Bluewater Boat

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Our boat is 21 this year, what do you advise I do with her?

Keep pouring money into her.

[wolfenzee]

the CEO of a major car company when asked about why cars don't last as long as they used to said "We are not in the used car business......"
My boat will be 39 next spring...but that doesn't count because it is not a production boat. A poorly kept fiberglass boat will outlast a poorly kept wooden boat, but a well kept wooden boat will outlast a well kept fiberglass boat. Most of the work/money I have put into my boat is for modifications and improvements with the exception of an extensive bottom job (remove and replace all bottom paint and barrier coat) because I was out of the water while my dock was being replaced anyway

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

A poorly kept fiberglass boat will outlast a poorly kept wooden boat, but a well kept wooden boat will outlast a well kept fiberglass boat.

Now Wolf, just how do you know that? The first glass production boats were done in the early 60's,and lots of them are still around. No one knows how long they will last, you included. Unless of course you attack them all with a chain saw.

Too, some of the older timber vessels that still survive have had the odd plank, frame and/or strake replaced in order to protect their longevity. I doubt if any of the old Bounty's, Tritons, or other early glass boats that survive to this day have had this sort of service.

Please don't get me wrong, Wolf, for I too love timber boats, both old and new. In fact, Insatiable II is timber... I just hate inflammatory and unsupported statements such as the above.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Towlers Bay, NSW, Oz

Cheers

[wolfenzee]

sorry for the generalization, it is not so much the actual hull material, but more the way production boats are built now adays

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Go Sailing........

Originally Posted by perchance

Keep pouring money into her.

Well to achieve Boatmans suggestion I am going to carry out perchance idea. Mast coming down for the first time in 10 years for new rigging in the New Year. Whilst I think it could probably go on a lot longer, the previous owners had that white plastic stuff installed all over the bottle screws and spreader tips a decade ago. Result is there is more muck now trapped behind it than in a farm yard So off with the mast and renew the lot. I can afford £1500 for new rigging, I can't afford to have a mast fall down.

Otherwise she has bone dry bilges and is in great shape so I see no reason she shouldn't last as long as a wooden hull. Anything that needs replacing would have to be replaced on a wooden hull anyway.

Pete

[Rangiroo]

Originally Posted by storyinframes

Now that's why I get paranoid sometimes. will my little boat carry me safely through this?

You almost have to go looking for weather like that...looks like either the nth atlantic in winter or the souther ocean somewhere....unless you get caught in a hurricane you will almost never see seas like that in the tropics.

[Pete7]

I go diving with friends serving in the Royal Navy. Each winter they used to go to sea in the Northern Atlantic looking for weather like this. They hated it, but al part of the winter exercises but yes as you say you have to go looking for this sort of weather.

Pete

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by storyinframes

Now that's why I get paranoid sometimes. will my little boat carry me safely through this?

Probably not

I decided to be positive with my boat choice and will be sailing in conditions like this

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by hoppy

The blonde happily thinking she is in control to starboard and the guy to port really in control

Just my favourite position when sailing
And the favourite hair colour of the crew
Only bikinis... I prefer them to be stored safely down in the cabins - just for protection against chafe, of course.

And now we are a way off topic...
And Big Brother is watching us...
And rather the whole Big Band Of Big Brothers is watching us...

[goboatingnow]

sorry for the generalization, it is not so much the actual hull material, but more the way production boats are built now adays
__________________

Still youd dont know this, as most production boats built are still around and being used.

As for wooden boats, sure my pickaxe lasts forever, its just had four new handles and two new heads etc etc.

Dave

[wolfenzee]

This is not a wood vs fiberglass thread, but rather one discussing hull design and outfitting. Can the lighter duty production boats (coastal "racer/cruiser") be used effectively for water sailing">blue water sailing or would it be better to use a boat that had been specifically designed and outfitted for the purpose. The most important thing on a boat is safety...and even if two boats can both make ocean passages, one that is designed and outfitted for the purpose will make the journey safer and more comfortable...right tool for the right job.

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Rangiroo

You almost have to go looking for weather like that...looks like either the nth atlantic in winter or the souther ocean somewhere....unless you get caught in a hurricane you will almost never see seas like that in the tropics.

Unless you get caught in a tropical cyclone.

[perchance]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

This is not a wood vs fiberglass thread, but rather one discussing hull design and outfitting. Can the lighter duty production boats (coastal "racer/cruiser") be used effectively for blue water sailing or would it be better to use a boat that had been specifically designed and outfitted for the purpose. The most important thing on a boat is safety...and even if two boats can both make ocean passages, one that is designed and outfitted for the purpose will make the journey safer and more comfortable...right tool for the right job.

I couldn't agree with you more. It is possible to cross the ocean in a shoe box by a knowledgeable and experienced mariner; once, but I wouldn't stake my life on it on a regular basis. In my opinion the so called light weight production boats are not targeting hard core off shore sailors. Just look at the brochures and see what they are emphasizing in the slick photos and add copy.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by perchance

I couldn't agree with you more. It is possible to cross the ocean in a shoe box by a knowledgeable and experienced mariner; once, but I wouldn't stake my life on it on a regular basis. In my opinion the so called light weight production boats are not targeting hard core off shore sailors. Just look at the brochures and see what they are emphasizing in the slick photos and add copy.

I used to work in the the boat "insustry" and the production boat design is geared towards the "average user" ie husband, wife and kids on weekend or short coastal cruising, with an interior to look pretty at the boat shows. The changes to a boat just to make it a live aboard are fairly extensive ....for ocean cruising the the modifications are even greater. The weight added to a boat to make the necessary modifications (including additional tankage, fuel, food, water)when made to a lightweight boat destroy any of the advantages of a light weight boat (adding 1000lbs to a 5000lb boat makes alot more differance than adding 1000lbs to 20,000lb boat, 20% increase vs 5% increase). There was an old thread somewhere discussing this very thing.

[Fortytwo]

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