Duties on Aluminum boats and Batteries

[kaelc]

Looks like the libs have dropped a 25% tariff on Aluminum boats from China and now batteries. Might be a good time to jump on any lithium batties people have been looking at? Hopefully, it's just limited to EV batties, but we'll see!

Can Canadian boat manufacturers slow the tide of cheap aluminum hulls with the tariff?

Is anyone getting quotes directly from the smaller BC builders these days on 24-footers? Buddy got a quote on a chinese one for 50k CAD including shipping to Vancouver with locking cabin, I warned him away but thankfully the tariffs put a knife in it. 75k seems like a tough price point for a BC builder, rigged with electrical and hydraulics but no electronics, batteries and power. The price of rigging, glass, doors and accessories in Canada likely pushes the prices well beyond 75K for a 24 foot hull?

 

[carpeweekend]

The tariff is also on raw aluminum which will raise the price that our own domestic boat builders will have to pay for aluminum. Even if they aren't using Chinese aluminum, the tariff will decrease supply to the North American market and consequently raise prices. Tariffs always end up costing the end consumer more.

 

[kaelc]

The tariff is also on raw aluminum which will raise the price that our own domestic boat builders will have to pay for aluminum. Even if they aren't using Chinese aluminum, the tariff will decrease supply to the North American market and consequently raise prices. Tariffs always end up costing the end consumer more.

If they get the target country to change behaviour the consumer pain can be less harmful then the economic pain of dumping in the long run.

I looked at the potential tariffs and it looks like it’s only on raw and prefabricated aluminum so I don’t think there is going to be a change for boat manufactures unless they buy Chinese aluminum.

 

[searun]

I'm pretty leery about thermal run-away on LI batteries, so despite their weight and charging benefits won't be buying any. While reasonably rare, thermal run-aways are a fact of life and a potential fire risk. Any fire risk on a vessel could turn south really quickly with limited options to save the vessel other than quickly removing that battery. Most batteries on vessels are located in hard to reach areas making quick removal almost impossible in an emergency situation.

 

[kaelc]

I'm pretty leery about thermal run-away on LI batteries, so despite their weight and charging benefits won't be buying any. While reasonably rare, thermal run-aways are a fact of life and a potential fire risk. Any fire risk on a vessel could turn south really quickly with limited options to save the vessel other than quickly removing that battery. Most batteries on vessels are located in hard to reach areas making quick removal almost impossible in an emergency situation.

Are there any cases of thermal runaway with lifep04 cells which are used in marine and rv batteries? I've looked into it and I haven't seen any evidence of it happening. There is one video on YouTube of a guy piercing a lifep04 battery, and it is starting to burn, but I haven't seen anything out there that there is anywhere near the risk on other batteries and even overcharged deep cycles. There is one video of a Scotter battery, but those are lithium exploding. often, they are cheap ones that are not UL or CSA-approved batteries.

 

[zurk]

lifepo4's will burn of course - but they burn similar to fiberglass. you have to heat them up to the point where the oxygen decomposes and then they burn like crazy. so avoid fires on board. 400 degrees onwards they will burn.
heres an honest look at it burning -