42
others to a fishing spot, it’s not the win-
ning spot anyway.”
Cox actually enjoys the window of
time shortly after takeoff when all the
boats have passed him and he is still
coasting down the lake.
“It gives me a few more minutes to
think about my game plan,” he says. “I
like studying the subtleties of banks as
I cruise down the lake. Noticing how a
bank flattens out here, or the water
color changes there, or a heron is spear-
ing shad on a point over there – I can’t
see those details when I’m ripping
down the lake at 70 mph with tears
streaking out of my eyes.”
2. Fuel capacity – Fuel capacities of
aluminums are typically inferior to
glass boats as well. Cox’s current boat
holds just 32 gallons, which pales in
comparison to the tanks in bigger glass
boats. But Cox insists that problem has
largely been offset by four-stroke out-
boards becoming smaller and lighter.
“Four-strokes used to be so big and
heavy that putting one on an aluminum
defeated the purpose of having an alu-
minum,” Cox says. “But now four-
strokes are smaller, so I can take advan-
tage of their ultra fuel efficiency. My
Verado is a 200-hp motor, and it’s stun-
ning how little gas that thing uses. My
range with 32 gallons is far more than I
ever need.”
3. Rough-water handling, space and
stability – Glass proponents also tout