Why have I heard that aluminum boats aren't made for salt water?

Question

They say aluminum boats are not for salt water. If your transom is tall enough for the waves, and you have enough power, why cant you hit the coast? Salt water erodes everything, not just aluminum, and if you clean the boat afterwards, whats the problem?

Answer 1

the answer is indeed, salt water erodes everything, and aluminum fastest of all.....now, if the boats only in the water for a few hours at a time, and then hauled out and well rinsed with fresh water, you'll be OK for a while...

as well as 'eroding' ( actually anoding, the aluminum equivalent of rusting) you have the problem of galvanic reaction in salt water...two different metals in salt water set up a current between them, and the least noble, like aluminum or zinc or tin re eaten away.....so if you put copper anti fouling paint an=on an alum boat, the copper paint eats holes in it. If you tie up next to a dock with steel in the water Say, pilings), the steel will eat it.

So yeah, you can use alum in salt water there's just extra care you have to take.

Answer 2

the answer is indeed, salt water erodes everything, and aluminum fastest of all.....now, if the boats only in the water for a few hours at a time, and then hauled out and well rinsed with fresh water, you'll be OK for a while...

as well as 'eroding' ( actually anoding, the aluminum equivalent of rusting) you have the problem of galvanic reaction in salt water...two different metals in salt water set up a current between them, and the least noble, like aluminum or zinc or tin re eaten away.....so if you put copper anti fouling paint an=on an alum boat, the copper paint eats holes in it. If you tie up next to a dock with steel in the water Say, pilings), the steel will eat it.

So yeah, you can use alum in salt water there's just extra care you have to take.

Source(s):

35 years living aboard in the Caribbean

Answer 3

I don't know who says that, because there are hundreds of thousands of little aluminum boats up and down the coast. These are little putt putts, with outboard engines, but they live in the salt water. Many fishing boats are aluminum too, and they also ply the salt water.
So whoever is telling you that aluminum boats aren't made for salt water must have something else in mind. They aren't as elegant as the fiber glass boats, but they certainly stand up as well and work as efficiently.

Answer 4

We live on Vancouver Island, where all crew boats, and any industrial boats are made from aluminum… I am fairly certain that the Pacific ocean is salt water…. They last for years, and years and years

Answer 5

I don't know why you heard it.
There are lots of aluminum boats in the seas of all the world, especially sailing boat.
It's a good material, and suffers less the corrosion than the iron and the steel. However you must pay attention to the electric wiring to avoid dispersion that could corrode the aluminum.

Answer 6

Your aluminium boat will get erode very fast! Don't do this! (like iron gets rusty when it contacts water)

Answer 7

i have had mine for twelve years futher more i bring it up on the beach and lock it up. my point is it will last a long time. and i take mine out into the surf 3 times a week in the summer and twice a month in winter.