Boat Purchase Dream Fulfilled

[Geoduck]

Wow! I'm jealous!
Although.............I advise you to seriously learn all you can about electrolosis/galvanic corosion and deal with it accordingly.
I know what I,m talking about. I made my living building aluminum fishing boats for the AK salmon fleet for several years and I.ve seen some horror stories out there when guys didn't look after things!
If properly maintained, an aluminum hull will last longer than you will for sure.
If not.............well, you'd better have some DEEP pockets!
Good luck! Have fun! Fair winds! etc.,etc.,
I sail on an all teak, copper riveted, 70 year old ketch. I love my boat but I'm still jealous!!
Adios Amigo!

[Jaden44]

Spelling: Aluminum - U.S. spelling
but spelt "Aluminium" in Australia.

Hello Geoduck, Your complementary comments are most appreciated. However I feel the need to respond. Your suggestion that I should familiarize myself with electrolysis and galvanic corrosion are obviously well intended however may influence other readers to not to consider the purchase of a boat built of aluminum (U.S. spelling) so I feel the need to defend aluminum as being a most acceptable boat construction material.

Firstly I've probably heard many of the same negative stories about aluminium boats. The facts are that unfortunately there is no perfect boat building material and all boats be they made of steel, timber, f/glass, concrete or composite materials have their negatives.

Yacht construction costs are directly related to the cost of materials and the construction man hours involved. It's also no secret that glass/plastic boats can be mass produced for a fraction of the cost to construct an aluminium boat so we tend to see more of low cost boats in the marina vs. high cost aluminum yachts. Nevertheless when budget limitations are not a concern, aluminum remains the construction material of choice for many of the modern super yachts and of course naval ships.

The French and Dutch boat builders have a long history of constructing quality yachts and commercial vessels in aluminium. My boat was built by a reputable Dutch shipyard specializing in Government contracts. Their core business is the construction of aluminum off-shore rescue craft, pilot boats and Government agency boats all being constructed to a standard to withstand the demands of off-shore operations in the the North Sea. All welding was done by coded welders.

Galvanic corrosion is a technical issue far too complex for me to debate here however there are a number of excellent Web sites that discuss the problem and risk minimization in detail.

I agree that electrolysis/galvanic corrosion can be a potential problem (if not factored into the design). The reason for the existence of galvanic corrosion can often be traced back to the installation of a non-conforming and/or poorly designed electrical system. If the boat has been designed by knowledgeable naval architect and the electrical system installed by a shipyard specializing in the construction of aluminium then the risks of galvanic corrosion can be practically eliminated during the design/construction phase.

The electrical system on my boat has been designed to incorporate a very large Victron Energy isolation transformer (made in Netherlands), Victron Energy Inverter, and a 230vAC generator. My personal risk minimization measure is to not connect to any marina shore power although the boat is wired to provide the opportunity to hook-up if so desired. I use my six house batteries for 12vDC requirements and a Victron Energy inverter for 240vAC requirements. When the house batteries require charging, I use the generator.

It is an expensive system designed to all but eliminate the risk of galvanic corrosion problem which can occur when an aluminium boat is connected to marina shore power, and moored in close proximity to other boats that are connected to the same shore power supply.

After considering the benefits and negatives of all the yacht construction materials available, the negatives of owning an aluminium boat are now of minimal concern to me. I'm very comfortable in the knowledge that I have a very strong seaworthy boat that has been built to sail in demanding winter conditions at very high latitudes.

[carlheintz]

A race horse instead of a sailboat? No way. Horsing around is not that fun. At least with a sailboat YOU get to have fun. With a race horse, you just spend money.

Congrats on the beautiful boat!

Carl