Buyers and Owners: Buying, Owning and Maintaining Boats and Yachts

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High Tech Materials in Boat Building

Photos by David H. Pascoe, Marine Surveyor

Disasters like Hurricane Andrew help surveyors to evaluate new materials and construction methods, putting boats like these to the ultimate test. Here we find out whether the advertising claims meet the tests of reality.

The side of this 42 Bertram took out two 12" diameter wood pilings and crushed another boat without ever breaching the hull. The tremendous beating that this boat took proves beyond any doubt the superiority of solid fiberglass laminates.

Utilizing a material called CoreMat(TM), this hull fared poorly from contact with a weak 4" x 4" dock piling. The outer laminate is extremely thin (less than 1/8") and had little or no adhesion to the foam. We swung a carpenter's hammer at this hull side with only moderate power and it went right through the hull side.

This balsa cored 60' Hatteras hull was subjected to the ultimate test. Not only did it take out two 16" pilings, but look what it did to the concrete sea wall. The outer laminate was breached but the inner laminate remained intact. Compare this with the damage caused by a 4" piling in the photo above. The yacht was capsized by 175 MPH winds in the tuna tower, otherwise it would not have sunk.

Incomplete bonding of the core to the outer hull is one of the major problems encountered with foam cored hulls. In this case, less than 50% of the core was bonded, resulting in complete delamination of the hull. Even where the bonding agent made contact with the core, adhesion was poor to nonexistent.

The gunk pouring out of this hull is the result of complete water saturation of the foam core. Hydraulic action - panting of the inner and outer skins - pulverized the foam and turned to black mush. Once the foam degraded, the laminate weakened and split open, sinking the boat.

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Buyers and Owners: Buying, Owning and Maintaining Boats and Yachts

About Author:
David H. Pascoe is a marine surveyor (retired) with 40 years' experience.

He is author and publisher of power boat books:

"Mid Size Power Boats"
"Surveying Fiberglass Power Boats" 2E
"Buyers' Guide to Outboard Boats"
"Marine Investigations"

Visit yachtsurvey.com for more than 160 online articles.

David Pascoe's biography

Buying A Boat or Yacht

Maintenance, Repairs and Troubleshooting

All about Bilge Pumps
Corrosion with 9 photos
Corrosion in Marinas
Deck Leaks
Diesel Maintenance Or Lack of it
Exhaust Risers
Electrical System Use and Maintenance
Illustration of Water Absorption From a Hull Interior
How to Install an Aluminum Fuel Tank
Maintaining Stern Drives
How to Repair Window Leaks
Tips for Painting Fiberglass Boats
How to Keep Your Boat from Sinking

Hull Blisters

The Wonderful World of Hull Blistering
Failed Blister Repairs: A Case History and Solution

Marine Engines

Troubleshooting Problems Involving Engine/Shaft Alignment
More articles at Marine Engines at yachtsurvey.com

Boat Handling

Docking in Style

Hurricane Preparations

Safe Harbor :Hurricane Preparation

Cored Hull

High Tech Materials in Boat Building
More Articles at Cores & Structural Issues
at yachtsurvey.com

Over 160
Online Articles by David Pascoe

David Pascoe's
Power Boat Books

Mid Size Power Boats
A Guide for Discriminating Buyers
Focuses exclusively cruiser class generally 30-55 feet
With discussions on the pros and cons of each type: Expresses, trawlers, motor yachts, multi purpose types, sportfishermen and sedan cruisers.

Buyers' Guide to Outboard Boats
Selecting and Evaluating New and Used Boats
Dedicated for offshore outboard boats
A hard and realistic look at the marine market place and delves into issues of boat quality and durability that most other marine writers are unwilling to touch.

Surveying Fiberglass Power Boats
2nd Edition
The Art of Pre-Purchase Survey The very first of its kind, this book provides the essentials that every novice needs to know, as well as a wealth of esoteric details.

Marine Investigations
Pleasure crafts investigations to court testimony The first and only book of its kind on the subject of investigating pleasure craft casualties and other issues.

Links to pages of each chapter contents at davidpascoe.com

Mid Size Power Boats

Chapter 1
Basic Considerations
Chapter 2
Boat Types: Which is Right for You?
Chapter 3
Old Boats, New Boats and Quality
Chapter 4
Basic Hull Construction
Chapter 5
Evaluating Boat Hulls
Chapter 6
Performance and Sea Keeping
Chapter 7
Decks & Superstructure
Chapter 8
Stress Cracks, Finishes and Surface Defects
Chapter 9
Power Options
Chapter 10
The Engine Room
Chapter 11
Electrical & Plumbing Systems
Chapter 12
Design Details
Chapter 13
Steering, Controls, Systems & Equipment
Chapter 14
The Art of the Deal
Chapter 15
Boat Shopping
Chapter 16
The Survey & Post Survey
Chapter 17
Boat Builders by Company

512 pages

Surveying Fiberglass Power Boats
2nd Edition

Chapter 1
What is Pre-Purchase Survey?
Chapter 2
Business Practices and Client Relations
Chapter 3
Sound vs. Seaworthiness
Chapter 4
Procedures
Chapter 5
Hull and Its Structure
Chapter 6
Surveying the Hull
Chapter 7
Using Moisture Meters
Chapter 8
Stress Cracks & Surface Irregularities
Chapter 9
Deck & Superstructure
Chapter 10
Cockpits
Chapter 11
Drive Train
Chapter 12
Gas Engines
Chapter 13
Fuel Systems
Chapter 14
Exhaust Systems
Chapter 15
Electrical Systems
Chapter 16
Plumbing Systems
Chapter 17
Sea Trials
Chapter 18
Appraisal
Chapter 19
Reporting

480 pages

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