"imagineero" wrote in message
oups.com...
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 had a friend in Los Angeles harbor who had a ferro cutter. Samson hull,
built hell for stout (railroad tie for her stem and keel, completely encased
in concrete), the finishwork primarily built like a house with douglas fir
and pine heavily soaked in Cuprinol. Even had a full-sized household type
refrigerator in the galley. The boat was very heavy and under-rigged -- it
wasn't happy with less than 25 knots of wind, would stand on her feet
through 45 knots and all sails up. No matter how much chop and wind there
was outside, down below it was quiet as a tomb. A 50 hp diesel pushed her at
hull speed through any conditions I ever saw on that boat, steady as a rock.

Don't know that all ferro boats are like that, but it was quite comforting
in my early "return to sailing" days back in the mid 90's. It was also very
frustrating trying to sail in Southern California's typical "Light and
Variable" winds. Comparatively, my CT41 ketch would sail at hull speed with
10-12 knots of wind and all sails up.

Karin