One of the best qualities of a fiberglass boat is how easy it is to repair. While a damaged wood boat requires expensive and intricate work, a fiberglass boat can usually be repaired with just a few materials, even by people with only basic knowledge and skills. Another great quality of a...
Although I am building a 16' wooden sailboat, an ad for a damaged 20' fiberglass boat caught my eye. When I drove to look at the boat I found that it did have severe damage on the hull bottom on both sides. The owner told me that he had run over a submerged tree. There was a hole on the starboard...
Cracks or chips in a fiberglass boat hull can be very expensive to have professionally repaired. Depending on the damage to the boat, and the owner’s personal fortitude, a do-it-yourselfer can produce professional results without the professional price.
The filler product being used is key...
In the early 1970s when fiberglass boats began to hit their stride, we heard some pretty extravagant claims for the new material. It was maintenance free, lasted indefinitely, didn't rot and didn't corrode.
But fiberglass, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, good mechanical properties,...
When you need fiberglass boat repair you need to determine if it’s significant enough that you might actually have to have the boat repaired by a professional. There are a few reasons why someone might want to have this kind of repair done by a professional, the mess and the equipment...
Cracks or chips in a fiberglass boat hull can be very expensive to have professionally repaired. Depending on the damage to the boat, and the owner’s personal fortitude, a do-it-yourselfer can produce professional results without the professional price.
The filler product being used is...
Is your fiberglass boat flexing in some areas? If so, should you be concerned about it? Some occasional flexing in non-critical areas may be acceptable. But continual or "cyclic" movement can lead to fatigue, cracking and other symptoms of laminate failure - particularly if it is in a hull...
In the early 1970s when fiberglass boats began to hit their stride, we heard some pretty extravagant claims for the new material. It was maintenance free, lasted indefinitely, didn't rot and didn't corrode.
But fiberglass, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, good mechanical properties,...
The good news about painting a fiberglass boat is that it can be done; the bad news is that it can not be done as easily as painting a wall. The current big problem involved with painting a fiberglass boat at home is that the fact that most of the quality 2-part urethanes used for refinishing...
When the oldest continuous manufacturer of fiberglass boats in the U.S. introduces a new model, it’s a “must test.†And when the new model incorporates a different production method, the test becomes even more interesting.
SeaSport Boats of Bellingham, Washington, has...
Last month began a three-month series of columns on fiberglass fundamentals with a discussion of the general fiberglass boat-building process and common resins used. This month I'll discuss the layup procedures and reinforcing materials used. Sprayup vs. Hand Layup There are basically two ways to...
The good news about painting a fiberglass boat is that it can be done; the bad news is that it can not be done as easily as painting a wall. The current big problem involved with painting a fiberglass boat at home is that the fact that most of the quality 2-part urethanes used for refinishing...
To date, there is no "perfect" boat-building material. In the case of production boats, however, fiberglass and aluminum come darned close. What has made these materials so popular? And which is best?
To answer the first question, aluminum and fiberglass are popular simply because they lend...
4 key steps to keep your boat and gear clean and dry.
1. Remove any weeds, animals or sediment from your boat, trailer and gear and put it in the bin – NOT back in the water.
You should check your boat and gear every time you move - even if you are just changing locations while in the...
After some tinkering and fine-tuning, Ireland came up with two solutions to the challenge of scrambling around slippery boat trailer members.
The first is the Slide Step, a platform that mounts perpendicular to the trailer tongue. Unique is the ability to slide it from center either to the left...
I found out firsthand that Saturdays are not necessarily the best day to go fishing, for more reasons than one.
Saturday I went with Stoutamire on his 20-year-old boat and trailer. I think the trailer is actually older than the boat. A person can’t look at a trailer and tell what...
University Park, Pa. A "No Wake Zone" may be better than a speed limit to prevent the pollution and water quality problems that can occur when pleasure boats stir up a lake bottom, a Penn State study has shown.
Dr. David Hill, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, says,...
With water skiing boats, including a 16-foot, 150-horsepower outboard and a 19-foot, 275-horsepower inboard, the Penn State engineers found that at very low speeds, as well as at very high speeds, there was little impact. However, at speeds near 6 to 8 mph, where the boat was "near plane" or...
A boat trailer having a frame, wheel unit, an adjustably mounted winch unit including a keel engaging member, an elongated second keel engaging member pivotally mounted on the frame rearwardly of the winch unit and self-centering to engage a longitudinal length of the keel, a pair of fender units...
Speed Boat
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