On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:08:29 +0000, Peter Wiley
wrote:



Notwithstanding, I like aluminium for boats myself and if I ever get
the urge, would weigh carefully the first cost vs maintenance issues
WRT steel and aluminium.

If I recall, Ted Brewer wrote an article on this very subject (and he
should know). Overall, he saw it as about a 50/50 situation as
regarding ease of building (easier with Al, but trickier to weld),
strength vs. weight, cost of materials, corrosion and electrolysis,
etc.

If you go into it understanding the materials fully, it's pretty
straightforward. One point, however, to note is that while the vast
majority of under 60 foot/under 19 metre yachts are built in various
types of fibreglass, the majority of high-latitude boats are in metal,
and a strong minority of passagemakers are also in metal.

The Europeans and the South Africans make some lovely...and
fast...boats in steel and aluminum, and they are not as widely
appreciated in North America as is GRP, etc. But if it was good enough
for Moitessier...

R.