A boat that has a cored hull ? More directly a boat that has a cored hull BELOW the water line? I have done some research on it and looking for other thoughts or ideas on pros and cons. Thanks
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Possibly
I'm not a real fan of cored hulls, but if I found a boat that I really liked that had a cored hull, I wouldn't discount it for that reason. I would take extra precautions prior to purchase though and you can bet a real good surveyor with special attention given to the hull.
I'm not a real fan of cored hulls, but if I found a boat that I really liked that had a cored hull, I wouldn't discount it for that reason. I would take extra precautions prior to purchase though and you can bet a real good surveyor with special attention given to the hull.
Did that.
Bought a 1979 C&C 34 at auction...and did just about everything wrong that knowledgeable people will tell you to do....and as they say 'better to be lucky than good'. No survey, nothing working, no moisture meter, lightning struck (on dry land), not sure if all the rigging was intact....etc. I've been lucky though, yanmar works flawlessly, old roller furling main works well, Profurler is a good thing, bulkheads are solid, and only a couple of antique blister repairs. You see, I found THEE boat that moved my heart, I bought it...and I continue to lavish it with money and not look back. IMHO A lot of the cored hulls that fail are likely due in part to the neglect of owners....allowing the bilge water to accumulate, ignoring the bottom paint, etc. I am not sure if I'd consider purchasing Firestone Tires, given the bad rap that they had..and all the publicity that the failed ones received....but if I did you can bet they wouldn't be underinflated.
Bought a 1979 C&C 34 at auction...and did just about everything wrong that knowledgeable people will tell you to do....and as they say 'better to be lucky than good'. No survey, nothing working, no moisture meter, lightning struck (on dry land), not sure if all the rigging was intact....etc. I've been lucky though, yanmar works flawlessly, old roller furling main works well, Profurler is a good thing, bulkheads are solid, and only a couple of antique blister repairs. You see, I found THEE boat that moved my heart, I bought it...and I continue to lavish it with money and not look back. IMHO A lot of the cored hulls that fail are likely due in part to the neglect of owners....allowing the bilge water to accumulate, ignoring the bottom paint, etc. I am not sure if I'd consider purchasing Firestone Tires, given the bad rap that they had..and all the publicity that the failed ones received....but if I did you can bet they wouldn't be underinflated.
Owned one. Might again...
The advantages to a cored hull is that it is stiffer for a given weight, and that it better insulates. Many Freedoms, J Boats, C&Cs, and Hinterhollers have cored hulls. People fear water intrusion into the core. From what I've seen, this happens less with hulls than with decks, because *generally* builders completely encapsulate the core in the hull, builders void the core where they plan any hardware going through, and owners don't add holes to the hull. In contrast, most decks have hundreds of items piercing their core, and -- sure enough -- soft decks are a chronic problem on older boats, typically around handrails, turning blocks, or other hardware that pierces the core. I would buy a cored hull again if the builder had a good reputation for its construction techniques, the construction didn't leave the core exposed at any point, and a survey turned up no signs of water intrusion.
The advantages to a cored hull is that it is stiffer for a given weight, and that it better insulates. Many Freedoms, J Boats, C&Cs, and Hinterhollers have cored hulls. People fear water intrusion into the core. From what I've seen, this happens less with hulls than with decks, because *generally* builders completely encapsulate the core in the hull, builders void the core where they plan any hardware going through, and owners don't add holes to the hull. In contrast, most decks have hundreds of items piercing their core, and -- sure enough -- soft decks are a chronic problem on older boats, typically around handrails, turning blocks, or other hardware that pierces the core. I would buy a cored hull again if the builder had a good reputation for its construction techniques, the construction didn't leave the core exposed at any point, and a survey turned up no signs of water intrusion.
Misconception about cored hulls
From some of the prior responses, I think there may be some misunderstanding. If properly built out of contemporary materials, a cored hull is as strong if not more so than a solid hull. Without going way "overboard" here, just take a look at some of the companies who use cored hulls - Moody, Hylas, Pacific Seacraft, Gozzard, etc... Not bad company to keep. Don
From some of the prior responses, I think there may be some misunderstanding. If properly built out of contemporary materials, a cored hull is as strong if not more so than a solid hull. Without going way "overboard" here, just take a look at some of the companies who use cored hulls - Moody, Hylas, Pacific Seacraft, Gozzard, etc... Not bad company to keep. Don
Just bought one
Really depends on who made it and how well it's been cared for. I just bought a Freedom 30, cored hull and all, and the survey found no water in the hull. All the through hulls go through solid glass, and that's where most hulls leak, if they're going to leak. Hinterhoeller (Nonsuch, Niagara) also built good cored hulls.
Really depends on who made it and how well it's been cared for. I just bought a Freedom 30, cored hull and all, and the survey found no water in the hull. All the through hulls go through solid glass, and that's where most hulls leak, if they're going to leak. Hinterhoeller (Nonsuch, Niagara) also built good cored hulls.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chances are that boat is 20 Years old. Who owned it? How did they maintain it? When was the last time the below water line parts were rebed? In what were they rebed? Remember that most inboard boats have some water in the bilge all the time. Polyester resin is more porous than gel coat. It is more porous and as an interior liner it is much thinner than the hull layup. If the interior hull of the boat was not coated in epoxy barrier coat early on in it's life, question the saturation through the polyester resin into the core. If you can not answer these questions and the survey in inconclusive, the answer is NO!!!!!!!!!! r.w.landau
Chances are that boat is 20 Years old. Who owned it? How did they maintain it? When was the last time the below water line parts were rebed? In what were they rebed? Remember that most inboard boats have some water in the bilge all the time. Polyester resin is more porous than gel coat. It is more porous and as an interior liner it is much thinner than the hull layup. If the interior hull of the boat was not coated in epoxy barrier coat early on in it's life, question the saturation through the polyester resin into the core. If you can not answer these questions and the survey in inconclusive, the answer is NO!!!!!!!!!! r.w.landau
Pete, Now what are you up to?
