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Old 08-02-2012, 12:15 AM   #4
ksanders
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City: SEWARD ALASKA
Vessel Name: DOS PECES
Vessel Model: BAYLINER 4788
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,267
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodsong View Post
Coring, whether it be cored hull or cored decks refers to the construction technique of sandwiching lightweight but strong materials in between layers of fiberglass. Many, many, many boats, i.e. almost all boats, have cored topsides either in the form of cored decks, cored cabin super structure, etc. Some have coring below the water line, some don't. There are multiple materials used for coring with the most common material being balsa. It is strong, durable and lightweight as long as it is not exposed to water and then it turns to mush. Modern coring utilizes synthetic materials that do not obsorb water and don't rot. The typical compromise is no coring below the waterline but then use coring on decks, etc. to save weight. Coring is not a bad thing as long as it is appropriately utilized and protected from water intrusion.
Tony, as you know both your Bayliner 4588, my 4788, the 5288, and the 5788 utilized a vaccume bagged foam core in the hulls. This practice was continued into the meridian lineup as well.

The fleet is approaching 30 years of service for the older units, and as far as I can tell, there has never been a documented case of a hull delamination on these large Bayliners.

Not a bad record.

There's another advantage. Even in the cold waters of Alaska, with our muggy summers, these hulls do not sweat like the non cored hulls are known to do.
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