randy


 Just from talking to people over the years, it seems Alumacraft, Crestliner, certain Lund years and Mirrorcraft are favorites.


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## husky_jerk

I have fished a 22ft slyvan offshore the last 5years on Erie. Mine is a 1988. Have not had one issue structurally with the boat. Replaced the floor but that was soft when I bought it. 

I'm actually looking to sell the boat this year (nothing wrong with the boat). Just found out wife has a bun in the oven.


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## jdoaks

owned 17 ft. 1993 loved it sold last year bought new. no problems at all wish I would have kept it.


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## bountyhunter

I have a 1995 sylvan 21ft pro in the barn runs great never a problem. before I bought this boat I did a search, seems the boats in the early 80,s and late 70,s had a bit. but most were from abuse. BUY the boat you,ll love it, mines been on erie a lot lookslike new , if you don,t buy it? let me know.


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## UFM82

30+ in 2' to 4' waves would render you airborn. Even a "good" boat could be damaged doing that, not to mention the bearing the occupants would take. I've not owned a Sylvan myself but have several friends who have and all have nothing but good things to say about them. Not a premium boat but a good boat nonetheless. Under the majority of circumstances I would say that you'd be fine. A 50hp should get that boat to the mid-30s I would think. My 16' sea nymph ran right at 35 with a johnson 50 hanging on the back and was plenty fast for me.


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## da-animal

randallbob said:


> I am looking at possibly purchasing a 1989 16' Sylvan aluminum boat. As always, before I make a big purchase, I like to do some research on what I'm thinking of buying. What I found was several posts, on various forums, indicating a nasty characteristic of Sylvan aluminum boats is their bows are week. I read several posts of bows caving in, denting and the aluminum tearing. Most of these cases seemed to be in (obviously) rough conditions where the operator was traveling at a pretty high rate of speed. Like 2 - 4 foot waves at 30 plus mph. In some cases I believe they were going even faster than that. The boat I am looking at has a 50hp motor on it. Will that push a 16' alum. with gear and 2 guys in it fast enough in rough conditions to damage it? (Disclaimer here: I understand if waves are big you need to exercise judgment in how fast you go. The best made boat in the world can be damaged if the operator is an idiot.)
> 
> I mainly fish inland lakes (Mosquito, West Branch, Berlin) but I will on occasion fish Lake Erie, I understand a 16' boat on Erie isn't ideal so I am usually very picky on the days I choose to fish on Erie. But, like one person pointed out, if I am on a big lake and the weather picks up, I want to get off that body of water ASAP. Should I worry I am going to damage my boat by pushing hard to get to safety?
> 
> I also read, on a forum, that Sylvan was aware of the problem and had a major redesign of their hull in the mid 80's and that remedied the problem. Does anyone on OGF have any knowledge of Sylvan hull failures? Does anyone know anything about a hull redesign for Sylvan?
> 
> I understand the info I am getting is coming off the internet and that always needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But, I also believe if there are that many posts on this subject there must be some truth to it. Again, I am relying on my OGF friends to help me out. Thanks in advance.
> 
> -Randy


I've owned few sylvans, and there quality is good, every manufactor has their issues, I actually own one now as well, good quality boats. In your case if your buying for inland lakes where it doesn't get as nasty as Erie, with proper maintaining that boat will outlast you


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## I Fish

I have an 1986 18' Sylvan with no problems. I assume the 16 would be the same in that they came out of the same factory as Starcraft and I believe Sea Nymth. I gutted mine to replace all the wood and can tell you it is structurally identical to a Starcraft. The only difference being the design of the motor/splashwell.

I've never heard of the weak bow failures your are talking about. Could you post some links to the info? I'd be interested to read it.


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## sylvan21

I have a '95 21' pro select for 5 years now. Great boat, never had issues with it structurally. Mostly inland lakes but have had it on erie on decent days, No complaints


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## Dovans

My first boat was 16' Sylvan. hated it. Not the right boat for bass fishin. Had a thirty horse and it got me from Point A to Point B. I bought a brand new one, do not remember the year, but I had to replace the floor. Probably wouldnt buy another one. No reason why. Just didnt care for it. If you are buying a boat, make sure it has trim control. My sylvan didnt, and I didnt miss it till I got a boat with trim control.


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## ohiojmj

Beating a 16'er to the point of hull damage is good grounds for an insanity plea. A 50 hp motor and reasonable operation should never break even a flimsy hull. 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## randallbob

Husky Jerk, Congratulations on becoming a dad!

I Fish. here are a few links I found about this.

http://cjohn2979.proboards.com/thread/7465
http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-78445.html

If these links don't work I just searched, "Problems with Sylvan Boat Hulls".

I'm going to look at the boat in a few days. If it looks good I'll probably get it. I will just try to use good judgment if the waves start picking up. Thanks to all that replied.

-Randy


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## moondog5814

I think you would be idiotic trying to run 30mph in 4ft waves on Lake Erie in a 16 ft aluminum boat. You have to be smart about the conditions. I looked at a few Sylvans that were pretty nice but I bought a 1988 16 ft Nordic Crestliner. It has a welded hull and has never leaked a drop. I have had it 10 miles out on Erie. I have an 90 Johnson that will move it pretty good, plus I have an 8 hp kicker to troll with and as a back up to the 90. I think that the 50 is a little undersized for the Sylvan but would prob do the job. Good luck on your search. It took me a couple years before I found one that I liked and was the right price.


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## firemanmike2127

randallbob said:


> Husky Jerk, Congratulations on becoming a dad!
> 
> I Fish. here are a few links I found about this.
> 
> http://cjohn2979.proboards.com/thread/7465
> http://www.walleyecentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-78445.html
> 
> If these links don't work I just searched, "Problems with Sylvan Boat Hulls".
> 
> I'm going to look at the boat in a few days. If it looks good I'll probably get it. I will just try to use good judgment if the waves start picking up. Thanks to all that replied.
> 
> -Randy


There's a very good explanation from 'REW' on the walleye central link posted above that covers a common type of failure on early aluminum hulls. By early I mean prior to spray rail braces being added. Rib end cracks (which you see on the underside of the hull) were common in these older boats as well. Starcraft updated their hulls with with spray rail braces that also stiffened the hull at the rib ends in the mid 80's. Sylvans of that era are built in a very similar fashion. Abuse will ruin even a really well built hull (welded or riveted). A small circle of bare aluminum around rivet heads usually indicates a rivet that has 'loosened up' as well. If you're not sure where to look for damage or upgrades give me a call & I'll do my best to give you a few pointers. When I worked in the boat business full time we sold several different aluminum brands, & I had some training at Starcraft for the type of problems which have been referenced here. Mike Bruns 419-305-8111


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## steve87

husky_jerk said:


> I have fished a 22ft slyvan offshore the last 5years on Erie. Mine is a 1988. Have not had one issue structurally with the boat. Replaced the floor but that was soft when I bought it.
> 
> I'm actually looking to sell the boat this year (nothing wrong with the boat). Just found out wife has a bun in the oven.


Is the boat for sale yet?


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## TDD11

Did you buy the boat?

I also have tons of great things to say about our '88 Offshore 22'. Excellent boat for the money.


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