hull fatigue ?

[kkid]

A friend bought a used 1998 Grady White 272. He commented that he would replace the GW is 5 or 6 years for fear that the hull/transom would be worn out. I think this fear is unfounded. Certainly the boat has not been subjected nor will be subjected to much harsh treatment. Any comments on hull/transom life.

 

[oops!]

Re: hull fatigue ?

there is no such thing as a bad boat.....just bad owners.....20 year old boats can be in far better condition than 5 year old boats

it the boat is mistreated very badly....and left to the elements...(and there is a really bad few years) then yes the wooden sections of the boat might be bad....

however....its a grady....you should get 20 years outta the hull with average care before you even start to see signs of rot in any wooden sections.

the hull is self will still be fine....generally speaking....when boats fail....people blame the fiberglass....or the hull......but its not the glass or the hull....its the rotten wood in the boat in the stringers...and the transom or deck that has failed......

proof of this is that the land fills are full of fiberglass hulls...the wood is rotted away...just bare shells.... a bazillion of them....but there they sit..in perfect condition...just as theu came out of the mold 40 years ago

soooo.....in answer to your question his fears are unfounded if he takes a reasonable amount of care of the boat....
but that doesnt mean you cant agree with him....and as a friend helping a friend... haul away that worthless peice of junk at no charge to him

 

[dingbat]

Re: hull fatigue ?

Lots of 30 year old Grady's still ply the waters.

My 1985 was a solid as a rock when I sold it 5 years ago. Saw it at the marina in OC a couple of weeks back. It?s still plying the waters of the Atlantic after 23 years of service.

My current boat is a 1997 and it's as strong today and the day it hit the water. It will take a heck of a lot more of a beating that I can anymore.

Have him head over to greatgrady.com and bring up this crazy idea. Trading up in size is the most common reason for selling a Grady

I've done it twice

 

[Chris1956]

Re: hull fatigue ?

While I agree with most of what oops said, there are other components to boat construction. On the boats that employ foam floatation, this foam can constitute a structural component of the craft. If it is improperly installed, or is capable of being compressed or disolves, the lack of support for the hull can lead to hull failure.

My '88 SeaRay had the hull crack along the length of a strake. The strake was only suppported by the foam(which is generally how it is done), which appeared to either become compressed allowing the hull to flex until it failed, or the foam had a void next to the hull, again allowing the failure.

I am not sure how you could detect this kind of condition, prior to failure.