Affordable Boats - Does Polycraft Compete?

How does the Polycraft 300 Tuffy and the Polycraft 410 Challenger boat stack up to the competition when looking at cheap new boats? I take a look at these two small boat models to see what you get for the price and whether or not these are super affordable small boats. When looking at the cheapest new boats Polycraft boats do not come close. I compare Polycraft boats to some models by Tracker Boats, Lowe Boats and even the West Marine Water Tender 9.4 Dinghy. Polycraft make small boats constructed from Polyethylene as opposed to jon boats or other small boats made from aluminum, fiberglass or steel. A polyethylene boat is plastic and has some benefits when compared to to other forms of construction and materials. If you're in the market for a cheap new boat, there are brands that offer some very affordable new small boats.

The other models of boats I use for comparison are the Tracker Grizzly 1648 Jon Boat, and Lowe L1852MT Jon Boat. Both Tracker and Lowe also offer cheaper boats, more expensive boats and many options which can cause the prices to be different from their web sites.
This video is not sponsored by anyone and the opinions expressed are my own.

#plasticboat #polycraftboats #polycraft410challenger

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:17 Polycraft plastic polyethylene boats
00:54 Polycraft 300 Tuffy compared to West Marine WaterTender 9.4
02:19 Polycraft 410 Challenger compared to Tracker Grizzly 1648 Jon Boat
03:42 Polycraft 410 Challenger compared to Lowe L1852MT Jon Boat
04:09 Conclusions and final thoughts

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[PolycraftBoats]

Good vid Wayne, however you probably should go ride in a 410 Challenger first, just so you can understand the benefits of owning a Poly boat . I wont go into all the details, but a few selling points are the stability, low maintenance, low vibration and less on water noise, a true soft ride not just an advertising slogan, and the longevity you can expect over many, many years of boating. The price points maybe higher in the US, and that's because they come from the other side of the world and freight not free . Just like your Tracker Boats we have imported here, they more expensive than a Polycraft in Australia .As for upgrades, if you have a drill, hot air gun and some screws your good to go, because unlike a Alloy boat with a single skin, the Polycraft have 2 skins, inner and outer so that allows you to screw, add, drill, weld anything you like to the inside skin without compromising the outer skin .And if you make a mistake you can repair it yourself with hot air gun and some welding cable . Oh and they LDPE, not HDPE .Thanks again for highlighting our products :)

[stephenberry]

In Sydney I owned a Polycraft Tuffy 3 metre with a 15 hp Yamaha 2 stroke... bright blue.. called it the Flying Esky.
Advantages - very stable, quiet dry ride, very fast and corners like it is on rails with a 15 hp. It is a tri hull with foam interior. Unsinkable, does not dent. Huge demand here for them second hand.
No comparison to and alloy boat of same size. Aluminum is noisy, wetter, much less stable at rest, heats up in the sun & paint scratches.

Sold it and bought a NZ made Smartwave 3500 with a light weight 25 hp Yamaha 4 stroke.
This was also a revaluation. So much more space, corner seat bait tanks / ice lockers, centre seat storage and it is removal, built in cup holder.
A mate also bought one. We have been boating since the age of 12 with alloy and fibreglass boats. Now 69. These polyethylene boats are fantastic and indestructible (easily repairable if you monster it some how. Highly recommended... never going back to alloy.

[tonyjackson]

Last year after MIBS, a Miami guy began hawking these boats and got a couple of the YT Haulover Boat guys to help.
When the cost was revealed I lol’d because an aluminum skiff of greater size is still cheaper, leaving $$$ to add accessories.
Inflation in the Boating industry was runaway prior to the current mess and outlandish prices such as for these boats simply aren’t a value for many casual fishermen. For about $2K, we have a 12’ Jon, FF, TM, 2 live tanks, and safety gear and I just got a 6.5 motor (used) for $500. I think I’m money ahead.

