"KLC Lewis" wrote in
et:

If I remember correctly, that article was published in Professional
Boat Builder Magazine several years ago. On a recent episode of
"Shipshape Boating" John Greviskis toured the Boston Whaler factory
where they proudly displayed how they construct their boats -- mostly
with chopper guns. But even that is a durned sight better than the
modern putty boat.




I met a couple of the local chopper gun operators from a couple local
boat manufacturers in Charleston. They just spray it on like paint.
That CAN'T be as good as several layers of real fiberglass, whos mat
gives it real strength.

One of my friends commandeered my little Sea Rayder jetboat when I went
to visit them on their Hatteras 56 motor yacht at Ashley Marina. The
clothes dryer had clogged up its overboard vent and it was not accessible
from the deck to get the deflector off it to look down its gullet. So,
we stood on the bow of my jetboat and took it apart. The deflector had
made a fuzz plug completely blocking the flow down into the hose.

While the deflector was off, about 6" below the main deck line, I pointed
out to Dan how THICK the hull of this real fiberglass boat was even way
up at the deck level. I stuck my forefinger in to measure its thickness
and the hull was actually THICKER than my forefinger is long!....SOLID
FIBERGLASS with lots of layers you could see because this hole had been
drilled out with a hole saw. I'd ride that boat in any seas....I can
only imagine how thick it is at the keel! No wonder it weighs 55 tons!

I watched the hauling crane struggle to lift it out of the water,
creaking and groaning, at the boatyard. I felt a lot better after it was
on terra firma. The straps they lifted it with looked just awful worn
out. A Hatteras sport fisherman got loose from Buzzard's Roost Marina in
one of our recent hurricanes, floated out of the marina and headed out to
sea down river to crash up against the pilings protecting the old swing
bridge. It bashed those pilings for hours in pretty big wind waves,
tearing the pilings to shreds. The Hat lost its bimini top and some
above deck hardware....but the hull was unscathed! THAT'S Fiberglass...
(c;

Larry
--
Grade School Physics Factoid:
A building cannot freefall into its own footprint without
skilled demolition.