Downsides to a welded aluminum boat?

[SEASWIRL PAUL]

Other than lack of bow flare and looks(open to debate--I like the look of unpainted alloy)what are the downsides to aluminum boats such as pacific, silver streak, work skiff? So far I haven't found any downsides other than what I already mentioned. Oh yeah, they can feel cold to the touch in cold water.

Any comments?

[cgrand]

none that come to mind!

[Baitboy]

Easier to repair

[maineguides]

nope....................i wont be able to help you out with this one.

[Petes Dragon]

You have to be careful not to put dissimilar metals together when attaching add ons (bilge pumps, gps, etc.) to prevent corrosion. Maybe feel a little hotter or colder with the weather, but can be avoided with various coverings inside the hull. Noisy without any dampening material, also can be taken care of with coverings and foam.

I've owned a couple and will be bringing one to South Florida in a couple months to see how they do; a demo boat from Fish Rite welded aluminum boats in Oregon. Hopefully, the advantages will be worth it; very light, strong, lifetime hull, etc.

[reefhunter2]

Other than dissimilar metals......................none!

[Chaps]

They get a kind of crusty look to them (unless they are painted or clear coated) also you usually have to wait for them as most are built to order.

[wellcraft20]

The only downside to my aluminum boat was the seller's remorse I still have from selling it more than 2 years ago
I miss that boat!!!

[A Few Dollars]

Noise and Heat.

[Bailey Boat]

Let's see, NO maintenance, scratches are not even noticed, light weight, low horsepower needed, NO maintenance, huuuuuummmmm, nope, can't think of any.......... WAIT!!!!!! Ugly assed green color????????

[Keyskid]

Aluminum is an excellent building material for boats. Lighter weight than fiberglass, less flamability (lower insurance costs) much easier to repair and more forgiving in moderate impact situations (a bend or dent as opposed to a cracked hull).

In So Florida, heat can be a problem - it probably pays to paint the inside at least. Noise is not that bad in ocean fishing - but certainly will be heard in back water situations. There is plenty of low-cost baffling soulutions available.

Many major mega yachts (80"+) world wide are constructed of aluminum. And these buyers can afford whatever they want.

[slickster]

More subject to electrolysis, bobs like a cork, noisy at rest when trying so sleep, even more expensive bottom paint, paint tends to bubble up around fittings, need to be careful when fitting thru-hulls and drivetrain-must insulate....had a 28ft marinette...loved it, still a good material to build with...Mick

[regal]

well let's see:
- you won't buy a $35k diesel truck to pull it, your 1/2 ton will do fine
- it won't delaminate or become water logged so you will have to keep it >12 year
- it will weigh 30 to 50% less so you won't get to buy those $20k 250hp OB's
- the sun won't turn it into chalk so you will get less excersize with no waxing workouts
- your boat will stick out like a sore thumb, its not white
- your gas expense will drop about 50%
- you will have to put it in your will (mine is a 1961)

- you will ask yourself why are the outboard boat corporations so stuck on fiberglass is it because they want to sell you a new boat when your outboard dies after 8 years?

[Jarhead 68]

Being a mature boater (old fart) I find the stability of a glass boat to be benificial.

After (the last time) loosing my balance, finding myself in the drink and having one hell of a time getting back in a 14' aluminum boat (if you've ever tried to board a smaller aluminum boat from the water you know what I mean) I got the message.

[cgrand]

you need to ask yourself this question:
do you enjoy watching things break on your boat?
if so, glass is the way go

if you prefer a boat that will last longer than you will, with no repairs necessary, then aluminum is the way to go

regarding the electrolysis, i'd like to propose a challenge...let's search the threads here and try to find any examples of aluminum boat owners starting "my boat is getting eaten away by electrolysis" threads...

alternatively, let's search for keywords like "spider cracks", "gelcoat blisters", "delamination", "transom rot", "water intrusion", etc, etc, etc

[MDT]

I have been running a 23' aluminum on the Puget Sound for four years. I agree with what Mick mentions. I purchased mine because it was light on trailer and easier to haul around the Sound and Canada. The down side is that it Bobbs and can be a rough ride when the wind comes up. To quiet it down, I installed Automotive noise insulation in the cudy. The bubble around fittings is because the fittings (or anything mounted to a painted surface, anything! ) are not caulked well enough and I have had to redo most of the factory installed hardware. Aside from that, I would not trade it.
MDT

[Brad1]

Would corrosion be an issue in warm Florida saltwater? Or is the aluminum such a high grade that it wouldn't be affected, provided the dis-similar metal issue didn't come in to play.

How do you bolt stuff on without using dis-similar metal?

I've always been a fan of aluminum, though I have only owned riveted aluminum hulls (all three were Starcraft). Owned/Own three glass hulls too.

[trouty]

Cault it GOOD MDT! You'll only make it bubble faster!

Look for the unpteenth bloody time.

All dissimilar metals on an alloy boat should be equipotentially bonded, with the alloy hull.

The reason?

The sacrificial anodes job, is to be the least noble metal and to get eaten away in preference to your alloy hull.

