Fibreglass top Steel Bottom

[Terryb]

Looked at a lovely little 50 footer yesterday, beautiful Lister LR3 starts on the button doesn't smoke (unlike me) just had the full epoxy done to its bum. Fit out includes new tankless water heater system.

I could have moved straight on-board. All in all for a 1995 I was impressed too, with the 25k asking price until I noticed that it was a fibreglass topped vessel.

Question, should I be concerned? Is this a bit of a problem later? As I really do not have a clue as to the implications. Not even sure whether I like the look of it either, but its different.

 

[Black Country Lee]

The seal/joint between the steel and GRP can be problematic with regards to water ingress. Do you know or can you ask if it's ever been rejointed? Check for water damage inside below the gunwales. It's quite a job to reseal them properly, normally involves jacking the whole GRP top up off the hull.

 

Lee.

[Southern Star]

I thought grp topped boats stopped being produced long before 1995? What make is it?

[Naughty Cal]

Are you sure its 1995?

 

Seems late for a GRP top.

 

As has already been said its the joint between the two different materials that will be problematic. The two materials behave differently to changes in temperature and humidity.

[magpie patrick]

I'd echo Southern Star and Naught Cal, that's late for a GRP top new build. Lutine Bell is 1972 when such boats were the norm for hire cruisers and all-steel very rare, but whilst GRP and wooden tops were still in hire fleets into the 90's they were getting tired.

 

Are you sure it's not the GRP top that's new in 1995, on an older hull that had a wooden top or a GRP already? The lister SR3 may point to that as well, Lutine originally had one (she has an SR2 now)

 

I have no problems at all with Lutine save that I wouldn't jump down onto the roof from a lock wall (I do step onto it though) but I have heard tell of problems with the joint betwixt GRP and steel.

 

edited to add, Lutine is 45 feet and original asking price when I bought her was £23k, however it was a mate selling it so when I was interested he dropped the price quite a lot, not because it was overpriced, but because he knew my circumstances and wanted me to have it. Her fittout would command a much higher price in an all steel shell.

Edited October 16, 2014 by magpie patrick

[OldGoat]

Echo all the above.

GRP tops had all but disappeared in 1975 when we started boating (there wasn't much of a new private boat market then).

 

Seems to me there's a bit of 'misrepresentation' intentional or otherwise. Seems overpriced as well.

 

 

[Terryb]

Some great replies chaps, thanks. I have since researched and found that 95 must have been either mis heard or mistakenly told.

I did look around the outer joint and noticed that there seemed to be some very minor joint failure. Though no ingress was apparent. Kind of put me off an otherwise lovely start out boat. Never mind, I'll keep looking around.

[bizzard]

I'd say pre 1980. Apart from the GRP top I'm not aware that there is a Lister LR3, an LR1 and 2 yes. The LR range are of lower power than the SR range. Example SR2 13hp, LR2 9hp.

[RLWP]

I'd say pre 1980. Apart from the GRP top I'm not aware that there is a Lister LR3, an LR1 and 2 yes. The LR range are of lower power than the SR range. Example SR2 13hp, LR2 9hp.

 

There's no LR3 in the manual - more likely an SR3

 

Richard

[ukdiggerboy]

 

did it look like this

we have just done this to it now last section to be bolted up tomoz

 

[ukdiggerboy]

and it has a sr3 in her well in the workshop at home

 

built in 74

[MarkO]

I think it was probably this boat:

 

Dragonfly at Milton Keynes Marina

[Southern Star]

I think it was probably this boat:

 

Dragonfly at Milton Keynes Marina

Seems well overpriced at £28,000 compared with similar boats I've seen advertised. I suppose it depends on one's skill set and the time available for maintenance but I personally wouldn't consider anything other than a steel-topped boat.

[magpie patrick]

Seems well overpriced at £28,000 compared with similar boats I've seen advertised. I suppose it depends on one's skill set and the time available for maintenance but I personally wouldn't consider anything other than a steel-topped boat.

Also, unless someone was deliberately producing a "retro 1970's" look in 1995, there is now way that the boat is a 1995 build.

[Southern Star]

It says in that ad that it's a 1986 build. I suppose it might be but if it was then it was a very late grp build.

[ukdiggerboy]

Also, unless someone was deliberately producing a "retro 1970's" look in 1995, there is now way that the boat is a 1995 build.

my thoughts aswell

 

looks early 70's to me?

[Terryb]

You guys are like that Sherlock Marple geezer. Well done for tracking down Dragonfly. Top marks, but I am not getting one that old.

Edited October 21, 2014 by Terryb

[alan_fincher]

I think it was probably this boat:

 

Dragonfly at Milton Keynes Marina

 

Unless there is something I don't know, that is not, I think, a boat built by Rugby Boatbuilders, as claimed in the blurb.

 

Also surely they had stopped building SR3 engines long before 1986, so nothing about this boat stacks up to me.

 

Certainly looks like a 1970s build from the details shown.

Edited October 21, 2014 by alan_fincher

[DHutch]

Theres a 'fiberline' boat around lymm area that might be 1995 but even that is prolly older. Wouldnt like to catch a wood/grp cabin on a bridge!

 

Daniel

[Nick B]

Our first boat was a 1985 Teddesley ex-hire 40 footer with a fibreglass top, I think they built a fleet (well, a few) of them around that time, with a BMC Thorneycroft. We were lucky that the top had never been painted and buffed-up OK. I never dared stand on it but it was good and strong. Although it never leaked around the steel-fibreglass join, little bits of rusty metal would fall inside now and again.

 

When we sold her for a larger, an all-steel, narrowboat the purchaser's surveyor was very impressed with the state of the hull. Another owner of a GRP-top boat said the same about his and his theory was that the lighter weight meant that the hull wasn't abraded as much as a comparable boat with a heavier, steel top. It was cooler in hot weather too but took a bit more to keep warm.

 

we were very fond of her as our first boat, but more space was a priority.

[Southern Star]

 

 

 

Also surely they had stopped building SR3 engines long before 1986, so nothing about this boat stacks up to me.

 

 

Although I agree with everything else, I can't agree with this, my own boat was built in 1987 but was fitted from new with a BMC 1.5 engine, these were last produced in the mid-1960's so the era of an engine doesn't necessarily date a boat.

[ukdiggerboy]

Although I agree with everything else, I can't agree with this, my own boat was built in 1987 but was fitted from new with a BMC 1.5 engine, these were last produced in the mid-1960's so the era of an engine doesn't necessarily date a boat.

 

 

true