Adrian Smith wrote:

How long should a modern GRP hull lasts as compared to one made 10 years
ago?

And how old is considered too old when taking a boat offshore into
potential rough conditions?


Nic 32s were first made more than 40 years ago and are still making
trans-oceanic voyages. They were designed using scantlings scaled for
timber construction, and the assumption was that if it looked a bit skinny
it was better to beef it up a bit. Of course, a modern hull is very
different.

I would suggest the question should not be how it lasts, but how well it has
been designed and built.

I would be very happy to take some modern boats round the world (if I wanted
to, which I don't). Others I would be unhappy taking out of harbour if the
weather looked nasty.