IF however - you attempt to "insulate" dissimilar hull fittings with any sort of plastic spacers, goop etc etc, you effectively isolate them from the sacrificial anode- which THEN can't do it's job of getting eaten away in preference to the hull - and the hull in the immediate vicinity of the dissimilar metal fitting starts to bubble under the pain as it eats away!

This happens above waterline due to slaty spary.

What IS a wet cell battery anyway?

IS it two dissimilar metals separated by inert spacers submersed in an electrolyte?

Whats an alloy hull, a dissimilar netal fixture Isolated with a spacer or goop from the hull and covered in wet salty spary water if NOT a wet cell battery????

The pain isn't "water proof"and also it's not an "insulator", electrons DO flow thru it between the two disimilar metals.

The entire trouble STARTS when you start isolating that more nobel metal from your oitboard engines sacrificial anode by virtue of the fact - you use a spacer or goop to separate it from the alloy hull.

The alloy hull IS connected to the outboards sacrificial anode by virtue of the fact it is bolted thru the netal stern AND the Battery (containing yet another dissimilar metal Lead) has an earth strap to the block of the engine...sooo - even the battery is equipotentially bonded to the hull!.

When you start trying to "isolate" metal fixtures from your hull so they AREN'T equipotentially bonded to the hull, due to plastic spacer or goo etc - THEN they or the alloy hull immediately adjacent to them become a mini wet cell battery, and that part of the hull becomes the least noble metal to give up it's electrons and be consumed in the process...hence the darn bubbles blistering under the paint and full of white powder!.

Remove the spacers and goop etc and suddenly the metal is part of a comlex sum of dissimilar metals all equipotentially binded to each other.

The LEAST Noble is still your sacrificial anode - it gets eaten away as it is sposed too - and the rest of the hull and its fixtures and fittings don't.

It isn't such a difficult process to understand.

If you still think the Hull shouldn't be equipotentially Bonded with all other electrical system (Battery) and dissimilar metals, then ask yourself this question.

In a steel hulled trawler or any other large alloy sea going vessel with shorepower and it's own genset, WHY is the earth always the hull?????

Wouldn't want anyone getting electrocuted now would we?

Exactly! Don't matter a damn if it's 12 V, 24 V, 110 V, 240 V, or even 440 v 3 Phase - the damn hull should ALWAYS be the earth!

More good alloy boats been ruined by would be in they could be backyard "electrickery engineers" trying to isolate dissimilar metals from the hull to stop corrosion!

Get with the program guys - this has been beat to death before...if you all are going toadopt alloy boats and NOT learn this the hard way like we dide downunder with boats full of "help my alloy boat is ful of pinholes and blisters with white powder, what should I do?" type posts - then get this goop / spacer phurphy sorrted out right here n now for once and for good.

Whats Jayperotta of Pacific skiffs think? He makes & sels alloy boats for a living, how does Jay rig his boats?

Does he isolate everything from the hull includding the entire electronics circuit, propulsion machery etc?

Or does he equpotentially bond everything?

IMHO - they shouldcome with a warning sticker saying ALL dissimilar metals should be equipotentially binded with the hull so the sacrificial anode can do it's damn job!

Last time I'm gunna write this! & bugger the poor spelling - I got phat phingers syndrome and a keyboard so full of crap that half the keys don't work anyway! Slaty Spary indeed!

Slaty Spary = salty spray
netal = Metal
pain = painttttttt, (there that got the bastard!)
Oh yea an an oitboard is an outboard from someone from Gnu Joisey OK?

Cheers!

[cgrand]

Brad1 - 6/5/2004 12:03 PM

Would corrosion be an issue in warm Florida saltwater? Or is the aluminum such a high grade that it wouldn't be affected, provided the dis-similar metal issue didn't come in to play.

marine grade aluminum is such a high grade that absent the dis-similar metal problem and/or stray electric current, warm florida saltwater or any other saltwater has no ill effect.

trouty...well described. on the pacific boats, there is very large sacrificial zinc bolted to a welded bracket on the transom under the waterline, to protect at least for the short term from stray electric current

[Bullshipper]

I do not think you have any problems around Cleveland, but they do have a couple of problems where I live that owners work around without much effort to enjoy the other many advantages already mentioned:
Disimular metals: Warm saltly marinas give more corrision problems than found up north, so most guys not leave their hulls in the water oustide of the good fishing months, and replace their zincs more regularily- very minor problema.
Its hot here, so the metal seats can be hot to the touch- a wet towel or a cushion keeps solves this.
Trailering with stuff in the hull- make sure everything is secure and does not bounch on the floor that can work the area excesivly causing it to weaken with this bending.
Other than that, I cannot think of anything that is not a tradeoff with fiberlass.
Bobber factor: Personally, I would really like to see a cat builder make a 26-33 foot hull from aluminum so that this lighter hull would help to further improve their twin power requirements, gas milage, trailer ability, and belly slaps at trolling at low speeds. Then everyone would want Aluminum Cats, and I could more easily afford a used one.