Hello there, I have a question for you. I am doing research on 32-36 boat designs. Fiberglass is a material of choice. But I would like to try to special order hull made of aluminum. The reason – I would like to go off shore a lot, so I would like boat to be impact resistant and easy to repair. Also weight is an issue. So all your thoughts on this are welcome. Reason why I am asking for an advice is that I do not see too many 32-36 boats made of aluminum. Price in this case is not really an issue. And I am not talking about ugly hull. I found a ship yard where they can build a hull of almost any shape. I kind of like this idea, so your con’s for using aluminum for a boats of this size would be very welcome. Thank you, Victor
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Dude....you're in the wrong forum....
...Most of us in this group are production fiberglass coastal sailors on a budget. I suggest you start with a google.com search for "aluminum sailing yachts"
...Most of us in this group are production fiberglass coastal sailors on a budget. I suggest you start with a google.com search for "aluminum sailing yachts"
Aluminum
Try: http://www.metalboatsociety.com/ Welcome to the Metal Boat Society Aluminum is a medium seldom used by amateurs but is the material chosen for the construction of top quality professionally built custom yachts, particularly in the larger sizes when investment plays a large part in the decision. It is a material for which it is more important than most that the builder knows what he is doing or the product can be a disaster. Of vital importance is the care which must be taken to ensure that there are no metals more noble than aluminum in electrical contact with the hull, particularly below the waterline. In addition, there are many different aluminum alloys, each with it's own properties and each more or less noble than the next. The correct choice of alloy or combination of alloys must be made or galvanic action will occur between two dissimilar alloys. Welding alloys must also be chosen to be compatible with the two alloys which they are joining. Special aluminum alloys have long since been developed to cope with the corrosive marine atmosphere, with such success that many yachts are left unpainted above the boot stripe. Below waterline they must be painted for anti-fouling reasons but also to form a plastic protective shield to eliminate galvanic action. Mercury based anti-foulings must never be used as they will be cathodic to the aluminum which will be eroded. Copper based anti-foulings should not be used for the same reason except with extreme caution over multiple layers of barrier coat to separate the aluminum from the copper and with routine checking for breakdown of the paint system and consequent galvanic action. The inside surfaces of the hull, particularly below waterline, should also not be left unpainted. A good paint system will give protection from the dangers of lost coins, tools, etc finding their way into the bilge water and setting up a galvanic cell to eat away the hull. Aluminium is much softer than steel so it is more easily formed and can even be worked with woodworking machinery. On the negative side, it must be welded by one or other of the shielded gas welding processes and can, therefore, not be welded out of doors, unless under the protection of an efficient mobile enclosure. Any draft which passes over the weld area during welding will blow away the shielding gas and cause welding problems. Weld area preparation and cleanliness are also very important as even the smallest amount of contamination from sweaty hands or dirty gloves can cause entrapment of impurities in the weld with consequent weld cracking. In general, good welding practice is of far greater importance with aluminum than it is with steel. Aluminum repair facilities are scarce in most parts of the world which are attractive for cruising. Because aluminum is easily cut and drilled by hand, it is better to be prepared for temporary repairs by screwing or bolting aluminum or timber patches over the damage (as for a timber hull) rather than to expect to do a welded repair. The cost per kg of aluminum is far higher than that of steel but the weight of material used in an aluminum boat is far lower than that for the equivalent steel boat. The lighter weight of aluminum allows the use of less and lighter handling equipment and it's easier working, particularly with cutting, fitting and filing, can give labour savings. The net result is that, in the smaller sizes, aluminum construction is considerably more costly than for steel. However, as the size of the boat increases so the percentage difference decreases, with aluminum being little more costly in sizes over about 18m. For the home builder, aluminum is a quiet and odourless material which will produce a minimum of annoyance for neighbours. Grinders must not be used on aluminum and sandblasting is not required so the worst factors against building in steel are missing when working with aluminum.
