interesting science question

[sandman]

but hey at least it dosent rust lol

[pyromaniac]

I had thsi question too i thought it ment how would you prevent rust while the ship is being built. So in my head i was like build it on land duh!

[Pilgrimman]

If you can't see, it's because you had a blinding flash of the obvious!

[frankrede]

Damn, that would be an awful big ship if it is big enough to carry a sea!

I suppose you meant a "sea-going" ship?

The "cheaply" part is the most important part of the question. In this case "cheaply" translates to "how it is actually done in practice" since "in practice" is basically the same as "cheaply".

Like everyone else said, ya paint it and attach sacrificial electrodes. It is the only cheap solution.

But those would eventually wear out?
and over time they would need to be replaced, while a wood ship would never rust, seeing that it isn't made of metal.

Nope, wood sucks as a building material. How many modern commercial ships are being built out of wood?

Wood rots in water. Untreated wood looses almost all of what little strength it has after submersion in water for just a few weeks.

Worms, and other organisms, eat wood.

How do you hold the wood in place? Wooden pegs? Any type of metal fastener will be very difficult to protect since most of the fastener is inaccessible.

So, the wood won't rust but it'll fail for a dozen other reasons long before a metal hull would.

With proper paint and a sacrificial electrode a steel hull ship will last essentially forever.

The next best materials to use for the hull of a large ship, after metals, is probably concrete, then fiberglass or other plastics.

But the question only asks for a "rust-proof" ship.
I know a steel ship would be better in every aspect, but wood answers the question the simplest.

[jimmy101]

But the question only asks for a "rust-proof" ship.
I know a steel ship would be better in every aspect, but wood answers the question the simplest.

Actuall, the question is "How would you rust proof a large sea-bearing ship? cheaply"

So "simple" isn't relevant. A wood ship would be rust proof but it would not be cheap.

[joannaardway]

Actuall, the question is "How would you rust proof a large sea-bearing ship? cheaply"

Well, equally, by that definition, the rust proofing on a wooden boat is free. It doesn't specify that the boat has to be cheap.

And equally, most methods of rust proofing either take a lot of labour, or expensive materials. Rust-proofing isn't ever "cheap". Take a set of zinc anodes for a small narrow boat. A complete set of 4 will take quite a lot of money. And that's for a 50ft long boat that isnt in salt water.

For a large sea-bearing ship the cost would be higher for a set, then need replacing quite often as well.

[jimmy101]

No, the rust proofing on a wooden boat isn't free, unless you put it together with wooden pegs or glue. How do you keep the nails or screws from rusting? If they were galvanized, then how do you replentish the hidden surfaces as the galvanization coat dissolves? So, the wooden hull will require a coat of paint to protect both the wood and the metal fasteners.

Rust proofing is as cheap as painting. Sacrificial electrodes are just added protection. A couple big hunks of zinc don't cost much. Zinc is cheap. (In the US the $0.01 coin is copper plated zinc since zinc is a lot cheaper than copper.)

If the entire hull is a single conductive piece then only one sacrificial electrode is needed. In the paint coat is intact then no sacrifical electrodes are needed.

Aluminum can also be used in place of zinc. (Aluminum is usually used as the sacrificial electrode in home water systems.)

[Novacastrian]

No, the rust proofing on a wooden boat isn't free, unless you put it together with wooden pegs or glue. How do you keep the nails or screws from rusting? If they were galvanized, then how do you replentish the hidden surfaces as the galvanization coat dissolves? So, the wooden hull will require a coat of paint to protect both the wood and the metal fasteners.

Rust proofing is as cheap as painting. Sacrificial electrodes are just added protection. A couple big hunks of zinc don't cost much. Zinc is cheap. (In the US the $0.01 coin is copper plated zinc since zinc is a lot cheaper than copper.)

If the entire hull is a single conductive piece then only one sacrificial electrode is needed. In the paint coat is intact then no sacrifical electrodes are needed.

Aluminum can also be used in place of zinc. (Aluminum is usually used as the sacrificial electrode in home water systems.)

Boat builders used copper nails, and lovely handcrafted joints like dovetails and the like.

[TurboSuper]

They were selling this device at Canadian Tire which supposedly rust-proofs your car with electricity just by connecting it to the frame.

