Fiberglass Hulls
- Thread starter 1981ZigZag
- Start date
It is not the thickest fiberglass that counts but the total engineered strength. This can come from glassed in stringers, glassed bulkheads, as well as hull layup - eg material used and its orientation. Many of the thicker hulls from the past were resin rich which doesn't add strength.
If you want a bullet proof hull, find a 39ft Corbin from the early eighties. They can be had for a decent price.
Hull thickness has very little to do with which boat is better. Then there is the question of "better" for what?
This information means little without knowing where it is being measured...
80% of the hull wont be anywhere near that thick....
And a smaller boat wont be as thick as a larger boat....
Yes, and even more directly, you may want to know if it is all fiberglass or if there is some Kevlar layers for puncture resistance. Of course there is carbon fiber as well. Do a little reading on the F22 trimaran. That boat is built lightweight, and has a mix of fiberglass, Kevlar and Carbon Fiber. It just depends on what was best for the function. You don't want extra weight were you don't need it.
It's not the thickness that counts, its the type of layup and materials used along with the design of internal supports that matters. New composite like carbon fiber allow reduction of mass while gaining strength. The thicker the glass the heavier-and probably slower-it will be.
Even hull shape can make a difference in strength and stiffness. Big flat sections would need heavier layup than sharper curves.
It seems like the older glass boats generally built heavier. They might not have perfected the layups but they didn't skip or maybe they just didn't want to cut things to close because they were unsure of just how strong fiberglass was.
There is a great comfort in knowing that your boat's hull may be overbuilt, Steve.
It seems like the older glass boats generally built heavier. They might not have perfected the layups but they didn't skip or maybe they just didn't want to cut things to close because they were unsure of just how strong fiberglass was.
There is a great comfort in knowing that your boat's hull may be overbuilt, Steve.
Take it from a guy in the middle of blister repairs... If you can find something you like and in your price range that was constructed with vinyl-ester resin or epoxy resin (epoxy being the better of the two), because they don't absorb moisture like polyester resin. It will have to be a newer hull so it will be more expensive.
I'm not sure what year ranges that manufacturers started going to the better resins, I guess you'd have to do your homework. I'd like to never have to do a blister repair job again, so when I buy a bigger boat down the road I'm hoping I can find something after year 2000 made with epoxy.
I'm not sure what year ranges that manufacturers started going to the better resins, I guess you'd have to do your homework. I'd like to never have to do a blister repair job again, so when I buy a bigger boat down the road I'm hoping I can find something after year 2000 made with epoxy.
To me there would less comfort in knowing that they really didn't completely understand what they were doing.
Ok, I appreciate all the replys. Now whom can tell me Which one is the better liveaboard & blue water sailed?
And I really appreciate all the advice. I've sailed my 1981 Hunter 27 ft for years love it But I have a bigger family now and need more room
And I really appreciate all the advice. I've sailed my 1981 Hunter 27 ft for years love it But I have a bigger family now and need more room