Ok daft question no 2 of many :)

[New to this]

Ok this may sound totally nuts, again, but been nosing round the forum and aware boats have to be blacked at regular intervals, and fully aware of the costs and aggravation involved in doing this, but realise its essential.

 

So the question, why don't we over plate the steel with fibre glass to give a mire durable defence?

 

one additional question this chucks up is how do you survey a hull with say 10mm of fibre glass over it however still think its a valid is slightly naïve/bonkers question

[Alan de Enfield]

Not confident that fibreglass would be resistant to rubbing along concrete, riding up-and-over shopping trolleys etc etc.

Once the GPR is compromised getting water between the steel and the fibreglass would cause corrosion anyway.

 

Having said that - there are fibreglass boats on the canals and rivers (I have one)

Edited June 8, 2016 by Alan de Enfield

[W+T]

Hi kida, first GRP is crap to stick to styeel, second they do use an epoxy but darn ear to do, but betetr than black stuff.

[magnetman]

Another approach would be to just get a steel boat and never paint any of it. It will rust yes but maybe the money you save on routine docking and painting can be saved up and used to pay for eventual repair works?

 

I am a sceptic when it comes to underwater surface protection on boats which regularly scrape along the bottom of the canal and hit vertical walls etc. It just doesn't seem to me to be worthwhile. A lot of it is cosmetic at the end of the day.

 

I don't think fibreflassing over steel is particularly worthwhile either other than as am emergency to extend the life of a boat with very thin plating like maybe an old lifeboat or something.

 

Are you considering buying/the owner of a boat with a steel hull sheathed with fibreglass?

 

Edited for typografficle errors

Edited June 8, 2016 by magnetman

[New to this]

Another approach would be to just get a steel boat and never paint any of it. It will rust yes but maybe the money you save on routine docking and painting can be saved up and used to pay for eventual repair works?

 

I am a sceptic when it comes to underwater surface protection on boats which regularly scrape along the bottom of the canal and hit vertical walls etc. It just doesn't seem to me to be worthwhile. A lot of it is cosmetic at the end of the day.

 

I don't think fibreflassing over steel is particularly worthwhile either other than as am emergency to extend the life of a boat with very thin plating like maybe an old lifeboat or something.

 

Are you considering buying/the owner of a boat with a steel hull sheathed with fibreglass?

 

Edited for typografficle errors

researching hard at present, so that's a no at the moment, do take on board, (pun intended) about your comments on underwater hull protection as have pulled a few trolleys out of the cut and one motor bike over the years so think I will just chill a bit and stay with the standard/conservative approach, thanks

[Captain Pegg]

Another approach would be to just get a steel boat and never paint any of it. It will rust yes but maybe the money you save on routine docking and painting can be saved up and used to pay for eventual repair works?

I am a sceptic when it comes to underwater surface protection on boats which regularly scrape along the bottom of the canal and hit vertical walls etc. It just doesn't seem to me to be worthwhile. A lot of it is cosmetic at the end of the day.

 

 

That's an interesting point. The rail industry has made extensive use of steel sleepers for the past 25 years. They are cold pressed from 11mm thick plate which is not coated and spend their life with one side perpetually damp and the the other going through wet/dry cycles. The life expectancy is exactly the same as a concrete sleeper. Rails are also untreated and there are still many miles dating from the 1950s/60s performing perfectly well. And unlike canal boats the steel is doing some serious mechanical work.

 

JP

[Phil Ambrose]

I don't think there is much mileage to be had from sheathing a NB in GRP.

On the Broads they have a saying that says......the last thing you do to a wooden boat before it dies is sheath it in GRP and I suspect that would apply to steel boat.

Phil

[W+T]

You know its not such a a bad idea to sheath in GRP, as when the inner hull has rotted away you end up with a nice GRP hull to last maybe another 40-50 years, dependent on the lay up quality.

 

I am a genius a new business venture for me i think lol

[New to this]

You know its not such a a bad idea to sheath in GRP, as when the inner hull has rotted away you end up with a nice GRP hull to last maybe another 40-50 years, dependent on the lay up quality.

 

I am a genius a new business venture for me i think lol

I want halves that said and from my limited knowledge will ram a NB against a GRP all day

[Naughty Cal]

I want halves that said and from my limited knowledge will ram a NB against a GRP all day

You say that but it is always the owners of steel boats who are very nervous when sharing locks with plastic boats

[Phil Ambrose]

You say that but it is always the owners of steel boats who are very nervous when sharing locks with plastic boats

Very true.

Phil

[RLWP]

Hi kida, first GRP is crap to stick to styeel, second they do use an epoxy but darn ear to do, but betetr than black stuff.

