Boats have been around for millennia and as the centuries turned, the materials used for making them grew in complexity. These days, aluminium is one of the most popular options for building boats and for good reason. It’s simply the most practical choice when considering all of the qualities that a boat should have, especially from reliable aluminium sheet suppliers.
Any vessel that needs to traverse over water needs to be lightweight relative to its size and function. They also need to be durable enough to actually withstand the stress placed on them by repeatedly encountering resistance.
The use of aluminium sheet products to meet the second condition might seem counterintuitive because of its supposed lack of tensile strength. However, this is simply not the case. The fabricated aluminium sheets in Perth can be strong enough for the job without adding unnecessary weight.
For more context, read on.
Aluminium as Boat Building Material
From stacking bundles of straws together, to nailing planks of wood to each other, and finally riveting plates of metal upon metal, boat building has come a long way. Even today, many of the largest vessels still use steel as the primary material for building because they need to be as durable as possible.
However, aluminium sheet suppliers have become favoured among smaller boats that don’t need to ferry tons of cargo across vast oceans or take hits from gigantic rounds.
This includes fishing boats, yachts, mini jet boats, and even more unorthodox vessels mainly used in swamps like airboats. A lot of this comes down to efficiency since the use of fuel that then translates into power is effectively reduced when using aluminium.
The material itself is currently a mainstay among builders for the hulls but in many cases, the entirety of the vessel is made up of the metal. Of course, there are exceptions such as the windshield and the electronics. Everything else, however, can be made of aluminium. This includes the propellers.
Naturally, there are other alternatives such as fibreglass that are also fairly popular. However, there are major advantages that come with using aluminium sheet products that will be discussed below.
Why Use Aluminium to Build Boats
While there are other options for building boats, there are a multitude of reasons for choosing aluminium. These will be discussed in detail further in, but the most important point to consider is its availability. Aluminium is practically everywhere, which makes it ideal for such a purpose.
To get into this a little more, note the following points:
- Lightweight – As already mentioned, aluminium is one of the lightest materials that a boat can be made out of without making too many compromises in terms of durability. This makes the boat faster, easier to handle, more fuel efficient, and less troublesome to transport.
A lighter boat can also accommodate more passengers, though, there needs to be a limit. Aluminium boats are not made to transport heavy materials that larger, steel vessels are designed to.
- Durable – Despite aluminium’s reputation due to the prevalence of soda cans and the like, the material can actually be comparable to steel in terms of durability. Granted, there are a lot of qualifiers involved such as the thickness of the layers and using clever engineering techniques. However, the point still remains.
As a result, even aluminium boats can go into challenging environments and climate conditions without too much of a problem. This isn’t to say that they can be brought everywhere. However, for less demanding requirements that pretty much all but the largest of shipping companies or military organisations can get into, aluminium boats would more than suffice.
- Affordable – Due to the widespread availability of aluminium and advancements in material processing, as a whole, aluminium is an incredibly affordable material. The costs are effectively reduced by choosing the metal to build boats on top of its other benefits.
This isn’t to say that using aluminium automatically makes boat building cheap. High-quality, durable, and long-lasting materials do fall under higher price ranges due to the simple fact that they went through more rigorous testing. The affordable price of fabricated aluminium sheets in Perth are simply advantageous relative to the alternatives.
- Versatile – It goes without saying, but a boat needs to be able to stay in one piece regardless of where it is used. Fortunately, aluminium is a versatile material that can adapt pretty much anywhere. Regardless of the weather, climate, body of water, or the nature of the boat’s functionality, the material will perform as expected.
The same goes for any boating equipment that is brought along, which is also made of aluminium. The fact that they come with high resistance to corrosion and rust can be a godsend around bodies of water. Speaking of which;
- Corrosion resistant – Corrosion is the bane of most types of metal that are used in major industries. In terms of boat building, the concern becomes doubly severe due to its exposure to corrosive environmental factors. Salt water, for example, is a major problem, especially without taking the right protective measures.
Fortunately, there are treatment methods that make such concerns less of a problem. Using aluminium effectively multiplies the amount of resistance that boats can pose regarding corrosive elements.
- Highly customisable – Last but not least, fabricated aluminium sheets in Perth are so easy to work with, you could design the most bizarre boat in existence and it will likely still suit your needs. The material is also quite forgiving, so corrective measures when errors occur are less of a problem compared to something like fibreglass.
This is an important consideration for boat builders because mistakes can lead to delays. If not caught early, they can lead to disasters, which would not be good for everyone. Best of all, customers can make all kinds of weird requests for their boats and builders can still achieve them.
