I take care of a camp here in north Ontario and we have 9 boats and motors.
Over the past 20 years we have rid ourselves of all the fiberglass boats but 1 only because it is one we hardly use. No good for pulling up to the shore to go do hikes or exploring.
The boats I like the most are the Crestliner alum. They are welded seams not riveted. Crestliners are expensive however and may not be in price range you are looking for.
If you are tubing I would look for welded seam boat. However I have a 1967 18 foot Starcraft that I use daily that is riveted. I have hauled alot of junk over the years with it. I have loaded it with over a ton of concrete bags many times.
As for engines we have 1 Merc and the rest are Yammys. The Merc came on the Crestliner as a package deal. The Merc runs just fine but it is expensive to maintain. The oil that you must use for warranty is around $100. a gallon and the engine holds 1.5 gallons. It is also much harder on fuel exspesualy when tubing.
The Yamaha engines are tough to beat, we have had them all over the years and fazed them all out for Yamaha`s.
I traded in my 115 Yam with 5000hrs on it 2 years ago for a new one. During the 13 years I had that engine never did it break down, just oil changes at end of season. I did change plugs once but don`t think it was nessasary.
I run my boat right till winter and engine fires right up frozen in the lake every time.
Get a Yamaha engine and never look back.
Mike
A picture of busting ice behind my boat.View attachment 1715489514
