Aluminum vs. Fiberglass Hulls: What's the Difference?

A first-time boater looking into the "perfect" build might find the options overwhelming, but luckily, a number of detailed comparisons have been done over the years— and, as it turns out, they both have their pros and cons. Read on for a breakdown.

Price Considerations

Especially when you're about to invest a considerable amount into a yacht, you'll want to weight the initial cost against long-term value, what you mean to use it for, and maintenance costs.

• Aluminum: Roundly the less-expensive option, aluminum hulls may seem initially attractive just for that— but the shape of those hulls won't vary much. If you want an aluminum hull with more design customization, it'll cost you extra, and that cost can be significant.
• Fiberglass: Fiberglass hulls are simpler to craft with far more variety in shape— which makes them popular among luxury builders, who strive to keep close to emerging trends and engineering innovations. The upfront cost is likely to be higher.

Durability

But how well do they hold up? Well, it depends:

• Aluminum: Aluminum might be the hull material of choice for river-cruisers, some types of fishermen, and those who like to flirt with picturesque shallow bays and rocky coastlines. It's well-known for being able to stand up to a little rough treatment— dents and scrapes, after all, aren't going to do much harm to solid metal, and they're not expensive to repair (and you will want to repair them to keep corrosion at bay).
• Fiberglass: Fiberglass, on the other hand, won't handle impacts well: something that might make you shrug and make a mental note to have it fixed in an aluminum hull could cause a crack in a fiberglass hull, and those can be costly to fix. While usually avoidable, you'll want to take much more care in close quarters or around obstacles with a fiberglass yacht.

Performance

By which we mean speed, fuel efficiency, stability, and overall maneuverability.

• Aluminum: Aluminum weighs significantly less than fiberglass— making it, broadly speaking, faster, easier to handle, and cheaper to run. As with durability, it also means you can be a little more adventurous in most aluminum hulls: you can turn on a dime, get yourself out of soft obstacles like a sandbar without too much fuss, and navigate narrow waterways without a second thought.
• Fiberglass: Fiberglass hulls are unquestionably heavier. Sounds bad, right? Not in certain applications: while fiberglass hulls require more horsepower and typically aren't as maneuverable as aluminum hulls, their weight makes them king in large, deep bodies of water or higher swells, where stability is the single most prized attribute.

Environmental Considerations

Boaters and owners have become increasingly interested in reducing their impact on the environment when purchasing, and there are sizeable differences here:

• Aluminum: A big factor in aluminum's favor is something you've probably already thought of: it's completely recyclable, and indeed, yacht-builders within the past two years have started to get on board with recycled aluminum, as well. It may not be long before the trend expands across the industry, a win-win for both boaters and the waters they love.
• Fiberglass: Fiberglass hulls have no choice but to take this one on the chin, for now— though there are research and development projects ongoing to test materials like basalt and natural fibers to fill fiberglass's niche in an ocean-friendly way.

All of this being said, yacht builders are in competition, quite literally, each year to provide innovations and improvements to their designs— so if you're in the market, don't necessarily count out a hull material you think you won't like before scoping out a boat's other qualities. The real value of a yacht is the freedom it gives you to do the things you love, and what it's made out of is far from the only factor.