Try: http://www.metalboatsociety.com/ Welcome to the Metal Boat Society Aluminum is a medium seldom used by amateurs but is the material chosen for the construction of top quality professionally built custom yachts, particularly in the larger sizes when investment plays a large part in the decision. It is a material for which it is more important than most that the builder knows what he is doing or the product can be a disaster. Of vital importance is the care which must be taken to ensure that there are no metals more noble than aluminum in electrical contact with the hull, particularly below the waterline. In addition, there are many different aluminum alloys, each with it's own properties and each more or less noble than the next. The correct choice of alloy or combination of alloys must be made or galvanic action will occur between two dissimilar alloys. Welding alloys must also be chosen to be compatible with the two alloys which they are joining. Special aluminum alloys have long since been developed to cope with the corrosive marine atmosphere, with such success that many yachts are left unpainted above the boot stripe. Below waterline they must be painted for anti-fouling reasons but also to form a plastic protective shield to eliminate galvanic action. Mercury based anti-foulings must never be used as they will be cathodic to the aluminum which will be eroded. Copper based anti-foulings should not be used for the same reason except with extreme caution over multiple layers of barrier coat to separate the aluminum from the copper and with routine checking for breakdown of the paint system and consequent galvanic action. The inside surfaces of the hull, particularly below waterline, should also not be left unpainted. A good paint system will give protection from the dangers of lost coins, tools, etc finding their way into the bilge water and setting up a galvanic cell to eat away the hull. Aluminium is much softer than steel so it is more easily formed and can even be worked with woodworking machinery. On the negative side, it must be welded by one or other of the shielded gas welding processes and can, therefore, not be welded out of doors, unless under the protection of an efficient mobile enclosure. Any draft which passes over the weld area during welding will blow away the shielding gas and cause welding problems. Weld area preparation and cleanliness are also very important as even the smallest amount of contamination from sweaty hands or dirty gloves can cause entrapment of impurities in the weld with consequent weld cracking. In general, good welding practice is of far greater importance with aluminum than it is with steel. Aluminum repair facilities are scarce in most parts of the world which are attractive for cruising. Because aluminum is easily cut and drilled by hand, it is better to be prepared for temporary repairs by screwing or bolting aluminum or timber patches over the damage (as for a timber hull) rather than to expect to do a welded repair. The cost per kg of aluminum is far higher than that of steel but the weight of material used in an aluminum boat is far lower than that for the equivalent steel boat. The lighter weight of aluminum allows the use of less and lighter handling equipment and it's easier working, particularly with cutting, fitting and filing, can give labour savings. The net result is that, in the smaller sizes, aluminum construction is considerably more costly than for steel. However, as the size of the boat increases so the percentage difference decreases, with aluminum being little more costly in sizes over about 18m. For the home builder, aluminum is a quiet and odourless material which will produce a minimum of annoyance for neighbours. Grinders must not be used on aluminum and sandblasting is not required so the worst factors against building in steel are missing when working with aluminum.
I am far from an authority, but
I have heard lots of feedback on aluminum hulls. The only manufacturer I know of those size hulls (there are probably lots more) is Striker Marine, in Ft. Lauderdale: Contact Information: Striker Yacht Corp. 1535 SE 17th St, Suite 117-B Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954)523-8600 Fax: (954)523-8609 Email Now, an aluminum hull has less soundproofing, therefore when you are in motion under power, you will have more noise transmitted through the hull. There is also less insulation (fiberglass is a natural insulator against temperature) so you will have a colder cabin in colder waters. I am not sure how easy aluminum is to repair, having had no experience with it. I know to solder aluminum takes some special stuff, but mostly I believe the hulls are rivetted or are one-piece. Fiberglass, in my opinion is more pliable and easier to work with in the long run. The people that I have known that have had aluminum boats HAVE been happy with them, so long as they remembered to maintain their seams. Striker builds a really nice looking sport fisherman, so aluminum boats CAN be beautiful! Steve
I have heard lots of feedback on aluminum hulls. The only manufacturer I know of those size hulls (there are probably lots more) is Striker Marine, in Ft. Lauderdale: Contact Information: Striker Yacht Corp. 1535 SE 17th St, Suite 117-B Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954)523-8600 Fax: (954)523-8609 Email Now, an aluminum hull has less soundproofing, therefore when you are in motion under power, you will have more noise transmitted through the hull. There is also less insulation (fiberglass is a natural insulator against temperature) so you will have a colder cabin in colder waters. I am not sure how easy aluminum is to repair, having had no experience with it. I know to solder aluminum takes some special stuff, but mostly I believe the hulls are rivetted or are one-piece. Fiberglass, in my opinion is more pliable and easier to work with in the long run. The people that I have known that have had aluminum boats HAVE been happy with them, so long as they remembered to maintain their seams. Striker builds a really nice looking sport fisherman, so aluminum boats CAN be beautiful! Steve