 

I spent an interesting time in a boatyard recently looking at a boat that is in for re-epoxying. Apparently, because of the inevitable damage from cruising, the recommended life span of epoxy is around three years

 

Same as traditional blacking then

 

Richard

[dor]

 

I spent an interesting time in a boatyard recently looking at a boat that is in for re-epoxying. Apparently, because of the inevitable damage from cruising, the recommended life span of epoxy is around three years

 

Same as traditional blacking then

 

Richard

 

Especially on the Shroppie. The notorious "Shroppie ledge" is just as efficient at taking off 2-pack as bitumen. I have seen plenty of boats taken out after three or four years which have the typical shroppie ledge scrapes back to metal on the sides.

[KenK]

You say that but it is always the owners of steel boats who are very nervous when sharing locks with plastic boats

Really, we were bumped in a Thames lock by a fairly large cruiser, the lady on the front waiting to put a line on the bollard looked at our boat and said sorry but I don't think there is any damage. She should have been standing where I was, no damage to ours but a big lump out of the gel coat on theirs.

I'd say the nerves are the other way around but on the Thames the lockies seems to put the steel ones in first probably for very good reasons.

 

Ken

[Richard10002]

When I had a seagoing GRP boat, it had to be lifted every 2 or 3 years for painting the hull. Mostly antifouling, but I'd guess the GRP benefits from some protection from the water.

[Naughty Cal]

Really, we were bumped in a Thames lock by a fairly large cruiser, the lady on the front waiting to put a line on the bollard looked at our boat and said sorry but I don't think there is any damage. She should have been standing where I was, no damage to ours but a big lump out of the gel coat on theirs.

I'd say the nerves are the other way around but on the Thames the lockies seems to put the steel ones in first probably for very good reasons.

 

Ken

Really.

 

It is good practice to put steel boats in first.

 

We recently had to share West Stockwith lock with a narrowboat, steel boat in first then we slotted in alongside them.

 

The lady holding the bow line was mortified when their boat settled against ours. The fenders were down so if they had left it alone they would have been fine, but they both insisted on tugging and pulling at ropes to stop the boats touching for the remainder of the rise in the lock.

 

We have also quite bizarrely had a steel boat refuse to share Lemonroyd Lock!

[cuthound]

I spent an interesting time in a boatyard recently looking at a boat that is in for re-epoxying. Apparently, because of the inevitable damage from cruising, the recommended life span of epoxy is around three years

 

Same as traditional blacking then

 

Richard

When DQ was surveyed prior to purchase by me in 2014 the epoxy blacking blacking was in excellent condition. It had originally been put on when DQ was new oil 2007 (over Zinga) and over coated with comastic twice since thrn.

 

The surveyor apologised for having to grind bits off to measure hull thickness, and immediately overpainted these with comastic.

 

I will be getting her out of the water next year so it will be interesting to see how she has faired.

[Robbo]

Ok this may sound totally nuts, again, but been nosing round the forum and aware boats have to be blacked at regular intervals, and fully aware of the costs and aggravation involved in doing this, but realise its essential.

 

So the question, why don't we over plate the steel with fibre glass to give a mire durable defence?

 

one additional question this chucks up is how do you survey a hull with say 10mm of fibre glass over it however still think its a valid is slightly naïve/bonkers question

 

I believe it's the gelcoat that waterproofs GRP boats and not the actual fibreglass?

[Traveller]

 

I believe it's the gelcoat that waterproofs GRP boats and not the actual fibreglass?

That is what I understood.

[Phil Ambrose]

That is what I understood.

Perfectly correct Colin.

Phil

[Guest]

Really.

 

It is good practice to put steel boats in first.

 

We recently had to share West Stockwith lock with a narrowboat, steel boat in first then we slotted in alongside them.

 

The lady holding the bow line was mortified when their boat settled against ours. The fenders were down so if they had left it alone they would have been fine, but they both insisted on tugging and pulling at ropes to stop the boats touching for the remainder of the rise in the lock.

 

We have also quite bizarrely had a steel boat refuse to share Lemonroyd Lock!

Aye, steel boat first in, last out.

 

Especially on the Shroppie. The notorious "Shroppie ledge" is just as efficient at taking off 2-pack as bitumen. I have seen plenty of boats taken out after three or four years which have the typical shroppie ledge scrapes back to metal on the sides.

We float two wheels with tyres when alongside that ledge.

[W+T]

 

I spent an interesting time in a boatyard recently looking at a boat that is in for re-epoxying. Apparently, because of the inevitable damage from cruising, the recommended life span of epoxy is around three years

 

Same as traditional blacking then

 

Richard

 

 

and NB`ers pay for it at geat cost and no gain from blacking.

[Guest]

Must say we had the hull epoxied for the first time two years ago and it is wearing better than any traditional blacking we ever put on (12 year old boat.) Bitumen was knackered in 12 months quit often. It is out and about from June till October when we live on so takes a hiding. Also it floats in water with diesel contamination during the colder months, where I believe epoxy fares much better. I will definitely go for it again, unless something better comes along of course. I am a convert