Armstrong Marine, a well known shipbuilder from Port Angeles, Washington, is famed nationwide amongst oceanographers and aquatic scientists for providing very suitable Catamaran boats made out of aluminum. Their boats have gained an excellent reputation for affordability, durability and reliability during a number of research projects for which Armstrong Marine was the chosen supplier of custom made watercraft.
The catamaran style hulls of Armstrong Marine's aluminum vessels have greatly enhanced their potential radius of operation, because the rugged construction and shallow draft allows them to be operated safely in environments, which usually allow for much smaller monohull watercraft only, thus providing a stable platform for any type of oceanographic work. Weather you are engaged in seafloor mapping, hydrographic surveillance or just taking groups of fishermen for commercial charter trips out to sea.
Aluminum Catamaran boats often provide a safer, sturdier and larger platform to operate from. Their performance in less favorable weather conditions and their limited roll extends possible operation time. Interior design and accessories can be fully customized, the standard length are 25', 28', 31' and 34', but don't hesitate contacting the shipbuilders at Armstrong Marine, if you require another length.
An Aluminum Catamaran may even be trailered under conditions. Their website @ www.armstrongmarine.com gives you some ideas of what they can produce and their neat Boat Selector Tool comes in very handy, if you are in the market for your very own customized aluminum Catamaran. Armstrong Marine products also can perfectly fit the platform needs for the scuba diving industry.
Before cleaning your aluminum boat it is important to remove all grease and oil from it's surface with a degreasing fluid.TSP, available at most hardware stores is a good choice for cleaning aluminum boats. Refer to the TSP manufacturer's mixing ratios.Before mixing, be sure to put on safety goggles and gloves to prevent irritation to your eyes and skin.The boat needs to be wet before applying TSP. Wet down the side of the boat thoroughly with a water hose. Generously apply the TSP mixture with a sponge, working from top to bottom, wiping with horizontal strokes. Rinse the cleaned area with plenty of water. Don't allow the TSP to dry on the surface of the boat. If after cleaning you notice algae stains, repeat the process. Trouble areas may require 2 or 3 cleanings.You can dry your boat with a cloth if you wish, but it isn't necessary.If your aluminum boat has been painted, clean with mild soap and water only. After drying, apply a coat of carnauba wax to protect it's surface from the elements.
There are great advantages to aluminum boats: First, they weigh far less than virtually any other common boat building material. Second, they can be repaired by the owner.Fixing dents in aluminum boats is generally a pretty simple matter. The tools that are commonly used for fixing dents in automobiles apply well to this task. For small boats , it is as simple as getting a soft faced mallet (or even a regular hammer with some padding) and pounding the dent out. Note - when sheet metal becomes dented, in addition to bending, the metal stretches. Because of this, it is often close to impossible to restore the hull surface to a factory new condition.One thing to consider is that some repairs may require puncturing the hull. This is often the case with double walled construction. Under these circumstances, a boat owner is placed in the position of deciding whether an unsightly dent is less of a hardship than fixing the dent in the aluminum boat because repairing these dents will require additional patching to restore the integrity of the hull.
Grumman, an American aviation icon for the better part of the last century gained fame and fortune with its airplanes and fighter planes. Grumman’s engineers were on the forefront of dealing with all known aspects of aluminum as a core material for aircraft, truck bodies ( UPS & USPS) and later also watercraft, with their first boat being a multifunctional 15’ canoe that was crafted from 0.040 gauge aluminum and designed to be operated by sail, oars or a small outboard engine (up to 5 HP). After Grumman was bought by Northrop, some former Grumman executives and engineers were given the rights to produce watercraft, bearing the Grumman logo and name on their range of boats. This group was named “The Marathon Boat Company”.The extended and expanded the range of watercraft significantly and added Sport and Fishing boats to their range. Today’s range consists of the following lines: Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, Otisco and Owasco. All feature a two piece hull that has been welded together, resulting in a very versatile program of watercraft with a capacity of 5 people and hull gauges from 0.040 to 0.080.These boats cover the spectrum from 10’ to 16’ length and can be powered by outboard engines up to 50 HP.Material used is a rigid 5052 marine grade aluminum alloy, improved stability and protection is given by heavy gauge extruded longitudinal keels. A steel bow eye and reinforced gunwales add durability and smart optional packages to outfit the watercraft to the customers liking add marketability to the range.
Durability, affordability and practicality are probably the least arguable facts, which let a majority of new Bass Fishing Boat buyers opt for a model with a hull made from aluminum. Most of these feature a thick 0.100 gauge special marine alloy aluminum material with some pricier and sturdier watercraft relying on a 0.125 gauge thickness of the aluminum. Aluminum boats can be outfitted with many types of engines, depending on their structure and dimensions, often offered in sets. Several reputable factories have discovered the huge market sector of Bass Fishing Aluminum Boats and do offer a splendid variety with a lot of different setups in order to fit all the needs of a modern fisherman. They come in different lengths and if being operated on larger bodies of water, you may want to look for a boat of 18 feet in length or more for your own safety. New technological advances in manufacturing aluminum boats have led to a new breed of fishing rigs with an all-welded outer skin, which proves superior over the old fashioned riveted panels and their occasional leaks, when the boat’s age came into play. The former performance gap between fiberglass watercraft and those made from aluminum has narrowed significantly over the recent past with implications of innovative shipbuilding ideas and improvements with most brands of boats. Tournament-readied, full-sized Bass Fishing Aluminum Boats can be fully decked out and be an interesting choice for a first-time boat buyer as well as for the more advanced and knowledgeable, experienced expert.
"A boat is a wooden hole in the water into which you pour money." was the statment that was used to describe boat ownership many years ago. The reason for this pronouncement is that wood and water don't mix well without a lot of care and maintenance.The advent of modern materials and construction techniques has changed that greatly. Boats are seldom made from wood anymore. Alternative materials are now fiberglass, steel and aluminum, though ferro-cement was considered at one time, but found to be too problematical.Aluminum as a boat hull material has advantages over the others: Weight, strength and ease of maintenance. Aluminum is much lighter than either steel or fiberglass, plus it is stronger than the commonly used fibreglass. An account by a commercial fisherman in Oregon described how a storm beached his 36 foot boat. After the storm subsided, he hooked up a tractor and dragged the craft down the beach a mile or so to where he could launch it. The only result from the sandy drag was the cleaning of the bottom.Aluminum is used in boats of all sizes, from small skiffs to large yachts. The lighter aluminum hull needs less power to operate than heavier material hulls. This means lower cost of fuel and less engine maintenance. Aluminum hulls are welded, providing a much stonger joint that mechanical joinery.There are a wide variety of hull types that are made from aluminum. The range is from small, traditional skiffs, pontoon boats, small fishing boats, bass boats, catamarans, workboats, sailing boats of all sizes to mega-yachts. The many boat manufacturers using aluminum include: Alumacraft, Armstrong Marine, Munson Boats, Crestliner, Harbercraft, Hewes Marine, G3 Boats, Weldcraft Boats, Broadwater Boats, Coastal Craft, Grumman Boats, Lund Boats, Marathon Marine, Silver Streak Boats, XPress Boats and many others. Some of these manufacturers specialize in aluminum, but some also use other hull materials.