Recommend Checking Skippers Physical Capabilities
Victor - before ordering a boat to go blue-water cruising it would be a good idea to actually sail something the size you are thinking of in those conditions. A cheap way to do that is to volunteer to crew on someone’s boat. Everybody’s physical makeup is different and some people can handle a certain motion while others cannot. The problem with a small and lightweight boat is there will be a lot of jerkiness in the motion which will cause a person to become seasick more easily. Case in point: A friend of mine sailed a 32-foot full-keel blue water boat from Seattle and down the coast to Mexico then off to the south pacific. They cut their pacific cruise short because of the sea motion of their boat and returned via Hawaii and bought a 41 footer cutaway keel, fixed her up and are off again. They said they got "beat-up" in their smaller boat, were more tired than they wanted, etc. Now while their threshold for comfort may be higher than yours it would be good to find out what your body can comfortably withstand. As a rule a heavier displacement boat will be more easy going than a light weight boat so try to crew on a boat like what you want to end up with. Experience on similar boat to what you want will either validate your ideas or change them. Either way it should save time in your design specification process and result in improvements to design requirements thereby giving you a better boat. Really light displacement boats don't have a good reputation for comfort as cruising boats and people that have raced the 2,200 miles to Hawaii know that those on the heavier boats tend to recover quicker after making landfall. One longtime sailor told me that it works out the same: the fast boat gets there sooner but the crew takes a couple days recovering and the slower and heavier boats arrive and the crew walks off the boat and into town and both crews get to town about the same time (or words to that effect). For a cruising boat fiberglass has a lot going for it and I wouldn't rule it out. Also, the stuff you load on the boat will really weigh it down - guarenteed. Have fun in your research.
Victor - before ordering a boat to go blue-water cruising it would be a good idea to actually sail something the size you are thinking of in those conditions. A cheap way to do that is to volunteer to crew on someone’s boat. Everybody’s physical makeup is different and some people can handle a certain motion while others cannot. The problem with a small and lightweight boat is there will be a lot of jerkiness in the motion which will cause a person to become seasick more easily. Case in point: A friend of mine sailed a 32-foot full-keel blue water boat from Seattle and down the coast to Mexico then off to the south pacific. They cut their pacific cruise short because of the sea motion of their boat and returned via Hawaii and bought a 41 footer cutaway keel, fixed her up and are off again. They said they got "beat-up" in their smaller boat, were more tired than they wanted, etc. Now while their threshold for comfort may be higher than yours it would be good to find out what your body can comfortably withstand. As a rule a heavier displacement boat will be more easy going than a light weight boat so try to crew on a boat like what you want to end up with. Experience on similar boat to what you want will either validate your ideas or change them. Either way it should save time in your design specification process and result in improvements to design requirements thereby giving you a better boat. Really light displacement boats don't have a good reputation for comfort as cruising boats and people that have raced the 2,200 miles to Hawaii know that those on the heavier boats tend to recover quicker after making landfall. One longtime sailor told me that it works out the same: the fast boat gets there sooner but the crew takes a couple days recovering and the slower and heavier boats arrive and the crew walks off the boat and into town and both crews get to town about the same time (or words to that effect). For a cruising boat fiberglass has a lot going for it and I wouldn't rule it out. Also, the stuff you load on the boat will really weigh it down - guarenteed. Have fun in your research.
Sail Article
The latest Sail magazine has an excellent (first of two series) on metal boats - a must read for you, I guess. David Lady Lillie
The latest Sail magazine has an excellent (first of two series) on metal boats - a must read for you, I guess. David Lady Lillie
Sources for aluminum yachts
Kanter yachts has a website and builds a very nice aluminum boat. I have seen one in charleston and it was beautifull. I was mate on an aluminum boat and the biggest issue is watching your metals. Alubat is a french builder (they also have a website) who will build you a hull or finish the job whatever you want. Good Luck.
Kanter yachts has a website and builds a very nice aluminum boat. I have seen one in charleston and it was beautifull. I was mate on an aluminum boat and the biggest issue is watching your metals. Alubat is a french builder (they also have a website) who will build you a hull or finish the job whatever you want. Good Luck.
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