Aluminium trailer-boat or a fibreglass trailer-boat up to 7 meters,what are the key differences & which is a better boat to own?

Here are some of the major differences as I've seen them from my experience with both types of boats.

Generally,fibreglass boats are sleeker & more curvy & can be made in a variety of smooth seamless finishes with complex curves & the colour impregnated into the gel-coat or fibreglass but aluminium can only be shaped or bent so far & generally is limited to variations of plate or flat or pressed & rolled finishes which can be painted.

An aluminium boat is much lighter than a fibreglass boat of equivalent size & so aluminium boats require less horse-power to push it through the water so you get fuel savings as well as not having to have a much larger engine to buy or run.

Alloy boats are also lighter to tow than a fibreglass boat so you probably won't need a big 4WD or light truck as a tow vehicle.

Aluminium boats generally have a flatter deadrise or bottom than the deep V of a fibreglass boat which makes the alloy boat stable at rest but can be a little rough riding & noisey in sharp choppy waves,fibreglass boats are heavier so are smoother riding & quieter in the chop but can be prone to being un-stable at rest because they have a very deep V hull as they need to displace more water because they are much heavier,so fishing two or three blokes from the corner of the transom might be something to avoid in a deep V fibreglass hull,test it's stability in the water at the boat ramp rather than at continental shelf while trying to burley up 5 meter sharks.

Blind Freddy can see a fatigue crack in an aluminium boat but fatal electrolysis which is very common in a alloy boat that has spent years moored or in the water needs a trained eye, rot (dry or wet) in the structural timber frame of a fibreglass boat and osmosis or water penetration where the gel coat gets damaged causing seperation in the fibreglass itself can be hard to detect to the un-trained eye,even harder or near impossible to fix in the worst cases.

Aluminium boats can be welded or modified pretty easily & cheaply except for an aluminium boat that been fatally corroded by electrolysis but a fibreglass & particularly an old fibreglass boat can have more major faults that are un-seen & can have dramatic consequences like a transom & motor suddenly falling off while underway.

Aluminium in aluminium boats "work hardens" with use & cracks from movement or stress or lots of trailering on rough roads particularly on the bottom of the hull around where wobble rollers or the slides sit and around the transom & engine mounts.

Aluminium is also subject to galvanic and electrolytic corrosion which 'eats' or corrodes aluminium caused by dis-similar metals coming into contact with each other with water or moisture present or stray electrical current,loose lead sinkers and hooks on the floor and steel bolts fastening items through aluminium can cause this as well as poorly earthed electrics or 240 volt shore power supplied at mooring's or marina's,even by other nearby moored boats with faulty electrics.

So whats better,neither one really,both have major differences so it's up to you what you choose but I now have a strong preference for aluminium boats after all I seen over the years owning,working on & using both types over 25 years.

An important reminder about E.P.I.R.B's,you must have 406 Mhz frequency E.P.I.R.B as the old 121.5Mhz freq. E.P.I.R.B's is no longer being monitored,BATTERY WORLD stores will accept your old 121.5mhz for recycling.

Feel free to contact me via the eBay system if you want to ask a question.