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Monday, June 23rd, 2025

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

West Coast boats making a mark on Lake Erie’s big waters

Lake Erie Capt. Greg Kipps is shown in his Hewescraft after a perch outing on the big lake. Boats made by Hewescraft and other Western manufacturers are hitting the big water and waves on Lake Erie in increasing numbers these days, according to Hageman. (Photo by John Hageman)

While looking for a fishing boat years ago, one style that intrigued me was those commonly used on the big rivers and coastal waters of the Pacific northwest. 
After owning an aluminum 20-foot Lowe Roughneck boat that leaked through the crimped keel, the biggest appeal of the Northwest Coast boats to me is their heavy gauge and welded aluminum construction. I have seen Starcraft, Lund, Crestliner, Meyer, and other popular aluminum fishing boats all eventually develop leaks through their rivets that become severed, loosened, or stretched by the twisting and pounding they get in Lake Erie’s notorious closely spaced, twisting, choppy waves.

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