Benefits/drawbacks of aluminum pushpit/pulpit as opposed to SS.. ?

[chrisncate]

I am wondering about switching from SS to aluminum in order to shave some weight where I can.

?

[scottyt]

well it would work, but you need to over build it for strength. then you lose some of the weight savings. honestly it might save you 10 lbs, not worth it in my mind.

[chrisncate]

So not much weight savings then... aluminum sure seems a lot lighter though..

[Faster]

In order to have the same stiffness and support as Scotty said it would need to be thicker walled and so the savings would be minimal.

Also for appearance's sake it would need to be anodized to prevent surface oxidation that would make it look like a work boat fitting - so cost savings would likely disappear too.....

We have anodized aluminum stanchions on our boat and even they tend to need more regular cleaning than the SS rails fore and aft.

[mitiempo]

As well stainless will bend in the case of a rail where an aluminum one will often rupture.

[chrisncate]

Sounds like aluminum is a bad idea. I figured I'd ask though...

[Minnewaska]

Before I ever start to worry about modification just for the sake of saving 5 or 10 pounds, I would just go on a diet. Cheaper and I could do even better, if I set my mind to it.

[catamount]

If you're trying to save weight, besides putting yourself on a diet -- put the boat on a diet. Remove everything from the boat. I mean everything!

OK, now that you've removed everything that's not bolted down, you can start working on the stuff that is bolted down. For example, can you move batteries from an aft locker to a more central location?

(BTW, while you've got everything out, this would be a good time to thoroughly vacuum and wash the entire interior of the boat.)

When you're putting stuff back on, be very thoughtful about what you put on and where you put it. There's probably a lot of stuff that you just don't really need. This is the time to re-organize your stowage arrangements.

You are right to think about getting weight out of the stern -- in my experience Alberg designs tend to squat.

[NCC320]

Why are you trying to save weight? For example, look at the weight difference of the aluminum vs. ss pushpit. That difference would be exactly what percentage of the boat's total weight? If you wanted a light boat, you should have started with a different design. "Blue water" boats, or at least what most people consider and want as blue water are those heavy overbuilt boats that will take any abuse. Being heavy and light at the same time seems a little inconsistent. In my opinion, we boaters waste lots of money by paying for high tech, low weight, overpriced components that really have no impact on the boat or it's performance. Sounds good, I guess, to know you have super light lines, or blocks, or aluminum (titanium is better still) components.

[catamount]

Every little bit counts -- it all adds up. Don't forget to cut your toothbrush handle short, and drill a bunch of holes thru what is left.

OK, I'm being sarcastic, but any reasonable boat, no matter the design, can benefit from thoughtful consideration of what weight to put on (or not) and where to put it.