imagineero wrote:
Hi all,
not wanting to start a holy war or anything, and not really too
interested in hearing the cons of ferrocement boats - im sure we've
all heard plenty of that already ;-)

Ive heard a couple of people say that ferrocement boats have some
merit as a liveaboard, but i havent been able to work out what it
is.... od they have a steady motion on the water? Are they quieter
than other boats?

Id really be interested in getting feedback from anyone who has lived
aboard a ferrocement boat and has something good to say about it....
these boats come up for sale every now and then in aus, and usually
cheap! While every indicidual boat has its plusses and minuses, it
would be nice to know a few general things about them~

Thanks,
Shaun

I haven't "lived" on a ferro yacht, but have spent some considerable time
sailing on one.

This one is owned by "the world's greatest aero engine manufacturer" and as
such is used as a training and team-building sailing experience by their
training department. She sails from March through to October regularly, is
immaculately maintained, has a full-time skipper, and looks better now than
when she was newly-built by their apprentices as a project in the early
seventies.

She is heavy, displaces around 30 tons on a 47-foot LOA hull, and has a
delightful motion when sailing (you can use the heads in comfort in a force
eight gale). She is powered by an newish 160hp Volvo diesel, manouvres well
for her size/weight, has raced recently, but not very successfully, and
sleeps 10. She is ketch-rigged. She covers around 8-10,000 nm per year and
has been round Britain and cruised extensively to Scandinavia in the past 8
years.

As a liveaboard, I reckon you would find such a vessel hard to beat, so long
as you maintained her and didn't skimp the annual refit/relaunch. As an
ex-racing man I was surprised how well she sailed.

If you can pick up such a vessel at the right price, whatever that is, and
put up with the fact that these yachts were not built for speed, but
comfort, I reckon you would land yorself an ideal liveaboard.

Hope this helps!

Best of luck!

Dennis.