Pascoe’s discussion of cored costruction

[ksanders]

I’ll join you. We have a cored hull! :lol:

My Bayliner 4788 has a cored hull as well.

Around a thousand 4788’s were manufactured to the best of my knowledge.

None of them has suffered a core deamination.

I actually own, and have read two of Pascoe’s books. The man was very knowledgable, but like anybody else had opinions that were not always correct.

 

[South of Heaven]

I’ll join you. We have a cored hull! :lol:

It'll be a party!

 

[BandB]

My Bayliner 4788 has a cored hull as well.

Around a thousand 4788’s were manufactured to the best of my knowledge.

None of them has suffered a core deamination.

I actually own, and have read two of Pascoe’s books. The man was very knowledgable, but like anybody else had opinions that were not always correct.

That was one of the things Orin Edson was most proud of, that none of the boats he'd ever built had ever suffered a delamination. Someone mentioned that Pascoe loved Bertram. Well, they can't say that as they had a rash of delaminations, most in more recent years than much of Pascoe's writing.

 

[psneeld]

The Bertrams I worked on that were past 2000 were a breed apart from their early models.

 

[rsn48]

I echo sentiments here, its not about how an older boat is built but how it has stood up to the test of time. My boat is fiberglass over wood, original build. The layer of fiberglass is very thin. I read here a couple of guys ridiculing fiberglass over wood, especially if the fiberglass is thin. One guy joked some FG looks like it has been painted on, he is describing my boat.

So I was worried about my boat. But realize many here are experts on subjects they really know nothing about. My boat is 50 years old, possibly more. The reason for that thin application of fiberglass was to protect the wood. On my boat this has worked very very well. After reading of many of the problems with glass hulls, I can suggest with more expertise than some, you would be better off with fiberglass over wood, original build.

About that thin application. I was disappointed at first to find out about the thickness of the glass. Here's the thing, if the glass had been added to a depth that made me happy, the express cruiser wouldn't be so express. The boat would have been ridiculously heavy.

Has the glass over wood worked? It has worked extraordinarily well. I gutted the entire insides of my boat (actually my refit guy did), the inside was scrubbed down and one one third repainted in an epoxy coating. Many formal and informal inspections of the hull was made with very little problems. Any problem, small soft spot was where there were through whatevers. My transom was epoxied and reglassed where the leg came through, I was adding a new and smaller in size leg. When the old leg was removed one very small area of softness, this dug out, epoxied, glassed, and new hole cut out.

The hull on my boat didn't have all the glass problems many older boats experienced, for example, no blistering. Blistering doesn't occur when the glass is about an 1/8th of an inch thick.

At the Sidney BC dock show this past summer, a couple were looking at an older Grand Banks 32. The boat had teak decks. I showed them all the round plugs and suggested the best thing they could do was removed the teak (painful to remove beautiful wood), check for soft spots and repair, then paint the whole thing in epoxy and use the sure grip or whatever the buzz words are for paint that is being used now.

If you want idiot proof, check out aluminum boats. Steel begins to rust almost immediately. You just need to look at some of the ugly commercial ships that haven't been maintained to see the results of laziness meets cheapness.

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1...&ved=0ahUKEwi31M_nyuzkAhXOop4KHSAgCZAQ4dUDCAc

 

[Simi 60]

I am looking at a steel hulled trawler in part because I do not feel like putting up with moisture issues that invariably come with an older boat

Because steel loves water and water loves steel
No problems ever

 

[diver dave]

If you had to do steel, and are not a navy: part time (seasonal), cold, fresh water is the place.

 

[moparharn]

Ok, Ok. Lighten up Francis. I'm a little surprised at the assumptions being made here. Did I say steel does not rust? The boat I am looking at has awl grip on it that is original and looks like the day it was applied in 2002. Also, sure grip is the trade name used by Chrysler for their positraction rear ends. As I was recently advised, the problem with steel boats comes mostly from the areas you cannot see or maintain properly. As you may have already noticed, my boating is in fresh water. I do not live in the salt spray cabinet that many of you live in. The truth is that if you maintain your boat, fiberglass or steel, you should not have hull integrity issues. Or cosmetic for that matter. Most boats are not properly maintained and I am not interested in buying them in either steel or glass. At least in steel if the thickness has not been degraded you only have to re-coat the surface if you can get at it. I have never owned a steel boat, but what I am hearing in this string sounds like partisan BS. How many of you who took a shot at me have owned a steel trawler? I was suggesting steel as a possible option for the OP, never did I say steel is superior to composite. I said I was looking at it and the reasons why. I am surprised at the leaps a few of you took.
Finally, why would I have said this if I thought Steel was superior " Not sure why well done beautiful trawlers made of steel are worth less, but they are. Worth less than what? Laminated composites, many with wood coring." I fully acknowledge that the market feels composite is superior and that many boats have perfectly fine coring.

 

[psneeld]

Nope never owned one for the very reasons discussed.

Had friends that did...and some were sorry because of the boats limitations in reaching some areas...others a little less so.

Also spent enough time on steel ships or was responsible for maintenance on steel boats....saw enough rust to last a lifetime.

 

[sunchaser]

I'm cleaning up the epoxy coated steel engine stringers on our DF as we speak. Sure wish they were stainless steel. Treating rust is no fun, even with the little bit of steel our vessel has.

 

[BandB]

The Bertrams I worked on that were past 2000 were a breed apart from their early models.

Yes, the ones for a few years before the sale to Ferretti and then during the Ferretti years. Enough for Ferretti to decide they didn't want any part of it any longer.

 

[HiDHo]

Yikes ! I have a 32 year old cored boat.
But not to worry I saved coring from the hole saw when we added a second a/c and needed a 1” overboard. White ridged foam, tried to make it absorb water for a week but it was still dry as a bone.

 

[Group9]

That was one of the things Orin Edson was most proud of, that none of the boats he'd ever built had ever suffered a delamination. Someone mentioned that Pascoe loved Bertram. Well, they can't say that as they had a rash of delaminations, most in more recent years than much of Pascoe's writing.

Yeah, for sure, new Bertram, and old Bertram are really, really, really, completely different companies and operations.

Ours seems to be built like a tank. I can't speak for the newer ones.

 

[BandB]

Yeah, for sure, new Bertram, and old Bertram are really, really, really, completely different companies and operations.

Ours seems to be built like a tank. I can't speak for the newer ones.

And now we have a completely new Bertram. Another company and operations. But then that was the point that builders change in what they do and technology changes. Those builders that don't own plants even change who builds for them.