Aluminum has been used in the marine industry for more than 100 years because of its light weight and ease of fabrication combined with good corrosion and fatigue resistance. However, for much of the past 30 years, fiberglass has been the material of choice of North American boatbuilders, particularly for higher-volume production lines. Competitively priced compared with boats made from most other materials, fiberglass boats can also be made from standardized molds that reduce their construction time and labor.

Additionally, the claim has been made that fiberglass boats are "maintenance-free." However, as more has come to be understood about delamination, blistering, leaks, and problems associated with structural fatigue, this claim has proved to be untrue.

Aluminum alloys, which are specified for marine use, suffer from none of these problems.

Central to aluminum's suitability for use in boat construction is the high resistance to corrosion of its alloys for marine applications when used in the specified corrosion resistant tempers.

For most conditions the bottom of an aluminum hull needs only compatible antifouling paint to prevent the growth of performance-robbing barnacles and weeds and zinc anodes to prevent galvanic corrosion associated with non-aluminum metallic propulsion equipment and other attachments.

As for durability and reparability: aluminum comes out ahead of both steel and fiberglass. Compared with a steel hull, a "strength-equivalent" aluminum hull (i.e., built to the same stiffness) boasts about 29 percent greater dent resistance and 12.5 percent greater resistance to rupture