Not really sure how it works, and most of the "gadgetry" they sell at CT is ripoff bullshit, but if it did work, I suppose that would be pretty cheap.

[Marco321]

They were selling this device at Canadian Tire which supposedly rust-proofs your car with electricity just by connecting it to the frame.

Not really sure how it works, and most of the "gadgetry" they sell at CT is ripoff bullshit, but if it did work, I suppose that would be pretty cheap.

Hey
That method provides electrons to the metal irons, turning them back into solid, preventing corrosion. It is used alot in industry

[williamfeldmann]

The cheaply needs to be a long term effect or the question doesn't make sense. It would be useless to rustproof something for a month and then not care.

All ships, need painted for protection, either with paint or pitch or other protective finish, so that cost is the same for all ships. Coating the hull with another metal like aluminum, zinc, copper, whatever would cost an amazing amount of money and energy, and would also need replaced from time to time unless.... anodes are used. And by the way, the US Navy spends nearly a billion dollars a year in "sea-proofing" their fleet (granted it is a lot of ships) but that is paint and anodes almost exclusively.

A wood ship would cost more to build today than a metal ship but with proper care, meaning the drydocking for painting, a wooden ship could last much longer than a metal ship. And if you are particularly worried about the fastening method, use stainless steel spikes. They don't cost much more. There are several species of wood (cedar and cypress to name a few) that are nearly impervious to rot. A little over a year ago, the 175+ year old dam in my hometown was being torn out and replaced by concrete. I bought 10 10"x10" white oak and southern pine beams that had been under water for nearly 200 years and planed a 1/4" off each face and they look like new. I am going to run them to a sawmill and have lumber made for my furniture business with them.

[TurboSuper]

They were selling this device at Canadian Tire which supposedly rust-proofs your car with electricity just by connecting it to the frame.

Not really sure how it works, and most of the "gadgetry" they sell at CT is ripoff bullshit, but if it did work, I suppose that would be pretty cheap.

Hey
That method provides electrons to the metal irons, turning them back into solid, preventing corrosion. It is used alot in industry

Ah, cool. I figured it had something to do with that, but thanks for the info. I'm assuming you'd need alot of juice to work on a ship, though,

[Marco321]

They were selling this device at Canadian Tire which supposedly rust-proofs your car with electricity just by connecting it to the frame.

Not really sure how it works, and most of the "gadgetry" they sell at CT is ripoff bullshit, but if it did work, I suppose that would be pretty cheap.

Hey
That method provides electrons to the metal irons, turning them back into solid, preventing corrosion. It is used alot in industry

Ah, cool. I figured it had something to do with that, but thanks for the info. I'm assuming you'd need alot of juice to work on a ship, though,

I believe not as much as you think. I believe it has to do with the e-naught values of the particular metals, not the amount of metal. But i could be wrong.

[rna_duelers]

Make the boat hull from a composite,like a polymer or carbon fiber.There is NO cost in rust proofing a boat if it doesn't require it.

[Novacastrian]

The cheaply needs to be a long term effect or the question doesn't make sense. It would be useless to rustproof something for a month and then not care.

All ships, need painted for protection, either with paint or pitch or other protective finish, so that cost is the same for all ships. Coating the hull with another metal like aluminum, zinc, copper, whatever would cost an amazing amount of money and energy, and would also need replaced from time to time unless.... anodes are used. And by the way, the US Navy spends nearly a billion dollars a year in "sea-proofing" their fleet (granted it is a lot of ships) but that is paint and anodes almost exclusively.

A wood ship would cost more to build today than a metal ship but with proper care, meaning the drydocking for painting, a wooden ship could last much longer than a metal ship. And if you are particularly worried about the fastening method, use stainless steel spikes. They don't cost much more. There are several species of wood (cedar and cypress to name a few) that are nearly impervious to rot. A little over a year ago, the 175+ year old dam in my hometown was being torn out and replaced by concrete. I bought 10 10"x10" white oak and southern pine beams that had been under water for nearly 200 years and planed a 1/4" off each face and they look like new. I am going to run them to a sawmill and have lumber made for my furniture business with them.

Thankyou William