Aluminium vs Steel Mono for Living Aboard

[Hiracer]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

In steel the costs are less, but the maintenence is higher and the resale price much lower.

If the maintenance has been solid, this is why many of us buy steel. The second owner gets a real bargain.

The other thing about steel is that it broadcasts its problems. Aluminum doesn't.

And finally, trying to keep the paint job on aluminum looking good is probably harder than steel because paint doesn't like aluminum. That's why many aluminum boats are not painted.

[neelie]

Great Web site. Gord.. how on earth do you keep coming up with them?

[gouralnik]

hello everyone,
of all sorry for late reply - had a 17 hour working day today. pretty exhausted. thank you very much for all the input and all references. this website is absolutely amazing - so much knowledge. to give answers to a few "topics": regarding paint - i absolutely don't care whether it's painted or not and i would never paint aluminium in first place. function first. i also had the idea to directly approach designers (examples: de stadt, djikstra, kanter, waterline etc.) and ask them for good builders, but i guess i'm a bit shy to directly ask them . don't you think they will charge me a fortune for even the slightest advice and just laugh at my question? and yes, it is absolutely true to think deeper about the chances of hitting something so hard that would crush alloy to pieces - i'm not denying the fact that it might happen, but cost - benefit trade-off...hmm. as for my cruising ideas i would start slowly in and around australia (love oz so much) and then work on my skills and see how we go. when you were talking about possible dangers leaving an alloy boat unattended in a marina for a "longer" time period. what do you consider "long(er)" - i'm asking this question, due to the following reason: my partner and i would primarily work in "civilized" marinas in cities as my partner is a journalist and i'm a prof. tennis teacher + translator + could do various jobs in say: hotels (a lot of them require tennis coaches for seasons). so we would stay in a marina for a few months, work our arses off, save up and then move on, cruising, then stop again, work etc. always moving with the seasons. i am very happy that we have a general conversation about alloy-steel etc. and i'm following it with great interest. i apologise for any grammar/spelling errors - english is not my native language. have a good day everyone.
ps: i'm just reading tristan jones's "the incredible voyage" and this book is absolutely mind blowing.

[neelie]

Graham Radford is in Sydney, Australia. I'm sure you can call him for a chat.

[Cheechako]

Oh heck.... just go for titanium and be done wit it!

[Leisureboats]

If was upto me I would use steel for a live aboard option as they have a greater stabilty and I find them to be easier to maintain long term.

But there is so many other factors such as performance if that is something you desire.

[chala]

Originally Posted by gouralnik

5. Is it a good idea to obtain design plans first and then go looking for a builder?

I think it is preferable to find a true professional builder with a reputable design that suits you if you can find one. Most of them have died with the event of plastic.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by gouralnik

ps: i'm just reading tristan jones's "the incredible voyage" and this book is absolutely mind blowing.

I'd take the late Mr. Jones with a grain of sea salt, but as to the "longer" question...that depends. It is possible to galvanically isolate an aluminum boat even in water through which faulty electrical lines are feeding, but it isn't easy or cheap to do.

I recommend, as I have before, this book to get the big picture on why metal boats fail and how to prevent it.

Amazon.com: Metal Corrosion in Boats: The Prevention of Metal Corrosion in Hulls, Engines, Rigging and Fittings (9781574092370): Nigel Warren: Books

Then you can make an informed decision. Frankly, one of the best boat materials ever is copper-nickel alloy, because it's to some degree "inherently anti fouling", but few people have heard of it and fewer have built boats. This underlines for me the inherent conservatism of yacht design.

Copper.org: Copper Nickel : Asperida 70-30 boat hull

As the article states, it is often the case that the construction materials alone do not determine the longevity or durability of the boat, but the professionalism and care with which the boat has been constructed, particularly in the welding.

Which is something to consider. We've seen in yacht racing the consequences of promising materials with perhaps too many shortcuts (or a lack of experience) with those same materials.