Ideas to Make a Metal Boat

Boats come in all sizes, shapes and materials. Fiberglass, wood, concrete and metal can all be used for building boats. Large cargo ships are made of steel, but smaller, recreational boats can be made from steel or aluminum. Using a metal component to manufacture a boat is economical and durable.

  1. Materials

    • Metals are durable and easy to clean and repair. Aluminum is light and does not rust. Boats made from aluminum are durable and lighter than other metals like steel. Aluminum is pliable and easier to cut and mold on smaller frames. Steel is hard, heavy, abundant and inexpensive. It is easy to find but harder to work with, especially on smaller boats. Steel will also rust, requiring more frequent painting and maintenance than aluminum. Steel is also a very strong material and hard to damage.

    Plans and Equipment

    • Before building a metal boat, draft plans and blueprints to determine overall length, width, layout, and placement of electrical components and plumbing fixtures. The final design will help determine what type of metal is used to build the hull. Boat kits are also sold that contain all the details and parts needed to build a metal boat.

    Building

    • Determine how much of the metal work you can do yourself and how much you need to contract. Welding metal is not a difficult task, but requires skill and knowledge of the equipment. It may be cheaper and safer to hire a professional welder to put the pieces of the hull together. Build a frame to make it easier to attach structure points in the interior and to add strength to the hull.

    Maintenance

    • Using the correct type of paint for the metal will prevent future rust and corrosion problems. Oil-based primer paint is needed on both the inside and the outside of the hull and is applied before any other work is started. More than one coat will protect the metal for years. Cover the primer with water-resistant paint and finish with a clear-coat to even out any marks on the surface and give the boat a glossy finish. Paint the bottom -- the part that will be underwater -- with an ablative paint that wears away slowly and is designed to last more than one season.

    Types of Boats

    • A metal boat can be a canoe, pontoon, fishing boat or sailboat. Typically, larger boats today are made from fiberglass, but any boat can be made from metal.