The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site
Aluminum Boats
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Articles in this topic:
- Real World Impact Test
- One Tough Old Aluminum Boat
- It’s Painting Time Again
- About Fig Leaves And Installing Seacocks
- Q&A: Grounding The Engine On An Aluminum Boat
- Another Reason We Have An Aluminum Boat
- France: The Source For Aluminum Sailboats
- Q&A: Limited Production Run Of Aluminum Expedition Sailboats
- Tips For Using Zinc-Based E-Paint Antifouling
- Q&A: Issues With Teak Deck Replacement On A Metal Boat
- Q&A: How Did You Install Treadmaster On Your Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: What Do You Think About Spray Foam Insulation For A New Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: What Problems Do You Have With Painting Aluminum?
- Q&A: What Should I Paint On My New Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: Is An Aluminum Catamaran Suitable For The High Latitudes?
- Q&A: Should I Use Coppercoat Antifouling Paint On An Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: Should I Apply Antifouling Paint To An Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: Can We Install A Bronze Transducer In Our Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: Can I Use Bronze Sea Cocks In An Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: Why Is Morgan’s Cloud’s Hull Painted?
- Q&A: What Should I Look For When Buying An Older Aluminum Boat?
- Q&A: How Do We Get Treadmaster To Stick To Aluminum?
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Real World Impact Test
31 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFree
Read more: Real World Impact TestWe have written a lot about hull construction materials and impact resistance. In this post I relate a true story about when construction strength and impact resistance were dramatically tested right before my eyes.
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One Tough Old Aluminum Boat
94 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFree
Read more: One Tough Old Aluminum BoatIt is amazing how often people look surprised, and even mildly alarmed, when I tell them that we own an aluminum boat. The next tentative question(s) is almost always about electrolysis and the general longevity of the material.
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It’s Painting Time Again
56 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFree
Read more: It’s Painting Time AgainAs the old saying goes, you pay for your pleasures, and that’s certainly true when it comes round to the annual re-fit. The many little jobs that were just too awkward afloat, added to the big ones like antifouling, can all back up and lead to a formidable worklist.
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About Fig Leaves And Installing Seacocks
35 CommentsReading Time: 4 minutesFree
Read more: About Fig Leaves And Installing SeacocksInstalling a seacock properly is not a trivial project and that is especially true on an aluminum boat. John takes you through the process of installing a new seacock on Morgan’s Cloud.
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Q&A: Grounding The Engine On An Aluminum Boat
17 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree
Read more: Q&A: Grounding The Engine On An Aluminum BoatQuestion: I was wondering if you think the engine should be grounded to the hull or not [on an aluminum boat].
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Another Reason We Have An Aluminum Boat
0 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFree
Read more: Another Reason We Have An Aluminum BoatWe were out walking on the foreshore here in Nova Scotia a few days ago and came across this remnant of what I’m guessing was a commercial wharf. Clearly it had been in the water for quite a while before it fetched up here in a winter blow.
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France: The Source For Aluminum Sailboats
5 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFree
Read more: France: The Source For Aluminum SailboatsThe summer of 2009 was a good one in Scotland, at least compared with the rest of the UK and Ireland. But as is generally the case, once the weather breaks, that’s it, the summer is over, and it’s time to make tracks.
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Q&A: Limited Production Run Of Aluminum Expedition Sailboats
4 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFreeRead more: Q&A: Limited Production Run Of Aluminum Expedition SailboatsQuestion: I have this notion of building a modern expedition (aluminum) fast cruiser that would include many of your ideas/opinions, not necessarily because they are your opinions but because you and I have reached many of the same conclusions. In considering a project, the thought has become, not to build ONE, but to build a […]
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Tips For Using Zinc-Based E-Paint Antifouling
10 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree
Read more: Tips For Using Zinc-Based E-Paint AntifoulingWe have been using various formulas of zinc-based antifouling paint (copper is out for Morgan’s Cloud since she is aluminum) from E-Paint for 12 years with varying results. For the last three years we have been using their ablative ZO product with generally good results.
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Q&A: Issues With Teak Deck Replacement On A Metal Boat
8 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFree
Read more: Q&A: Issues With Teak Deck Replacement On A Metal BoatQuestion: We are hoping to draw on your experience with teak deck replacement on our steel sailboat…Despite our initial plan of just stemming the leaks for the short term until we sailed somewhere fun, they are just too bad and the deck has to go next spring/summer. While going through the process of finding someone […]
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Q&A: How Did You Install Treadmaster On Your Aluminum Boat?
