Click for YF Listing Service Click for Cross Click for YF Listing Service Click for Ocean Alexander Click for Delta

Steel, wood or aluminum

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Mambo42, Dec 13, 2025 at 9:48 AM.

  1. Mambo42

    Mambo42 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2025
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Croatia
    First of all, thanks for letting me join. I am a member of the Trawlerforum and another member in that forum suggested I ask my question as well on this forum, where there are apparently more owners of boats made out of steel, wood or aluminum

    Currently I have a Defever 49, we sail in the Med and I am looking for a larger boat (up to 70'). I would like to have a boat that can cruise at around 9 - 10 kts and go even faster if possible, so that we can outrun extreme weather when it shows up. With our Defever we cannot do that, 7 kts is about the max we will get.
    Also we would like to have more space onboard, we more or less live on our boat, so we can use extra storage space, but also extra space for guests.

    I am searching online for boats and I have found a couple of boats that might be interesting, however I am not familiar with the pros and cons of the different hull constructions. One boat is made of steel, one is made of wood and the third one is aluminum.
    They are all older boats, 1990, 1997 and 2001 and I know steel does rust, aluminum apparently can just desintegrate and wood I have absolutely no clue about. I have not yet seen the boat, so I don't know if it is wood with epoxy on top of it or if it is painted bare wood.
    Some people have already told me to stay away from wood, but others said it should not be a problem if taken well care of.

    If any of you owns an older steel, aluminum or wooden boat, I would gladly like to hear your insights, the problems you encounter, if it is very maintenance intensive (more than GRP), any tricks to find out if the boat is in good condition etc.

    Appreciate your insights
  2. gr8trn

    gr8trn Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2012
    Messages:
    818
    Location:
    OR/WA/CA/BC
    Steel can rust, Alu can suffer electolysis/corrosion, wood can rot. Probably should say steel will rust, alu will corrode and wood will rot.

    I have never sailed a wooden boat. I am sure I would never own a wood only boat. Cold molded timber cored epoxy laminated lay up, sure.

    My Alu boat is not "old", 2012 vintage and in fine shape so I am not any help. It's all about sacrificial metals, keeping dissimilar metals away from each other and sound electrics isolation, and more.

    I think your question is a bit too general to get much traction. It sure sounds like a fun project you have, working from 50' to 70' is certainly likely to get your more live aboard space and storage not to mention insurance and other length related expenses.

    It would be cool if you let us know what your find as you search. Boat shopping is fun!
    leeky likes this.
  3. ranger58sb

    ranger58sb Senior member

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2013
    Messages:
    957
    Location:
    Chesapeake Bay, USA
    I'd have thought many here would have jumped all over this...

    -Chris
    JWY likes this.
  4. d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2010
    Messages:
    502
    Location:
    La Conner, WA.
    My vote is "None of the Above". Aluminum has paint adhesion issues (blisters) even if the corrosion issue is defeated. Been there, done that on an Aluminum Chris Craft Roamer. Steel has on-going paint maintenance requirements and rust-chasing, and wood needs hull fasteners replaced periodically.
    Mambo42 likes this.
  5. RER

    RER Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,598
    Location:
    Newport Beach CA
    IMG_6748.jpeg
  6. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2019
    Messages:
    1,941
    Location:
    Vero Beach
    I'm absolutely fine with Aluminum. The blisters require thoughtful prep and finish detail to keep moisture away from the paint edges. Steel, the same. Both need bilges to be kept clean like operating rooms. Once you understand what is required, it really isn't a hassle. But to each his or her own...

    Find the boat that you like. Understand what you can budget for maintenance and upgrades. Make good decisions. But buy the boat that you like.
    Mambo42 and Littleboatdu like this.
  7. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2008
    Messages:
    8,794
    Location:
    Miami, FL
    Steel and alum requires a lot more maintenance than fiberglass so why even bother.

    wood? Even worst. Unless you re talking about cold molded hulls where the wood is just part of the resin layup. That s different and viable construction technique. Think Carolina sport fish and Vicems.
    Mambo42 likes this.
  8. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    14,100
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    I lived on the Huckins dock for near 10 years. Witnessed many epoxy/wood boats and their issues.
    Never, never would I desire one.
    Could not wish one on my enemies.

    I have managed alloy Roamers and Strikers. Loved them, still lots of care and work.

