Building 100% Aluminum Sailboats
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- What does it mean to build a 100% Aluminum sailboat? We asked General Manager Luc Jurien to walk us through the process of building the aluminum sailboats at the Alubat boatyard. From the types of aluminum used and laying out the metal sheets on a jig, to welding and transforming the sheets into expedition-class sailboats, we get into some of the details of building at Alubat.
#aluminumboats #alubat #aluminumsailboats #aluminumhull #offshoresailing #expeditionsailing
Thanks for providing a great insight onto the detailed manufacturing process - keep them coming !
I really enjoyed your video, especially the insights into the construction of these sailboats. It would be great to see how the design process works for these vessels and to learn more about any upcoming plans and projects for larger sailboats. Thank you for sharing this fascinating content!
very nice, keep the videos coming!
Merci beaucoup. Very informative!
Why does one boat have longitudinal stringers and the other not? Edit: to answer my own question, the plate is thicker on the boat with no stringers. 3:55 So that structure is in the plate (and hull shape).
Given how widely used 6061 is with 5083 boats, hopefully they are near each other in the galvanic series. They are different alloys of Aluminum so can have different galvanic potentials, which can lead to corrosion. Edit: looks like they are considered the same galvanic potential, which is good.
Suggestion: use Aluminum "molds" for no possibility of Iron transfer to the Aluminum. (I would name the molds as fixtures.) Otherwise a totally reasonable way to build production boats with the same hulls.
P.S. Luc's English is 99% better than my French.
In English we call the bending machine a bending brake or sheet metal brake.
Thanks for an interesting video. I own an older OVNI and it was fascinating to see how they are constructed. I should love to visit the factory.
At 10.27, Luc refers to “Some of our competitors…” that build boats not entirely constructed from aluminium. I think he is referring to Allures, which have an aluminium hull and a GRP deck and transom. He mentions the rationale for this; being able to fit out the interior with an open hull, which allows for faster construction and therefore reduced cost. Luc generously doesn’t dwell on the fact that a consequence of the Allures’ design is that these boats have a seal between the deck and hull that must remain watertight for the life of the boat. However, aluminium and GRP have different degrees of stiffness and different coefficients of expansion, so a small amount of differential movement between the hull and deck assemblies is inevitable. Over time, this differential movement will fatigue the seal. Plus, (as anyone who has owned an aluminium boat will tell you), nothing sticks to aluminium forever, not even paint. So how Allures can guarantee the watertight integrity of whatever they use to glue the hull to deck for the entire life of their boats is a mystery to me.
Your response and insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Rob
Great video, if you could do the same with the body of the Ovni Cat, it will be great...
I'm in hurry to see this cat
Thanks
Gilles
Hi Gilles, we are as anxious to show it as you are to see it. The first catamaran is under construction now and the construction methodology that has worked so well over the decades will be the same on the cat.
How can you swap the engine if required?
The engines can be removed through the companion way.
Can you get some customization of the interior? Like adding chairs instead of settee (kindof like on HR or ComPac)?
Are you planning to build any bigger yachts following the 370/430 line? for e.g 50-60 ish feet ?
Yes, there are plans for a larger 650!
As a sailor and someone just getting into welding I found this super interesting. AL seems like an interesting metal to work/weld on. Love your boats! Thanks for sharing
Do you offer any diesel electric hybrid motors ? Something shaft drive that can double as an alternator ?
yes, we do!
Interesting video. Hoping to see a bit more on the 430's construction, with a deck saloon interior.
I need more info. Yes, keep them coming
That was fascinating.
I don;t know if anyone can reply to this, but what kind of hull insulation do you apply? Is it polyurethane spray foam?
The hulls are first sprayed with cork and then lined with foam insulation.
Nice boats. Great design But as an aluminium and steel fabricator of 30 years I would like to say that when you weld a plate around the edges there is some shrinking and this gives the opportunity to introduce a little convex curvature to the transverse frames in between the chines, also as the plate bends and twists around the hull, curvature doesn't always follow the form taken by the transverse frames. I may be wrong but this opportunity to obtain a more optimal shape may not have been utilised in the Alubat range.
Dennis Ganley is an example of a designer of the past who understood the full benefits of metal construction. The metal coils around the hull and doesn't always conform to the transverse frames.
I am sure with cnc programming anything is possible and I invite Alubat to look into it. It would cost no more in build time as frames are now cut by cnc and it would minimise the need to pull the plate to the frames in between the chines quite as much and create a stronger more cosmetically pleasing hull that's less prone to oilcanning.
Indeed, and we have to take into account all those properties of aluminum before we even start on the design process. To do so, we anticipate how the aluminum plates will position themselves, helped by a collective 140 years experience in aluminum construction between all our architects, and 50 years for our shipyard. We don’t use the frames to force our shape of hull, we rather first design and optimize the hull itself, without any frame, in order to get the cleanest curves possible, taking into account the particularities of the material. The idea is that we could theoretically build the hull only with the plates, and still get the same shape. Then, and only then, we decide on where to put the frames, depending mostly on structural necessities. Finally, we use CNC to get the most precise shape possible, so we’re confident in the cleanliness and esthetics of the curves we designed.
The thickness of the aluminum plates also tends to reduce the shrinking and other effects of the heat, and we tend to put every chance on our side : the chine is made by the edge of the upper plate, the welding line being a bit deported inwards, making for the cleanest chine possible visually, and giving us a little boost of structural integrity in this area.
Finally, we actually want and strive for a bit of pulling during the assembly, as it provides some pre-stressing to our plates, increasing once again the solidity of our hulls, and giving it the exact form we designed.
I believe this is called "trying to teach your grandmother how to suck eggs".
Question boat doesn’t have a heavy keel or keel at all how does it effect the boat balance al so in heavy weather many thanks
The boat enjoys the same balance as any sailboat of the same size. The Alubat has ballast added to the hull along with the centerboard.
🙂👍👍
Fascinating!