I'm considering one of these - a 26-ft not-too-young sailboat - and
I'm curious re its prospects for the long haul, incl what to look for/
at in a survey. Any surveyors around specializing in this? Any
insurance issues known?

I can't avoid the impression that they might be difficult to repair
well after some physical damage.

Any experiences, pointers, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks, all.

-AS

"ashore" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm considering one of these - a 26-ft not-too-young sailboat - and
I'm curious re its prospects for the long haul, incl what to look for/
at in a survey. Any surveyors around specializing in this? Any
insurance issues known?

I can't avoid the impression that they might be difficult to repair
well after some physical damage.

Any experiences, pointers, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks, all.

-AS



You might want to give more details about the boat... make, model, etc.
Boats vary in quality from the getgo.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

ashore wrote in news:1179668714.788551.200570
@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

Any experiences, pointers, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks, all.


http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

Go to Pascoe's main page for more information. He's one nasty SOB, just
the kind of surveyor you'd want to find fault with everything...(c;

I'd bet the boat manufacturers making this plastic crap would pay good
money to get his webpages off the net....

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

"Larry" wrote in message
...
ashore wrote in news:1179668714.788551.200570
@p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

Any experiences, pointers, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks, all.


http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

Go to Pascoe's main page for more information. He's one nasty SOB, just
the kind of surveyor you'd want to find fault with everything...(c;

I'd bet the boat manufacturers making this plastic crap would pay good
money to get his webpages off the net....

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

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.

ashore wrote:
I'm considering one of these - a 26-ft not-too-young sailboat - and
I'm curious re its prospects for the long haul, incl what to look for/
at in a survey. Any surveyors around specializing in this? Any
insurance issues known?

I can't avoid the impression that they might be difficult to repair
well after some physical damage.

Any experiences, pointers, etc. will be appreciated. Thanks, all.

-AS


An excerpt from Good Old Boat magazine:


http://www.smaalders.net/yacht_design/gobboatconst.html
Wooden Boat Construction

Repairs to cold-molded hull planking are
carried out by laminating new wood
directly in place, having beveled or
stepped back the edges of the damaged
area. If the damage is extensive,
temporary internal framing may be
required to help define the shape of the
hull, and to support the new planking as
it is being glued and fastened in place.

If a cold-molded hull has many internal
stringers and these are damaged, they
must also be repaired. As with the
repair of frames on a carvel planked
hull, gaining access is often the most
difficult task. With cold-molded hulls
damaged frames and longitudinal
stringers can be cut back and new wood
laminated directly in place. Backbone
repairs on these hulls generally have
the same complications as do those on
strip planked hulls.


+++++++

A Google search will turn up other
references. Good luck.

Chuck

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Cold-molding covers a lot of ground, so it would be nice to know what
you are looking at. The two most common techniques going by that name
are diagonal planked veneers and strip planked timber, but there are
others. These are one off or small run construction methods and the
results will vary from builder to builder but when well done the
results can be lighter, stiffer, stronger and more durable than
conventional glass construction. Things you need to look for depend
on the construction method. As with any boat you should sound for
voids and look at the bulkhead/hull joins, engine mounts and so on.
Cold-molded boats are typically built using epoxy glue. The chemistry
of epoxy is critical and I've seen master boat builders make bad
batches. There is no easy way to tell if the glue hasn't gone off
inside the laminate so you have to trust that the builder kept track
of this when building. You may get a clue about the level of care
that the builder took by inspecting the detailing in the normally
hidden bits of the boat -- take a mirror and small, but powerful
flashlight and look and feel everywhere. Also, check for rot,
particularly in any parts that are pierced by fasteners and in
plywood bulkheads. In a general way, repairs in wood are easier and
more pleasant than repairs of glass, but YMMV. Since the boat is
built with glue and wood fiber (and typically a man-made fiber
covering) you can call it "composite construction" when talking with
your insurance company.

-- Tom.

"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.

Chuck wrote in news:1179687707_17657
@sp12lax.superfeed.net:

Wooden Boat Construction


If you want that boat fixed, we got that covered in Charleston:

http://www.seaislandboatworks.com/
Mark Bayne and the other shipwrights do great work, most impressive.
Take a tour around the website. They're are also heavily involved in the
building of the Spirit of South Carolina, our new state tall ship.

It's easy to spot Mark's sport fisherman yachts in the pack of plastic
burning up the diesel to get to the fishing in the morning. The lighter
wooden boats are the ones passing the plastic ones....(c;

The parties they throw when turning a new hull over with the help of us
locals is not to be missed! It makes YOU part of the process and is
great fun....a throwback to much older times.

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

What does "Cold-Molded" mean?

"294578" wrote in message
...
What does "Cold-Molded" mean?


It refers to boats made of layers of wood bonded with glues (generally
epoxies) which do not require the application of external heat.
Differentiated from the old plywood construction method (for example, WWII
PT boats) which used glues that set only when pressed and heated.

Cold molding can be done with strips of solid wood, such as cedar, or with
plywood. More often than not, it is finished with an outer layer of
fiberglass cloth and resin.