FiberGlass Superstructure

[nursegrowl]

I'm going to look at a boat (or rather my Dad is) oday, that has a fiberglass superstructue, does any body know of any possible probs with one? boat is from mid eighties, and has a normal bottom.

Thanks xxxxxxxxx

[carlt]

I'm going to look at a boat (or rather my Dad is) oday, that has a fiberglass superstructue, does any body know of any possible probs with one? boat is from mid eighties, and has a normal bottom.

Thanks xxxxxxxxx

They can leak (but are a lot easier to seal than leaky steel) and the framing was usually quite flimsy softwood, which can rot.

 

Get a survey done and any problems will be highlighted there.

 

Problems associated with gpr or wooden tops are often present in steel cabins, of a similar age.

[Keeping Up]

Have a read of this thread about leaky roofs.

 

The only other disadvantage I can think of, is that they usually aren't strong enough to let you jump down from a lock-side on to them.

[RobinJ]

I'm going to look at a boat (or rather my Dad is) oday, that has a fiberglass superstructue, does any body know of any possible probs with one? boat is from mid eighties, and has a normal bottom.

I think it was Colecraft (or something similar) built a lot using a standard mould often joined together on some of the longer boats.

The structures were quite well made, a sandwich of fibreglass and insulation with I think a wooden lining!

Only three places they can leak, at the join (which usually had an aluminium strip to seal it), at the windows (same problem with all boats) and at the gunnel (here you need to make sure they are sealed and stop water seeping into the lip).

[Keeping Up]

I think it was Colecraft (or something similar) built a lot using a standard mould often joined together on some of the longer boats.

The structures were quite well made, a sandwich of fibreglass and insulation with I think a wooden lining!

Only three places they can leak, at the join (which usually had an aluminium strip to seal it), at the windows (same problem with all boats) and at the gunnel (here you need to make sure they are sealed and stop water seeping into the lip).

Not sure about Colecraft doing that. Harborough were the main builders in this medium. Theirs were usually a sandwich of foam between two layers of GRP, which made them quite well insulated and cosy in winter. Other builders used a single skin of GRP which was terribly poor as insulation (nearly as bad as steel) so they relied entirely on the additional internal lining and insulation material. There were a few hireboats built with just this one skin (Gordon's pleasure Cruisers spring to mind) and we rescued a frozen family off one during the autumn and took them on board ours to thaw them out!

 

The problems with leaks from them is that there is a potential for leak anywhere that a screw penetrates the outer skin (window frames, handrails, joins, name-boards, etc) and that these screws always wear loose because the GRP flexes - and rain can then run down the threads. You can also get cracks in the skin which let the water in, especially if people have been in the habit of jumping about on the roof or storing heavy items there. The water can travel a long distance between the two skins, making the leak very difficult to trace and often emerging where it is screwed to an internal batten which then of course goes rotten. Water also of course runs down to the bottrom of the sheet and helps the gunwale lip to go rusty; sometimes if it's too bad the only cure is to remove the top and repair the lip. It can also tale the revers path, being blown into the space below the sheet and then travelling inside by cap[illary action, only to emerge 20 feet away to drip on your head during the night (been there, done that, got the nightshirt!).

 

Having said all that, a well-made and well-maintained GRP top can be perfectly serviceable after 40 years.

[Chris Pink]

I think it was Colecraft (or something similar) built a lot using a standard mould often joined together on some of the longer boats.

The structures were quite well made, a sandwich of fibreglass and insulation with I think a wooden lining!

 

I've seen a few of these and they seem to be a lot less leaky than the Market Harborough GRP tops, mainly because they have proper windows. I think them quite stylish as these things go.

 

Just remembered, there is one for sale down this way (K and A, Avoncliff) is this the one?