Why aluminium

Alnmaritec specialises in the construction of workboats and structures using high grade aluminium alloy, a material which has a wide range of advantages for commercial boat applications in a number of important areas:

Design

  • No moulds are needed for aluminium hulls giving incredible flexibility in design and allowing boats to be configured to exactly match customer requirements
  • The high strength to weight ratio of aluminium allows much more scope for the design to be optimised according to specific criteria

In Build

  • Aluminium fabrication can be controlled to give uniform high quality with fully traceable materials
  • Special extrusions and lightweight panels are readily available
  • There is no lead time involved with producing moulds
  • There is no requirement to paint aluminium (other than anti-fouling)

Performance

  • Aluminium is considerably lighter than steel or GRP allowing for a higher payload and easier handling if being lifted on or off a mother ship
  • Aluminium boats require less engine power and use less fuel than comparable size boats of steel

In Service

  • Aluminium has a high resistance to impact, deforming to absorb energy rather than fracturing like GRP
  • Aluminium craft are easily repaired and have low hull maintenance
  • Aluminium has an excellent resistance to seawater and a long life
  • Marine Grade alloys using magnesium such as those used to produce Alnmaritec hull designs are very corrosion resistant. An oxide film forms on the surface of aluminium which is hard and reforms if broken giving excellent protection in the marine environment

After Service

  • Boats made of aluminium have a higher residual value than other boats
  • Aluminium is almost 100% recyclable


Obviously some craft, such as lighters, tugs and dredgers benefit from steel construction and GRP is the obvious choice in the leisure market for mass produced boats. For many working boats however, especially those which are weight critical, or which require customised designs, high payloads, robust construction and easy maintenance, aluminium scores heavily against any other material. It is most certainly already the material of choice for many operators and the material of the future in the case of many more.