Pete, This is dave. What crazy scheme are you up to now? Did you find a trawler with a cored hull? Is this another repo yard wreck you plan to fix up? Give us some more details to better respond. Dave S/V Windward Jan
Pete, This is dave. What crazy scheme are you up to now? Did you find a trawler with a cored hull? Is this another repo yard wreck you plan to fix up? Give us some more details to better respond. Dave S/V Windward Jan
No Misconception At All!
There is no misconception or misunderstanding at all about cored hulls. If one could go to Canada and plop down 500 thousand for a new Gozzard, a cored hull wouldn't be a consideration at all as there would be a factory warrenty connected with the purchase. But, if your looking at an older boat with a known cored hull, regardless of make, it would be less than prudent (no offense here Russell) to lay out a 100 thousand more or less and not take the core into consideration. Like R.W. says, you don't have any idea of the maintenance that it has had over the years. It would really hurt my feelings and pocket book to spend that much money on a boat and find out later that it was going to cost me the price of the original purchase to repair core damage. There are hundreds if not thousands of boats on the market with cored hulls. One out of a hundred could have core damage and with my luck, I would be the one to buy it. There are a lot of folks out there with white elephants on their hands trying to find some sucker. I'll stand by what I said, I wouldn't discount a boat that I really liked due to it having a cored hull, but you can bet your last dollar that before I laid out any money that the hull would get a through going over by a competent surveyor. Kind of falls into the area of buyer beware!
There is no misconception or misunderstanding at all about cored hulls. If one could go to Canada and plop down 500 thousand for a new Gozzard, a cored hull wouldn't be a consideration at all as there would be a factory warrenty connected with the purchase. But, if your looking at an older boat with a known cored hull, regardless of make, it would be less than prudent (no offense here Russell) to lay out a 100 thousand more or less and not take the core into consideration. Like R.W. says, you don't have any idea of the maintenance that it has had over the years. It would really hurt my feelings and pocket book to spend that much money on a boat and find out later that it was going to cost me the price of the original purchase to repair core damage. There are hundreds if not thousands of boats on the market with cored hulls. One out of a hundred could have core damage and with my luck, I would be the one to buy it. There are a lot of folks out there with white elephants on their hands trying to find some sucker. I'll stand by what I said, I wouldn't discount a boat that I really liked due to it having a cored hull, but you can bet your last dollar that before I laid out any money that the hull would get a through going over by a competent surveyor. Kind of falls into the area of buyer beware!
To Russell and Dale
Sorry guys, in my diatribe my fingers got to moving faster than my brain. I meant no offense Dale!
Sorry guys, in my diatribe my fingers got to moving faster than my brain. I meant no offense Dale!
JB, RW, and Don...
Most cored hulls are solid layup on the centerline and keel stub. A boat that has gone long periods of time with standing water above the sump likely has other issues, such as rotten floors, compression posts, and bulkheads. (A boat that doesn't have a keel sump raises other issues.) Maintenance for a cored hull is different than for a solid hull only if the core is pierced, either on purpose or by accidental. I agree whole-heartedly that a purchase survey should sound the hull, and that any boat whose coring extends to places where the hull is pierced, whether by a sloppy builder or owner modification, raises a large red flag. That said, there are a lot of very nice twenty and thirty year-old boats with cored hulls. The one in the picture will cost you $140K. Don, I think Pacific Seacraft uses solid layup for its boats. Do you know of specific models that are cored?
Most cored hulls are solid layup on the centerline and keel stub. A boat that has gone long periods of time with standing water above the sump likely has other issues, such as rotten floors, compression posts, and bulkheads. (A boat that doesn't have a keel sump raises other issues.) Maintenance for a cored hull is different than for a solid hull only if the core is pierced, either on purpose or by accidental. I agree whole-heartedly that a purchase survey should sound the hull, and that any boat whose coring extends to places where the hull is pierced, whether by a sloppy builder or owner modification, raises a large red flag. That said, there are a lot of very nice twenty and thirty year-old boats with cored hulls. The one in the picture will cost you $140K. Don, I think Pacific Seacraft uses solid layup for its boats. Do you know of specific models that are cored?
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Don't know...
of any boat that has captured my interest that has a cored hull. I don't know that I would or would not but a boat soley based on whether it has a cored hull. To me, there are a lot of other dependendies.
of any boat that has captured my interest that has a cored hull. I don't know that I would or would not but a boat soley based on whether it has a cored hull. To me, there are a lot of other dependendies.
To Russell
Great looking boat. Now, if I was in the market, that's one that I would probably be interested in checking out.
Great looking boat. Now, if I was in the market, that's one that I would probably be interested in checking out.
Don, you're right. Mostly...
You made me curious, so I went and looked at the Pacific Seacraft website. Here is what it says about the PS 40: "The hull bottom is solid fiberglass up to the design waterline. The hull topsides are cored above the waterline. [This] augments panel stiffness, and increases thermal and sound insulation." I don't think they core the topsides in any of their smaller boats.
You made me curious, so I went and looked at the Pacific Seacraft website. Here is what it says about the PS 40: "The hull bottom is solid fiberglass up to the design waterline. The hull topsides are cored above the waterline. [This] augments panel stiffness, and increases thermal and sound insulation." I don't think they core the topsides in any of their smaller boats.
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