How long will my fiberglass hull last?

[cutterorient]

I thought the intial response was informative, well written, and made a great effort at answering a question to which there is no definitive answer.

That said I own a boat (well) built in 1983. She's got tons of life left in her and is well cared for by me and that'll do it for me for decades more I'm sure. I don't understand the undertones of anger for a guy expressing his thoughts. Seems out of place here

[poopdeckpappy]

Originally Posted by JProcter

Whatever you think, oh wise one.

I think you could have posted your link and opinion without being a smartass towards Jeff and his post;

I think if you read the conclusion of your linked article it pretty much mirrors Jeff comments, though Jeff went a little further in depth.

I think the lifespan of FG hulls depends on many factors as mentioned in Jeffs post; I know of several SV that are sound at 30,40,45 yrs old, I know of several newer SV that has had some serious structural failures, one was a hot topic here on SN.

[Edo Kazumichi]

Good stuff, folks.

The expression "modern design" begs a lot of question. For one, just because the technical know-how exists doesn't mean that it was employed in the construction of any particular boat. Technical know-how can more profitably be employed to build the cheapest, most fashionable, and most marketable boat than the strongest, safest, and fastest one.

Anyway, my point was that I'm sitting on a 36 year-old boat that could use several thousand worth of TLC. I'm not concerned about resale value. I just want to make sure that I'm not pouring money into a hull that is going to crack in two (as I saw happen once to a "modern design" boat) at some point in the next couple decades.

Further thoughts?

[cutterorient]

I think as long as there is nothing super major, as in a large % of the hull in an advanced state of delamination, you just keep fixing it and of course sailing it. I also think its important to think of resale as the original responder said, not necessarily because you want to sell it, but more in replacement cost terms. Does it make sense to spend $15 on a boat when its equivalent can be bought for $10?

[tommays]

Here is the deal on insurance on and old boat in MY case which i am fixing

After a survey it will get a value it can be insured at

In MY case i can increase THIS value by the cost of new PARTS i install like 7000 dollars to cover a diesel

The labor to install does NOT have VALUE

Painting the hull all pretty will NOT increase the value unless a second survey finds a significant change in market value


I am not and insurance expert BUT i do pay one

[GaryHLucas]

Much as I hate fiberglass (much prefer metal) I suspect there is no pratical life span as such if it is properly maintained. One of the great things about fiberglass is that it is almost perpetually fixable. Take a boat with a really bad case of blisters. You could in fact plane off virtually the entire hull below the waterline and essentially use what is left as the mold to layup a whole new hull on top of it. By using newer, stronger, and more water resistant materials it could easily be far stroger than it was was when new.

My Etap 26 is a pretty good case in point. Due to TCDA (Terminal Case of Dumb Ass) on the part of the original designer the hull has deformed one full inch in the area around the keel trunk. That took 25 years though, and the bottom of the hull is no longer as flat, which actually makes the shape better at taking the load. I took out almost nothing, and added a massive amount of epoxy fiberglass reinforcing on the inside of hull. So I have no doubt that the hull is now stronger than it was new.

By the way this is my second hull rebuild, I did a Hunter 27 to far better than factory strength about 25 years ago. I also stregthened the rudder support, and the propellor strut area, with very little effort.

Gary H. Lucas

[Pub911]

1972 Hughes NorthStar 38 (same hull as {in}famous Cap'n Fatty of CW fame's Wildcard) and she's solid as a rock and going strong. Perhaps imperical data will satiate.

Please join the contributions to support the claim: [...longer than anyone posting or reading here] will last.

:-)

[CrazyRu]

Originally Posted by casioqv

I really doubt anybody on this list, or their children will live long enough to see a westsail 32 hull fail from old age!

On first 100 or so hulls of Westsail deck was connected to hull via wooden board.
How many years those hulls will last without extensive and expensive intervention?

[poopdeckpappy]

Originally Posted by cutterorient

Does it make sense to spend $15 on a boat when its equivalent can be bought for $10?

Thats where pride of ownership kicks in, I bought a 26 footer and sunk a boat load of money and labor hrs into it, the new sails alone were worth more than the purchase value of the boat, but the boat was sound, had beautiful lines and was a fast & fun boat to sail.

I had some people tell me it should have been removed from the marine and crushed, when it was done, I had people asking if I would sell her, I did eventually and it only took one day, put a sign on her on a sunday afternoon, had her sold monday night.

I saw her not to long ago and she's still in the water, looks like they race her and she still looks great for 40yrs old

[Kiskadee]

Yes, fibreglass hulls should outlive most owners but a wooden cored hull may not. Osmosis or cracks in solid fibreglass are repairable. If a wooden core gets wet the boat may be beyond economical repair. To many people it isn't an issue, but I'd never buy a boat with a cored hull.
Years ago an experienced surveyor told me that if the hull is sound, then most anything else can be fixed. If the hull is soft, then it doesn't matter how beautiful the interior looks, the boat's not worth the money. He also refused to finish a survey in the winter as every wet hull is solid when frozen.
If your boat has a cored hull then make sure you have a current survey proving it to be dry and sound. Some insurance companies have use cored hulls as an excuse not to payout after a boat is destroyed. Once holed and on the bottom the core will become wet. After being raised for salvage the insurance company claims that the hull failed as it already was wet and therefore soft. Unless you can prove that the hull was dry and sound they may not pay anything.
Cheers, Dana