Aluminium or composite: What you really need to know
“Does an aluminium sailing yacht require more maintenance than a composite boat?”
This is a question we hear regularly at ALUBAT. And it’s a perfectly valid one when considering the purchase of a blue water yacht.
Aluminium has some very specific characteristics. It is a conductor, it reacts to its environment, and protecting it against electrolytic corrosion requires a few specific precautions.
But does that mean you have to spend more time maintaining an aluminium sailing yacht?
Crédit photo : © Voilier Libre - Claire Dubois
In practice, no.
As with any boat, an OVNI or a Cigale needs regular maintenance. You need to take it out of the water, clean the hull, apply antifouling, check the appendages, inspect the equipment and replace the anodes when necessary.
Aluminium therefore mainly requires you to follow a few simple rules. Once you’ve got the hang of these, maintaining it is by no means any more complicated than maintaining a composite boat.
Matériau
Why choose
aluminium ?
Before discussing maintenance, it’s worth recalling why aluminium is particularly well-suited to blue water yachts.
At ALUBAT, we have been building 100% aluminium sailing boats for over 50 years. This material enables us to design robust, durable boats that are particularly well-suited to long-term voyages.
Aluminium is highly resistant to impacts and the stresses of sailing. It is also durable and recyclable.
But its greatest strength also lies in its ability to be repaired and modified throughout the boat’s lifetime. For a sailing yacht intended to cross the oceans for several decades, this characteristic is particularly valuable.
An OVNI or a Cigale is designed to sail long-term.
And like any item intended to last, it requires maintenance.
Crédit photo : © Voilier Libre - Claire Dubois
Routine maintenance comparable to that of a composite boat
In an owner’s experience, the maintenance of an aluminium sailing yacht ultimately follows the same broad steps as that of most boats.
Every year, or as recommended and depending on the boat’s condition, it is necessary to:
- haul the boat out of the water
- clean the hull
- inspect the hull and appendages
- reapply or maintain the antifouling
- check the anodes and replace them when required
- check the equipment and fittings
- check the various parts of the rigging and the deck hardware.
In other words, aluminium does not exempt a sailing boat from routine maintenance, but nor does it make it any more complicated.
The main difference lies in a few additional precautions relating to corrosion protection.
And these precautions are simple.
Anodes :
the guardians of the hull and appendages
On an aluminium boat, just as on other boats, anodes play a vital role.
These metal parts, known as “sacrificial anodes”, are designed to be attacked first by electrochemical processes. They thus gradually corrode in place of the parts we wish to protect.
On an OVNI or a Cigale, they help to protect the hull and appendages in particular.
An anode that is deteriorating is therefore an anode that is doing its job.
It is essential to check their condition regularly and to replace them when they have corroded sufficiently.
An additional precaution in port
When the boat is moored in a harbour, we also recommend using hanging sacrificial anodes at the bow and stern of the boat.
These anodes are attached to the boat and submerged in the water to enhance its protection when it remains in the same place for several days or weeks.
At ALUBAT, we have taken their use into account right from the boat’s design stage to ensure they are particularly easy to fit.
A mounting bracket is integrated at the bow, in the anchor locker, allowing the cylindrical anode to be secured when in use and stored directly in the locker when not in use.
A second bracket is provided at the stern, near the swim ladder. The anode can thus be stored nearby, for example in a stern locker or in the emergency storage locker.
No need for a complicated system: the anodes are within easy reach and can be fitted quickly.
Aluminium and corrosion: a few simple rules
Aluminium is particularly susceptible to certain forms of corrosion when it comes into contact with other metals or is subjected to stray electrical currents.
You therefore simply need to adopt a few good habits.
Sur un dériveur intégral, le lest n'est pas porté par un appendice extérieur : il est réparti dans le fond de la coque, autour du puits de dérive. La dérive, elle, remplit d'abord une fonction hydrodynamique. Abaissée, elle complète le plan anti-dérive et contribue aux qualités nautiques du voilier. Relevée, elle libère une hauteur d'eau minimale sous la coque.
Sur l'OVNI 370, le tirant d'eau passe ainsi de 3,08 m dérive basse à 0,92 m dérive haute. L'appendice ne représente qu'une part marginale du lest : le bateau embarque 3 000 kg dans la coque, auxquels s'ajoutent 260 kg dans le puits. C'est la différence essentielle avec un quillard, et elle a une conséquence directe : la stabilité du bateau ne dépend pas de la position de la dérive.
Le rôle de la dérive est donc double. Elle allonge le plan anti-dérive quand on en a besoin que ce soit au près, dans la brise ou sur une longue bordée. Elle s'efface quand la profondeur l'exige ou quand elle ne sert plus, aux allures portantes notamment.
Crédit photo : © Voilier Libre - Claire Dubois
An aluminium boat requires attention, but no more maintenance
This is probably the most important distinction to bear in mind.
At ALUBAT, we believe that our role does not end with the delivery of the boat. We support our owners throughout the lifetime of their OVNI or CIGALE, particularly when they need technical information, spare parts or advice on maintaining and upgrading their boat.
Aluminium isn’t any more complicated to maintain. You simply need to know the basics.
And once you’ve got the hang of these few basics, all that’s left is to enjoy what OVNIs and CIGALEs are all about: sailing, exploring and venturing ever further afield.
