This page contains the text of the Alcan 370 brochure.

Aluminum Company of Canada, Ltd Project Development Division

Box 6090, Montreal 101, Canada

BOAT: Your Alcan 370 has been designed and engineered to give you the maximum of safety combined with the performance and seaworthiness of a cruiser, and the comfort of a floating home. The complete structure is built of the marine proven alloy 5052, which combines high corrosion resistance and high impact strength with good weldability. The all-welded construction with deckhouse and longitudinally stiffened hull welded together form an integral structure, resulting in a strong, rugged boat.  Your AIcan 370 is painted for appearance only. The metal could be left bare without cause for concern about corrosion.

The high freeboard of the boat, 4.5 feet forward to 3 feet at the transom combined with a modified V bottom is a hull design that will give you confidence when running in bad weather. High gunwales around the deck help prevent articles being lost overboard. Its relatively shallow draft, 30 inches with outdrives lowered, permits sailing in shallow waters and clearance of many underwater obstacles.

HULL: The bottom hull plates are 3/16 inch thick, the side sheets 9/64 inch and the deck 1/8 inch thick. A watertight bulkhead separates the engine compartment from the cabin in accordance with recommendations for pleasure craft as published by Lloyds Registry of Shipping and the Boating Industry Association. Three additional transverse bulkheads, in conjunction with longitudinal stiffeners that run the full length of the boat, strengthen the hull to make the Alcan 370 a rugged boat.

POLYURETHANE: Is foamed in place as follows: between the forward hold deck and the hull plates from the collision bulkhead forward; between the cabin sides and side plates up to the main deck from a point six feet back from the bow aft to the engine compartment; and across the boat between the cabin deck and the bottom plates on the forward side of the engine compartment bulkhead.

Foamed in place in this manner, polyurethane adds strength to the structure of the boat, dampens engine and wave pounding noises, makes the decks quiet to walk on, and provides a flotation safety of 10,000 pounds - all pluses in favour of your Alcan 370.

Polyurethane does not absorb water, is not attacked by gasoline and is fire-retardant conforming to ASTM Test D.1 692-59T. "Self Extinguishing”.

DECKHOUSE: Is a welded frame structure incorporating 1/8-inch exterior sheet welded to the boundary bar of the hull. Thus the deckhouse and hull become a rigid integral structure making the boat strong as well as water tight

Fiberglass insulation in the deckhouse walls and ceilings allows the boat to be operated from early spring to late fall thereby extending your boating season.

CLEANING: All exterior surfaces are either factory painted or anodized aluminum and are easily cleaned with a strong brush and a household detergent in water. Use household detergents for the baked enamel ceilings also or, in the case of stubborn spots, a household cleanser.

The deckhouse, and the hull above the water line of your Alcan 370 are painted with Vitoline, a vinyl finish produced by International Paints Limited.

You will find your Alcan 370 will keep the paint longer than other metal boats, because of the tenacious nature of the oxide film on the surface of the aluminum. Should the paint on the hull or deckhouse be chipped or scratched through rough treatment an immediate touch up is unnecessary unless it is unsightly because exposed aluminum will not discolour nor will it bleed and stain the paint below. Paint surrounding bare spots will remain firm on the aluminum since the oxide coat will not flake off as with ferrous metals. In time the surface of your boat will require repainting. However, the time to do this will be determined by your own tastes not because unpainted aluminum deteriorates.

ANTIFOULING: The following instructions are important to you as the owner of an aluminum hull.

Antifouling paints can be purchased with copper, mercury or lead bases, all of which are injurious to aluminum. International Paints offer "Tri-Lux" Antifouling Paints containing BIS (Tributyltin-oxide) as the antifouling ingredient, this is the system used on your Alcan 370. It is the one to be used again when repainting the bottom. You will note the finish has an appealing high gloss, is bright in appearance and because it is both hard and slick offers a good running bottom. Because antifouling paints sacrifice themselves to protect the bottom, repainting usually is required every other season.

Normal Antifouling Procedure:

Clean bottom surface of all dirt, oil, marine growth, etc. then apply two coats of Tri-Lux AntifouIing. Do not attempt to touch up bare spots with Interchrometch Primer since this will lift the surrounding paint.

Bottoms in Bad Condition:

Carefully sand off or use Pintoff #199 to remove old paint. Degrease aluminum thoroughly using a good commercial grade solvent. Apply one coat of Interchrometch Primer #577 and after one to two hours apply two coats of Tri-Lux Antifouling*.

*Produced by International Paints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 110 VAC power is supplied to the boat by two means: Ship to shore or by a 6.5 HP gasoline driven generator. Two ship to shore leads are required to operate simultaneously all electrical appliances and services. Each lead carries electricity to a 30 amp control panel allowing you to draw 60 amps from shore should it be available.

The starboard fuse box supplies 110 VAC lights and duplex receptacles. This circuit is protected by a safety sentry service device (ground fault interrupter) which will cut out in 25/1000 of a second on a short circuit of 5/1000 ampere. This device protects individuals from shorts caused by: a wet hand on a faulty appliance; a malfunctioning toaster, electric kettle or heating fan; or an electrician opening a duplex receptacle and reversing the polarity of the boat. The B.I.A. Engineering Manual recommends an electrical protection system for metal boats and the Alcan 370 has been designed and engineered to adhere to their high standards. The port 30 amp circuit which supplies the fixed equipment on the boat is not connected to a ground fault interrupter since all connections are factory made and are not easily accessible. The equipment in question are the refrigerator, stove and oven and the 110 VAC water heater.

DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS: In order to produce as seaworthy and safe a boat as possible the Alcan 370 adheres to B.I.A. recommendations and those recommended by Lloyds Registry of Shipping for pleasure craft. It is equipped with a manual bilge pump in the engine compartment and an automatic electric bilge pump located just forward of the engine compartment. In addition, the automatic pump that drains the shower will act as a bilge pump should water rise high enough to start it. The watertight bulkhead between the cabin and engine compartment ensures no leakage of gas fumes forward from the fuel tanks or engines into the living space of the boat.

SOUND DAMPENING: The Alcan 370 is a quiet boat because of the sound dampening characteristics of these features:

Foamed in place polyurethane in the forward part of the hull, along the hull sides, and across the engine compartment bulkhead.

Fibreglass insulation in the deckhouse walls and ceilings.

A 1/32 inch thick Cominco lead sheet shield attached to the engine compartment bulkhead.

Standard Equipment