    Our near 48 year old, 58' FRP is as solid as built.
    Mambo42 likes this.
  9. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2005
    Messages:
    3,419
    Location:
    Palm Coast, Florida
    I owned and lived on a classic wooden boat for 3 years in the tropics.
    Not recommended to say the least, lots of repairs and preventative maintenance to keep
    the boat pristine. (Which is impossible, but I tried,)
    That was my first boat and I was ignorant.
    Don’t be like me.:D
    Mambo42 likes this.
  10. Mambo42

    Mambo42 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2025
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Croatia
    Was this a pure wooden boat or did it have a layer of epoxy or paint on top of it ? I have been trying to find out how the boat, that I found, is constructed. I know that it is all wood, but I don't know if the boat was treated with epoxy or fiberglass afterwards. I e-mailed the yard, but they have not replied yet. This boat had a complete refit in 2018 / 2019 where the boat was completely stripped and repaired what needed to be repaired. Boat was built in 1990.
  11. Mambo42

    Mambo42 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2025
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Croatia
    Thanks for reacting, could you give an insight in the type of problems these boats had ? Was it woord rotting or epoxy delaminating etc ?
  12. Mambo42

    Mambo42 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2025
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Croatia
    Problem is that what I am looking for is not for sale in the Med. I currently have a trawler, would preferably have something similar back, but there aren't a lot of larger trawlers around in the Med and if there are they have pricetags of well over 1 million euro. That is a bit over the budget I have and on top of that I would still need to spend about 200.000 euro on solar, LiFePO4, zero speed stabilization and navigation equipment. Most of these boats have older equipment for which updates are no longer available.
    That is how I ended up with these three boats, where the aluminum one is the most in line with what I have now, but it is 10' shorter than the other two. And one of the reasons for getting a different boat is that we would like to have more space onboard.
  13. Mambo42

    Mambo42 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2025
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Croatia
    Thanks for replying.
    The problem is that I don't know what these boats require in special treatment or maintenance. I can understand the outside of the hull, but I have no knowledge of adverse metals that have an influence on an aluminum boat. I understand there is something with stray electricity, but exactly how I should find that, what to do against it, that is what I am trying to find out.
    I thought aluminum could not corrode, but now I understand it can actually desintegrate quite quickly.
    I know that Gus (In Too Deep) has an aluminum Broward and that one still seems to be going strong after all these years, but his knowledge is far above mine. I think I will need to have a good understanding of what aluminum boats are all about, but where can I find that info ? That is the question.
  14. Mambo42

    Mambo42 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2025
    Messages:
    8
    Location:
    Croatia
    Thanks for your reply.
    Does the replacing of hull fasteners also apply to wooded boats that have a epoxy layer on top of the wood on the outside of the hull ? I don't see myself changing thousands of screws every few years.
  15. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2005
    Messages:
    3,419
    Location:
    Palm Coast, Florida
    It was an old classic wooden boat custom built by a well known yard in Maine, US 1956.
    Double planked mahogany hull and teak decks.
    Lots of external varnish.
    These boats can last for a hundred years in cold climates like Norway where there are thousands of of them, in the tropics not so much.
    The next owner of the boat fiberglassed the hull and bought more time for the boat.
    My experience was this: A maintenance nightmare, a pleasure to sail and a pleasure to look at. IMG_8342.jpeg
  16. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    14,100
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    These are not all glued together boats.
    Screwed/bolted and glued is the better description.

    Installed by the factory or by previous owners; every fastener is a maintenance issue.
    Every fastener goes into/thru wood.
    Boats flex. Fasteners, wood, glass cloth and epoxy flex at different rates.
    Then ship happens.

    My latest example was the transom of a CM boat. Where the trim tabs were attached.
    During a bottom paint job, it was noticed some of these mounting screw heads looked poor.
    When one was removed, water poured out over night.
    It may not have been the fault of the trim tab screws, the wood coring was also missing from around the haws openings a bit above above the tabs also.
    Thru the years (rain) water came into the transom and took most of it out.

    As a young and stupid kid, my first boat was a wooden ChrisCraft.
    I didn't get into trouble as the other young kids did, I was busy working on my boat.
    I learned the hard way, ole wooden boats are pretty but very maintenance intensive.
    But I at least was able to notice wood failures quickly unlike wood covered by glass and epoxy.

    Just stay aweigh from wood.
    Wood hulls, Wood decks, Wood trim, Cold Molded (CM) wood covered in epoxy, wood stringers and your wife's wood base-ball bat.
  17. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Messages:
    14,100
    Location:
    Satsuma, FL
    More space for more stuff?
    Get rid of the stuff and it becomes a big boat again.
  18. d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2010
    Messages:
    502
    Location:
    La Conner, WA.
    It would depend on the amount of moisture in the matrix. Hull fasteners corrode due to depleted oxygen corrosion, which is why stainless steel fasteners are unacceptable for wooden hull fasteners. They are very susceptible to "crevice corrosion". Only silicon bronze fasteners are approved for the service.
    Incidentally, aluminum hulls corrode where there is standing water, like in bilges. I have seen aluminum boats have hull plating replaced at the fuel tanks because of the small amount of water that collects in integral fuel tanks. If you continue to consider an aluminum hull, plan on having an ultra-sound hull thickness metering performed prior to purchase as part of the survey.