Back in the day, that is before fiberglass dominated boat building, and before most of you were born, boat yard talk often centered around what was the best boat building material. Every argument was countered with another argument. Each proponent of a particular material listed its advantages. No one ever changed their mind, so the question remains. “What is the best material to build a boat with?”
After pontificating on the matter, I stumbled on the answer, which is "there is no best material". They are all good when used for their intended purpose. However, the conundrum still exists, so what is one to do?
Your first step should be to engage a shrink to find out which is your favorite worry. No mater what material you use, there will be worries with which to contend.
Maybe your preferred worry is wood rot. After all, wood is a vegetable. Like a tomato, it begins to rot as soon as it is picked. If that is your favorite worry, then you should build out of wood.
Or perhaps you like the thought of electrons running wild through your aluminum hull. Then, aluminum is for you.
The molecules in a fiberglass hull eventually get tired of holding hands. Now there is a nice worry for those of you that might like to build out of fiberglass.
For me, I like running rust. It's kind of like an old friend, over there in the corner saying, “Merritt you should take care of me, I need some attention, but not right now, soon, in the future ... sometime.” So, for me, steel is the right choice.
In reality, a steel vessel properly designed - so that every nook and cranny can be sand blasted, primed and painted with a good paint system - just does not rust, except for where the paint system has been damaged. Then a simple touch up is all that is required.
I have owned boats of wood, fiberglass, aluminum, steel and even ferrocement. They were all great boats. I had many pleasant times with all of them. The important thing is that you enjoy messing around in boats, never mind what it's made of. Oh, and tell your shrink to get a boat.
