As any experienced boat enthusiast knows, most boats are made from fiberglass or fiberglass reinforced plastic GRP or even wood if it’s an older boat. Having owned many boats, I have settled on the opinion that, for a variety of reasons, aluminum boats are my preference. I have owned an aluminum sailboat for some time now and have experienced the benefits that aluminum alloy brings to sailing.

First, aluminum alloy offers greater strength for its weight than typical boat building materials, resulting in lighter, stronger boats that offer more economical sailing and higher cruising and top speeds. Aluminum is also easy to work with and can be easily formed into complicated shapes, the style of aluminum boats improves year after year as manufacturers improve their specific alloy designs. The added strength offered by alloy boats means that a power boat transom can handle a heavier outboard compared to its GRP or wood counterparts. The alloy sailing yacht can handle the loads associated with a larger, more powerful rig.

Lifespan alloy boats generally require little maintenance and particularly when painted with a durable marine paint in a heat-cured paint booth. FRP boats can suffer from osmosis, which is water seeping into the hull material, eventually causing blistering, which is remedied with an expensive peeling and epoxy treatment process. Alloy canisters do not suffer from osmosis and when the correct grade of aluminum alloy is used in the construction, the canisters are virtually corrosion free.

Impact damage, accidents happen, the alloy is cheap and relatively easy to repair and can be solidly repaired before more permanent repairs can be made. Aluminum welding equipment can be carried on board a larger yacht or for smaller vessels, the advantage is that the technology required is common. In addition, aluminum alloy has a greater tendency to dent or wrinkle on impact, rather than crack or splinter in the case of GRP or wood, a significant advantage for a sea vessel.

Another advantage of the alloy is that it is virtually impervious to the effects of UV degradation when exposed to thousands of hours of sunlight over many years. This can really deteriorate the condition of wooden or GRP boats, comparatively alloy boats are not affected. Aluminum can also be painted to offer a glorious color scheme on your boat or simply polished and lacquered, allowing for the stunning look of an alloy metal boat.