FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

[Bubba1235]

Very interesting read from a pro surveyor.

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

 

[KurtG]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

That was a somewhat alarming read. I wish there were some year models associated with the hulls he was talking about.

Thankfully, my boat (Henry O McKee) appears to be a hand laid fiberglass mat tank, but it is a late 80s model.

 

[kandil]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

Wow this is scary we have apparently entered the era of the Putty Boat.
I wonder how can you tell if your boat is a real FG

 

[kandil]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

Hi Bubba speaking off hole in the hull did you buy the boat with the large hole?

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

i wouldnt be to worried. David Pascoe makes a business of crying wolf and has been around for while
he throws gas on a fire but never seems to show up with any water to help any one put it out

 

[chiefalen]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

I guess i will stop crying about how heavy my boat is now !

 

[cbavier]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

Wow this is scary we have apparently entered the era of the Putty Boat.
I wonder how can you tell if your boat is a real FG

It only stands to reason that something has to give in the construction of the newer, lighter boats. They are wider than the older boats by 6 inches and lighter by several hundred pounds. My old 1986 Four Winns Horizon 190 in my Avatar weights 2900 LBS dry. Check out the weight of the newer boats and compare. The same with cars. They are a little smaller than the older ones and weigh several hundred pounds less. Plastic has replaced sheet metal and steel.
The same is true in the manufacture of RV's. The solid oak of older RV's is now Oak venier over thin composit or plywood. They are hundreds of pounds lighter than the older rigs. Quality is sacrificed for weight.
I cut a piece out of my boat on both sides a couple years ago to enlarge access to a storage area under the seats in the bow and the REAL FIBREGLASS was at least 1/8 inch thick.

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

He (Dave Pascoe) is one of the more experience boat surveyors out there. Sure he paints a bad picture due to the crap that was built in the past. He expects just like we should a better built boat and he is hard on the manufacturers that use stupid building techniques.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

There have good boats and bad boats built since day one, the old boats that are still around are the better built ones, the junk ones are now in land fills so you don't see them. There is some concern in what he says, but he does make money off publishing this stuff.

People always want faster, lighter, more efficient and lower cost boats, some of these boats may not be as durable as a slower, heavier, less efficient and more costly ones. Just pick the type you want.

 

[dingbat]

Re: FiberGlass??? Boats, an interesting read

People always want faster, lighter, more efficient and lower cost boats, some of these boats may not be a durable as a slower, heavier, less efficient and more costly ones.

A more "durable" boat need not be any heavier, slower, or less efficient than any other boat. The only difference is the cost.

Face it, most people care less about the construction of the hull than they do about the color of the carpet and the loudness of the stereo. They don't care that the hull is made from laminated cardboard as long as the boat looks good from the outside and the payment is less than $xxx per month.

The industry is more than happy to make cheap, disposable boats for these consumers.