[PSUBS-MAILIST] aluminum coated steel hulls?

[William Alford <walford@dbtech.net>]

from a blacksmith forum I frequent--
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section on spray metallizing steel. It seems that many steel boat builders have
their complete hull sprayed with aluminum. There is, or was, a guy on the west
coast who specialised in travelling to you, sandblasting, spray metallizing,
and then epoxy painting your hull. A 35 foot boat cost around 4 grand to do, in
85. Not too far out of reach for high end ornamental ironwork, if you could
find someone who did it. Or if you could find a Metco spray rig at an auction.
They hook up to an oxy-fuel rig and a compressor, and then you buy the aluminum
powder, dump it in a little hopper, and away you go. Supposedly you could also
spray zinc, but aluminum is cheaper and it has better corrosion resistance, at
least in salt water. Only a few mills thick, so you could paint over it and it
wouldnt ruin the look of the metalwork like gooey galvanizing sometimes does.
But you gotta sandblast first. 
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William Alford