Whatever you call them – aluminium fishing boats or trailer boats – the fact remains that you want your fishing vessel to stick around for a long time. We’re the experts on building these good-looking, highly functional boats, but the truth is, even the best-made vessel can fall victim to the passage of time without the right maintenance.
While aluminium has a reputation for being tougher than many other materials, that doesn’t make it invulnerable. Saltwater, marina life, fouling, and corrosion can all corrupt your hull and engine if you leave them to their own devices for years at a time. To that end, we’re dedicating this blog to best practices for maintaining aluminium fishing boats.
Whether you’re a hobby fisher or a professional, if you’re looking for ways to ensure your boat stays ship-shape, you’re in the right place!
We love working with aluminium for many reasons, and the primary among those is this material’s natural durability. Well-made aluminium fishing boats provide very little trouble over the course of their long lifetime. We say well-made because high-quality welding is of vital importance when putting one of these beauties together.
It would be ideal to say that this means the vessels require absolutely no maintenance, whether you’re trailering your boats or leaving them in a marina… but that simply isn’t the case. Just like all other boats, aluminium vessels need regular maintenance, if comparably less than others. The lower maintenance load and durable make of these boats is what makes them a popular pick.
That said, if you want your vessel to go the distance with you, there are a few things we recommend doing.
Every time you take your boat out, make sure to give it a freshwater rinse, especially if you’ve taken it out on salt, polluted, or brackish water. This even applies after driving through salty coastal areas if you have your boat trailered.
Leaving salt or brackish water on your hull, whether painted or unpainted, can invite the salt to settle into any nooks and crannies. As you likely know, salt is more reactive with the metal of the hull, causing accelerated corrosion seeds that can spread to the rest of your boat’s frame. Preventing this is well worth the 20 minutes you’ll spend with a hose after each excursion.
After hauling your boat onto its trailer, immediately get out a wet rag and wipe away any visible scum line. Scum is extremely stubborn and, if allowed to dry, will give you an enormous headache when you eventually try to remove it. If left for long enough, it might even stain the hull permanently.
This can impact your boat’s hull over time, but the primary motivation for this little spot of maintenance is to keep your vessel looking as good as the day you bought it.
Bring in your favourite aluminium cleaner every once in a while to remove any stubborn contaminants and keep that finish as beautiful as possible. Abrasive cleaners or solvents can damage the finish, especially if you have a painted hull, so make sure to pick one appropriate for aluminium fishing boats.
Paint is liable to curl inward or shrink away when exposed to high UV, the seafloor, and saltwater for long periods of time. If you’re taking this beauty out on the water regularly and dry-docking or trailering, the changes in moisture levels and temperature can cause the paint to wear away faster.
If you have a painted hull instead of a standard plate hull, take the time to apply a wax or sealant to keep the original finish shining for years to come.
Finally, don’t forget about your compartments! Most fishing vessels have compartments to store bits of gear or catches. Water can leak into these spots and create seeds for corrosion if left alone, so make sure to get in there once or twice a season to clean them out. This is especially important if you’re taking your vessel off the water for long-term storage.
Remove all the gear, clean things out with a simple dish soap solution, and let everything air dry. Make sure to empty your bilge by elevating the bow of the boat as well so that everything can dry properly.
There you have it! Our quick and easy guide to keeping your aluminium vessel sleek, pristine, and afloat. With these best practices as part of your regular maintenance routine, you’ll be prepared to keep your aluminium fishing boat around for years to come.
We have a team of designers and manufacturers producing high-quality aluminium trailer boats right here on-site! We’ve distilled everything we’ve learned about fishing boats over our decades in the business, so you can expect streamlined, perfect work every single time.
Get in touch today to begin your custom build.