Marine Classics
Marine Classics
Boat Designers
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Aluminium Boats

Aluminum boats are made in one of two ways. Small dinghies are stamped out in presses and glued or fastened with rivets; and larger craft with thicker hulls are cut from plates of aluminium which are then shaped and welded.

Quite a large proportion of new boats are now being made in aluminum. The majority fall into one of three major categories; small dinghies, workboats and custom boats.

The advantages  of aluminium dinghies are light weight, damage resistance and low cost. For both dinghies and workboats which can lead hard lives, damage resistance is a big bonus. Collisions scrapes and bangs that could sink a fibreglass boat may only dent an aluminium one. The dent may be ignored if small or bashed out with a hammer.
 Custom or limited production working craft are often made in aluminium. Particularly if they are designed to be fast, because of the relative lightness of the material combined with it's ruggedness. Examples are patrol boats, fast fishing boats and most fast ferries.

Large yachts are also frequently made in aluminium, because above about 100ft/30m it is rarely economically viable to invest in the mould needed to build them in fibreglass.

The major drawback of aluminium boats is that they can be vulnerable to corrosion, so the maintenance schedule needs to keep on top of this.