2 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: How Did You Install Treadmaster On Your Aluminum Boat?Question: When you were installing your Treadmaster, did you grind back to clean metal and glue it down, or did you, as I was advised, paint with epoxy first?
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Q&A: What Do You Think About Spray Foam Insulation For A New Aluminum Boat?
23 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: What Do You Think About Spray Foam Insulation For A New Aluminum Boat?Question: We are planning to insulate the interior of our new aluminum boat with spray foam, any comments? Is your hull foamed? Was it primed with paint before or sprayed directly onto the metal?
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Q&A: What Problems Do You Have With Painting Aluminum?
0 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: What Problems Do You Have With Painting Aluminum?Question: Where do your main problems with the paint on Morgan’s Cloud lie: with the paint becoming chipped from wear and tear, or from inadequate preparation, or from salt water working under the paint edge?
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Q&A: What Should I Paint On My New Aluminum Boat?
17 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: What Should I Paint On My New Aluminum Boat?Question: You say you would not paint aluminum. Ok, it is hideously expensive (I have been quoted £10,000 just for materials), it is difficult to key, and we have been advised to sand blast and paint the same day (tricky!). So, if you were to start all over again with a newly built boat, what […]
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Q&A: Is An Aluminum Catamaran Suitable For The High Latitudes?
1 CommentReading Time: 2 minutesFreeRead more: Q&A: Is An Aluminum Catamaran Suitable For The High Latitudes?Question: I would like to do some cruising in the high latitudes and am in the process of planning a boat to take me there. You and others, like Jimmy Cornell, are very partial to alloy boats and I agree it seems to be the way to go. But I also like catamarans. I can […]
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Q&A: Should I Use Coppercoat Antifouling Paint On An Aluminum Boat?
0 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFreeRead more: Q&A: Should I Use Coppercoat Antifouling Paint On An Aluminum Boat?Question: We are considering applying Coppercoat to our aluminum boat and would be interested in your thoughts. I have attached some correspondence that I had with the makers of Coppercoat that may help:
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Q&A: Should I Apply Antifouling Paint To An Aluminum Boat?
8 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: Should I Apply Antifouling Paint To An Aluminum Boat?Question: I’m thinking of leaving the bottom of my aluminum boat unpainted since I’m afraid of electrolysis caused, or at least made worse, by antifouling paint, particularly if the bottom is scratched. The boat is in fresh water, so she will not foul much.
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Q&A: Can We Install A Bronze Transducer In Our Aluminum Boat?
8 CommentsReading Time: 3 minutesFreeRead more: Q&A: Can We Install A Bronze Transducer In Our Aluminum Boat?Question: We want to replace the current inoperable depth sounder on our aluminum boat with a forward looking type (EchoPilot or Interphase), but we have run into the dilemma that the transducers suitable for our hull have bronze stems.We have been advised that bronze stems can be installed in aluminum hulls if the stem is […]
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Q&A: Can I Use Bronze Sea Cocks In An Aluminum Boat?
2 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: Can I Use Bronze Sea Cocks In An Aluminum Boat?Question: Do you have bronze sea cocks in your aluminum hull and if so what level of corrosive activity have you seen?
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Q&A: Why Is Morgan’s Cloud’s Hull Painted?
1 CommentReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: Why Is Morgan’s Cloud’s Hull Painted?Question: You call painting an aluminum hull a mug’s game yet you painted your hull?
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Q&A: What Should I Look For When Buying An Older Aluminum Boat?
14 CommentsReading Time: 2 minutesFreeRead more: Q&A: What Should I Look For When Buying An Older Aluminum Boat?Question: What advice and cautions would you have regarding buying older aluminum boats? I have been told to pay particular attention to the area under the heads and engine and around the through-hulls. Is there anything else you might be wary about in an older aluminum boat?
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Q&A: How Do We Get Treadmaster To Stick To Aluminum?
7 CommentsReading Time: < 1 minuteFreeRead more: Q&A: How Do We Get Treadmaster To Stick To Aluminum?Question: We are having trouble getting our Treadmaster deck covering to stay stuck to our bare aluminum deck. What can you tell me about getting epoxy to stick to aluminum reliably?
