Georgs inquired a few weeks ago as to why we chose aluminum for Abyssinia as opposed to steel. Well, the attendees at a recently exquisitely run and organized seminar (Trawlerfest Poulsbo) got an earful of this from us and a true expert on the subject both of who got a chance to speak thanks to Georgs. My reasons are far less scientific than Michael Kasten, Executive Director, Metal Boat Society. I hate rust. I have never seen a steel boat without rust. I have seen many steel boats rust severely from the inside out. Every boat has water in the bilge. If it is steel it is harmful. Yes, there are some very good paints and they improve every day. One of the best steel protectors over the years has been zinc coatings. Many steel products such as fasteners and pipes are hot dipped in zinc. They still rust. It is a personal thing. I hate rust. Aluminum is a fun material to work with. It is light weight and very easy to fabricate. All of your wood working tools can handle it with carbide blades. It is very easy to weld with the right equipment and a little experience (the heat distortion is the hardest part to get used to). I really enjoy working with it. We do not plan on painting Abyssinia as we like the idea of an big ugly gray boat. Michael Kasten made the point in his seminar that aluminum is every bit as strong as steel if you make it as heavy. I am certain that he is correct but I doubt that many aluminum boats are in fact as heavy as its counterpart in steel. If you have seen any of the pictures of Abyssinia on our website (www.seanet.com/kimeric) you will notice that she is floating extremely high up. We obviously have a lot of weight to add as we finish the boat but it also shows that some more ballast may be in order. The realities are that aluminum makes for a very light and "corky" boat unless you ballast it. One last point about ballast. It may not be obvious but one of the cheapest forms of ballast, next to sea water of course, is fuel. Yes that's right, good ol' diesel #2. Figure it out. Lead is around 40 cents per pound and scrap steel is 15 to 20 cents per pound. Diesel is around 12 cents per pound. The question is how do you store it? We all know that the shelf life is only about one year. There are a zillion products on the market to extend the shelf life but who knows what works and what is snake oil. Any experience out there with long term (3 to 5) year storage? Any tried and true additives other than the usual Bio-Bor for algae that will increase the shelf life? One article that I read recommended metal deactivators and oxidation inhibitors. Where do you buy these? A metal deactivator does not sound like something that belongs in an aluminum boat..... All the best, Eric Thoman Abyssinia