You are out of your mind, Steel is much easier nd cheaper to repair and
can be repaired in most ports around the world.

Fiberglass can be repaired with stuff from Lowes. You don't
even need to be in port. You don't need a welding machine.
Patches or rolls of fiberglass cloth & jugs of resin are a
lot easier to stow than spare steel plates, and they are
much easier to form into the desired shape.


Frank Boettcher wrote:
Having made my living for a while as a welder (on offshore deck
sections) and having done a lot of glass work and chased a lot of core
rot, I'd say it depends on the type of repair. If I needed to repair
a holed hull, steel gets the vote for easier and more reliable.

Since it takes years of specialized study & practice to
become a welder, why would you say it's easier?

Mor reliable... depends on your perspective I guess. I've
done a lot of QA work on pressure vessel welding. Most of
the best welders I've worked with are bikers... don't know
why that is.


... I
would not trust any yard in my area to do a holed (particularly below
the water line) hull in glass.

I wouldn't either. I'd do it myself.


.... If you don't feather back the edges
properly and back lap the repair, there will be a weak spot do to the
loss of the monolithic nature of the woven roving, mat and cloth. Not
sure I would ever trust it. Not an issue with steel.


A weld can never be as strong as the original metal. A
properly done fiberglass repair can be stronger than the
original... in fact, it can be a problem if you make the
patch too stiff because that throws more stress to the other
areas of the hull.

Looks to me like you guys who are already welders have a lot
of faith in metal... that's good. OTOH it would be
interesting to see your opinion after studying a text on
composite engineering. I have done minor fiberglass work for
many years, but recently decided to learn more about it &
the best books seem to be focussed on aviation.


That said, I'd still rather have a glass boat. Did someone mention
rust as an issue?


Why no. Is rust a problem for steel boats?? Who'd a thunk
it?

DSK