[frankcarty]

What makes these boats so expensive is the shipping from Australia, and import duty when the boats arrive into stayed. I live in Ireland, where US made aluminium boats are incredibly more expensive here than the US for the same reasons. One of my mates has a Polyethylene boat made in New Zealand, a smartwave. It's very easy to modify.

[mikecheck]

I love my double hull west marine water tender. I’ve taken it in some rough sea here in San Diego. Never let me down

[amgstiernon]

Shipping and taxes levied on the importation from Australia must play a significant part. Unless they are already producing them in the US?

[jked]

One of the advantages of the poly boat is it is virtually unsinkable. There is a guy on you tube that alters these boats, including adding triple small motors.

[stevengraham]

Love my Water Tender 😃. I have a 3.5 hp Mercury on it which is perfect

[gregbuser]

Try taking one of the aluminum boats out in a rough ocean and compare it to the performance of a Polycraft boat.

[sproket]

Unfortunately this isn't an apple for apple comparison.
These are high sided ocean going boats.
But very expensive.

Polycraft are not flat bottom river boats .
I've been in 2m swells 20kms off shore in my 4.8 Polycraft.
There very capable.

[truecrimson]

As far as modifying plastic boats, take a look at all of the kayak accessories; gear tracks, rod holders, cup holders, etc, etc. I have a long background in kayak fishing and modification and would love to get a plastic boat, but not at the twice the price...

[vitoparrinello]

Those poly Craft boats are set up for saltwater deep sea fishing aluminum boats you are talking about that we sell in the United States are set up for ponds and lakes and not really good in open ocean..

[primate]

In order for it to be a game changer it needs to markedly more affordable than other boats in it's class.

[wernerschreiner]

Reminds me of triumph boats from years ago. They had a great commercial you can find on YouTube of a truck dragging the boat without a trailer and launching it into the water stating it’s a tuff boat

[goffreybremmer]

Hey Wayne, I love the tracker best deal😊

[marcsalzmann]

They are a very hard boat to compare without having test driven one on the water. I’ve owned 3 polycrafts now a 300, 4.1 and a 4.55 centre console they are by far the most stable and tough boats I’ve ever owned a lot of them were over ten years old when I bought them and still looked brand new zero maintenance!!! Can be fixed with a heat gun if you do scratch it up.
They are a different ride better than aluminium but not as good as a fibreglass boat.
Downsides are you need a specific trailer made for them that supports them on the keel the other downside is they are more expensive however after having owned fibreglass/aluminium and polycraft boats I would only ever buy another polycraft purely because they are virtually unsinkable a 4m polycraft would match a 5.5m glass boat on stability if not beat it!! And I’ve never lost any money when I’ve sold them I got every dollar back and I’ve enjoyed owning every one of them most glass boats have cost me thousands in repairs only to get less for the boat than what I paid for it in the first place. Happy to answer more questions if you have any

[TOURMANBOB]

Well put and I agree. But you should also look at the inflatables such as Saturn that offer really good boats for not much money. I owned a 14 foot Saturn with a 6 HP Mercury and it was an ideal, low cost fishing boat that I used for years. Once I bought my much more expensive Legend X16/90HP Mercury, I began to miss my inflatable more and more. Lower overall cost, much more convenient with a small trailer, easier maintenance overall and frankly just as "usable". I still have the Legend but would buy the inflatable over again if I had a choice. Check them out....

[floridamaninthewild]

I had a Sears game fisher years ago. It wasn't quite a true plastic boat but it was a good boat. Wouldn't handle a very big motor but it got the job done. Nothing wrong with plastic. Money aside.

[titusthegreat]

I think your right on point. It’s a bit pricey for plastic

[MrAlanlitw]

I own a 3M tuffy, it's very stable, me and brother over 200lbs x2 can sit on same beam for fishing whole day, excellent stability, it won't sink or over turn and it brought it less USD1, 800 in Honkong