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There are 4 major costs involved in building an aluminum boat from design to construction: design, cutting, shipping, and building. As the saying goes “time is money” and the ability to work efficiently in each step of the build process will save you money and make the boat building experience a more enjoyable process.

Ever since the earliest human ancestors wanted to cross water, people have been designing watercraft for the purpose of...well, not sinking to the bottom of the ocean. What started with logs developed into carved dugouts, and then into plank-on-frame construction. In today’s modern world of aluminum boat design, there’s a hull shape for nearly every application on the water one can think of.

Ultimately, choosing the right aluminum boat design to fabricate and turn into your boat depends on how the boat will be used.

All aluminum alloys are not created equal. 5052. T6-6061. What the heck do these numbers and letters mean? And more importantly, which one should I choose for my boat project? Like most questions related to materials, the answer of course is “Well, it depends on your application.” To understand which is the appropriate aluminum to choose, it’s important to know a little bit about aluminum, its various alloys, and their properties.

Boating in any conditions can be hazardous, but the waters in this neck of the woods are much less forgiving than the small lakes I grew up on back in the Midwest. Harsh, rocky shorelines. Daily tide swings of 8 feet or more. Currents that rip at more than 6 knots between jagged seashores. Water temperatures that rarely get about 55 degrees.

We all know that time is money. Some would argue this statement is the most visible in marine manufacturing, where every second of production translates directly to the bottom line. Add to that the stress of a customer who needed a boat last week, and you suddenly find yourself and your crew putting in overtime.

Aluminum boats are a versatile choice because they serve a wide variety of people. People from fishermen to law enforcement use these types of boats for fun and professional activities, making aluminum boats a very lucrative niche to enter.