First off, I have a 25 year old aluminum boat I bought in
Venezuela about 6 years ago. I was left
on the hard for three years so visually it was in rough condition on the exterior but
interior was nice enough.
Aluminum doesn't rust, it corrodes usually in the form of pitting. Put your hand in the bilges and rub the bottom. If it feels sandy, it probably is some
corrosion especially if is a damp area. Dampness may not come from exterior leak but
interior such as
refrigerator box drain,
anchor locker,
shower drain area etc.
These can be cleaned up but should be checked carefully.
Are you
fuel,
water and waste tank integral ie built into the hull from aluminum plate? Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of integral is that the boat is double hulled in that area. Usually there is a "coffer" dam between the two
tanks which is nothing other than empty space so that even with amazing corrosion there would be no chance of
fuel getting into the
water tanks or vice versa.
Are your
deck fittings welded or bolted on? Again both methods have advantages and disadvantages. If bolted do you have easy access to the nuts below deck through the
insulation and shell ceiling material?
Which brings up another important point, make sure the boat is well insulated whether you are planning on northern latitudes or southern, a well insulated boat is very important.
From what I read in your survey report most of the items listed seem fairly minor or at least easily repairable if if a few good swear words might be needed to accomplish the tasks
Linear Mode
Recent Discussions