I have built aluminum, steel, wood, concrete and fiberglass boats.
Invariably the cost of construction of a hull is about the same in all of
these materials. Where one method has advantages there are always some
disadvantages. They typically balence at construction time. There are other
factors other than maintenance that will also influence your decision.
However, whatever you use, be absolutely certain that the design you choose
is optimized for that material. Never build a steel design in plastic or a
wood design in steel. Spend your money with an architect up front. It will
go along way to guarantee a successful project in the end.
Steve

"R Whellum" wrote in message
...
glass fibre absorbs water which reacts with some chemicals that can result
in blisters, timber swells with water absorbtion .. can rot... be attacked
by worms, steel rusts and aluminium can corrode quickly, ferro cement ...
porous..corrosion prone....
So what is best to use?
It would seem that no material - even steel or aluminium is pure and so
can have problems, so it all comes down to cost of ownership over
time.....but no method guarantees the hull will be in good condition when
you want to sell in 5 - 10 years time. So is the best solution to hire ?