On Wed, 1 Jul 2009 11:00:40 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

Aluminum boats
are good but welding them right requires more skill than most boat
companies can afford and they are difficult to repair..

We just got back from a trip to Alaska and the Pacific North West.
Boating conditions there are very rugged and there are also large
numbers of welded aluminum boats.

A friend of mine used to have a 50 ft aluminum racing sailboat and
repairs were relatively easy with the right skills and equipment. I'd
agree that not every boatyard can do it however.