Building your own boat is a huge accomplishment and something I will never forget. For those of us who get satisfaction out of creating something by hand, there is nothing quite like building a boat. There are few straight lines, and the skill required is high, even for those that have years of experience. There are a number of companies online now, such as Metalbaotkits. A skilled welder ca lear the basics of aluminum boat building with some practice.
However, there are a number of pitfalls that could cost you money and sink your dreams prematurely. So, before you go rushing in to build your first boat, consider the following:. Boats are not just made with any old aluminum that you find at the metal store. The aluminum you want is marked by a few possible grades, either or In general, 5xxx series aluminum contains magnesium. This gives the metal a higher tensile strength without having to heat treat, and still allows for excellent workability and welding.
For more information on types and grades, follow this link. After you purchase your design files, you will need to contract someone to cut the material for you. There are a number of options; the availability in your local area will likely dictate this choice for you.
They will fully cut your kit, and form all parts to spec. They even draw on the assembly lines for you. Here are some things to consider for the options:. Laser: the limiting factor in laser-cutting is not speed or quality, but the size of the table. Only a large router at CJM was able to tackle this. Waterjet: a good option and many shops have a machine large enough to cut your parts.
The downside is edge prep. The waterjet leaves sand particles in the surface of the weld. You will need to grind all the edges before welding.
Router: the best option for boat building due to large tables and no edge prep. The downside is that detailed cutting is limited to the size of the end mill being used. As most boat designs have been designed for a CNC router, this is not normally an issue unless there is an operator error. While a router is a great option, a bit of cleanup might be required. I found some interference issues in the joints of my jig, which required me to get in there with a little file and take out the cutter radius to make the jig fit correctly.
This is bad. Got it!? Ok good. Well, if you can afford a pulse mig machine, this is what you want. Professional boat builders will only use this kind of machine. However, they cost your first born child to buy, so maybe see if you can rent one for your build. If a pulse mig is not an option, you need a spool gun for your welding machine. They are reasonably priced and most major manufacturers make them. You will need exceptional welding skills to use a standard spool gun though.
Practice your different welds. Avoid burning through. I have been welding for 17 years and completely burned through my first boat. Even better, hire a friend with boat-building skills.
Have them go over the welding techniques with you. You will thank us later for this. The design files come with a jig. I chose to put mine on some custom-built sawhorses. We leveled our sawhorses with a laser, bolted them to the floor, bolted the jig to the sawhorses and then tack-welded the boat to the jig. Some builders choose not to tack weld the jig.
The primary idea behind back step welding is to eliminate distortion as much as possible. This is very important. Weld towards the middle of the boat, but sequencing your welds out for the middle. See diagram. Try to keep the heat from being concentrated in one area for too long. My designer stressed the importance of this process. Follow the incremental back step process. This one is easy.
Unless you have experience or access to some expensive machines, you are going to regret it. I certainly did on my first build. After about eight hours of sweating profusely from manual tube bending, I will never do this again. Yes, you could heat the aluminum with a torch and make things easier. Talk to the motor manufacturer and determine the best operating height of the motor.
Not doing so could damage your motor or greatly reduce the performance. We hope these tips will help successfully build your first aluminum boat. Take these lessons from us, and get a specialist or a friend with the preferred experience to assist you.
We can do it for you! Learn more about our custom-built aluminum boats here. Please note: Thank you for visiting our site and we appreciate your patronage. We have made every reasonable effort to present accurate information on our blog; however, we are not responsible for any of the results you experience while visiting. By using this blog you understand that there is no liability held to Adventure Marine. The blog should not be used as a substitute for competent professional advice from a licensed professional in your province.
It was long overdue 47 years to be exact. Adventure Marine has never manufactured boats. Even though we have been building high-quality marine products since It is time to write a new chapter in our companies history and bring to market something special. The night before I was scheduled to leave, a man on a motorcycle showed up at my hotel with a satchel of US dollars sent by the boat captain. I led him upstairs to my room and we counted out the cash. After converting to Canadian dollars, I was just under the limit I could bring back without a declaration, which would involve trying to prove to the Canadian authorities that I was doing legitimate business in Mexico with a pile of US dollars.
One of the first steps, and also one of the most important, in building your boat is setting up the jig. Boat hulls are constructed in a number of different ways, but for the purposes of this blog, I am going to focus on a design from MetalBoatKits.
They have been rebranded as the Adventure 12 and the Adventure 16, as I have made modifications to both designs to suit my needs. They both use a similar jig and the setup process is identical for both boats. What makes buying an aluminum boat your best choice? Aluminum is an extremely robust material, which makes aluminum boats a more maintenance free option. Find out more in our blog! This is especially true for our boats! Periods of inactivity can speed up degradation and result in some nasty surprises come springtime.
Remember me. Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. Username or Email Address. Log In. This was the first boat I built from Metalboat kits. Here are some things to consider for the options: Laser: the limiting factor in laser-cutting is not speed or quality, but the size of the table. You can run a spool gun attachment for most mid welders. Bolt the jig to the sawhorses.
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