Question:
I have been looking at an aluminum sailing boat for sale. Does anyone have any
experience with yachts constructed of aluminum? What are some of the
maintenance issues related to aluminum boats?
Answer:
-I think aluminum is one of the better materials with which to
build a boat. It is light and durable and requires almost no
upkeep provided the correct alloy is used. Bottom paint is a
problem since they outlawed Tributyltin bottom paints but you
can still get it on the black market because the Navy
continues to use it for their ships because it is ever so much
more effective than copper based paints. Aluminum never
suffers from the dreaded pox. Sweating is a problem so look
for a layer of insulation on the inside of the hull.
I constantly marvel at aluminum's durability. I have been
throwing all my aluminum beer cans overboard for the past
several years and some of them in the donut shaped pile that
surrounds my mooring are over seven years old and still look
good as new. And you all know how thin aluminum beer cans
are!
Better than aluminum is titanium. At the Miami boat show
about ten years ago, I checked out a sailboat an individual
was selling. He had made it himself out of titanium. The
price was way too high for my pocketbook, however.
