There’s a reason why there are 12.5 million registered recreational boats found in the United States. Whether it’s a small canoe, or a huge yacht, any day on the water is well spent.
If you’re interested in building boats, you likely want to know what your options are in terms of boat building materials. Generally speaking, there are four types of materials you will find in boats.
In this article, we’ll briefly go over each of them. That way, you can decide the best option for your needs.
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1) Wood
In the past, almost all boats were made from wood. These days it’s still common to see the material used. However, it’s typically used together with fiberglass, aluminum, and steel.
There are a lot of different types of woods you can use to build a boat. However, some of the common ones include mahogany, cedar, plywood, oak, and teak.
2) Fiberglass
There’s a reason why fiberglass has overtaken wood in terms of boating material popularity. The material is both more durable and more affordable than any wood.
What’s more, it’s also waterproof without caulking. Finally, fiberglass is easy to maintain. Corrosion on the material simply isn’t a problem which cuts the workload in half.
3) Aluminum
Aluminum isn’t as strong as other types of metal material. But, it is incredibly lightweight. This makes it an ideal choice for boats that seek performance over durability.
Things like fishing boats, racing boats, and Jon boats would all benefit from aluminum.
What’s more, aluminum is more malleable than other types of metal too. That means you can get a lot more creative with the boat shapes that you make out of it.
4) Steel
These days, you’re most likely to see steel on large types of boats, like cargo carriers, cruise ships, battleships, and bulk carriers. You can still find it in small and medium boat construction too.
But, it’s usually used together with other materials. The advantage of steel is that it’s incredibly durable. The downside is that the carbon content also makes it heavier.
So, if you use a boat with steel, you’re going to need a good battery to power a motor on it. If you need a recommendation for boat batteries, check out this guide to learn more about this product.
Enjoy Learning About Boat Building Materials? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped you learn more about boat building materials. As you can see, each different material comes with its pros and cons.
However, if you are building the boat entirely on your own, then wood is probably your best bet. Remember too that most boats feature a combination of materials.
So, don’t be afraid to mix and match materials to fit your purposes. We hope you found this guide informative. Keep exploring to learn more about subjects like this on our website.
