Ferro Cement Hulls?

[TAKUTORI]

Thanks Alan. Here's 5 pages of pictures of Taku Tori and some of the upgrades we've made.
http://taku-tori.smugmug.com/gallery...3_7jBpi#P-1-24

Pipe frames can pose a problem if water gets inside the frame. Once water gets inside the frame, it will corrode the frame from the inside out and then start traveling along the mesh. This is what happened with my first FC boat. The hull stated cracking where the mesh had disappeared. For boats with pipe frames, I would recommend installing a steel keel shoe to the bottom of the keel to protect against exposure in the case of a hard grounding. I also filled the remaining frames with epoxy. Truss frame boats typically don't have this problem, as trusses are constructed using bar stock.

I remember many years ago there was a FC boat in Broome, Western Australia that a couple had purchased and were preparing for a trip north to Indonesia. When the boat was on the hardstand, observers noted longitudinal cracks around the turn of the bilge. The couple opened the cracks and filled with epoxy (which is NOT the way to make a repair on FC) and repainted the hull. The couple set sail with two other boats traveling north and three days later ran into a storm. They were heard on the radio saying that the seas were huge, but they were OK. Then suddenly all transmissions stopped and they were never heard of again. An inquiry determined that internal corrosion with the hull membrane and the hull repair had failed and the boat sank without warning. I think this story was in Cruising World or one of the other popular mags.

[cooper]

Did they find the boat ?

[TAKUTORI]

Originally Posted by cooper

Did they find the boat ?

No. The boat sank.

[cooper]

hhm so how did they know what happened ?

[Wotname]

Coops, it was specualtion in the end. I sort of remember some details (vaguely).
Wx conditions in the general area were analysed and found to significan; last communications with the boat confirmed this; the structual condition of the hull was possibily suspect; IIRC the crew not really that experienced.
This was pre GPS, pre high tech days, long time lag before vessel was officially missing and potential search was very large. No wreckage found, no trace of crew. Only the Indian Ocean knows what actually happened

[Boracay]

From memory it was quite common to use water pipe in some of the ferro boats. I don't think that anyone was really expecting them to last all that long, let alone 40+ years.

I seem to remember that Richard Hartley suggested 3/4" gal pipe for the keelson (running from the stem fitting to the transom) and the transom framing. Properly sealed it would last for a long time, but probably not forever.

It's hard to think of what might indicate a problem. Unexpected or inconsistent cracking comes to mind, or deep holes. Certainly it would be very unwise to test any boat in that sort of condition.

There should have been sufficient reinforcing and cement round any water pipe to ensure that corrosion did not compromise the whole structure.

It is possible that current designers would not recomend water pipe.

[TAKUTORI]

Hi Boracay,

Yes, waterpipe framing was popular in early ferro boat construction, mainly because it was easy to bend with a cheap hydraulic pipe bender. However, most frames started at the bottom of the keel and relied on the mortar to seal the end. I found this out the hard way on my first boat, on which I found 2 frames corroded. Water had gotten into the frames and over time corroded thru and ate the mesh in a floor. One night the bilge pump started pumping every 15 minutes, then every 10 minutes. We ran around the boat looking at every thru-hull and found nothing leaking. Next we started pulling lockers & furniture apart trying to find a hole in the boat, but to no avail. Finally, I saw where the water was coming from, it was from a limber hole in a floor. You can imagine my thoughts and amazement. Anyway, I was a little perplexed how to stop the leak, then I remembered an old trick I'd used on a planked boat I'd owned a few years earlier. We jumped in the dinghy and went ashore to an old saw mill that was nearby and grabbed half a dozen buckets of sawdust. Pushing a bucket of sawdust down under the boat with a long boat hook and then tipping it upright. The sawdust floats up and gets sucked into the hole and then swells. Anyway it worked to slow the leak to pumping every 30 mins. The following day we had the boat hauled, and that's when the work began in earnest.

I think I still have some photos of the repairs if you're interested?

[Boracay]

I'm a visual type of person so if you can find those photos they would be nice to see.

[Alan Wheeler]

I looked at all 116 photos. Great photos, awesome boat. Man I love looking at boats.

[miss-m]

Hi all,

This thread is still growing and growing! Its cool there is so much interest in ferro boats- if you listened to the media you'd think no-one ever wanted them anymore!
We have finally got our act together and put our websites up (yes, we have two- its a long story!) If anyone would like to see the process of buying a completely derelict ferro hull and restoring it, check out www.concretefloats.com. (Although I warn you our boat is nowhere near as nice as TAKU TORI- now that is a gorgeous boat! )

The sites are still in need of tweaking, but hopefully some ferro owners will find it helpful- or at the very least amusing!!

[jacquie21670]

Hi all, I'm surprised at the number of ferro boats out there. Takutori, your boat is beautiful and your workmanship second to none. We have had two Hartleys. One 33ft Queenslander and a 38ft Southseas. Both lovely boats. We now have Merlin, a Samson C-Breeze 55ft ketch, and we love her. We have just had her on the hard and fully painted. She was built by a professional boat builder, but she was for him. Unfortunately he died before he finished. She spent the next 3 years as a floating apartment in Sydney Harbour. In October last year, we sailed her home to Brisbane and are busy fitting her out for our big trip.

It always really annoys me when people say any damage to a ferro and its scrap. There is not boat that is easier to fix and very few problems that cant be fixed on a ferro. Our Southseas hit a buried pylon during a very low tide, and constantly passing ferries drove a hole at least 15cm in diameter through the hull. Two fire pumps got her towed to a ship lift and seven days later we were back in the water, no worse for wear.

I'm not sure how to post pitures, but I'll post some of Merlin when I work it out.
Jacquie

[TAKUTORI]

Thanks for your kind words, the one thing every boat owner enjoys is recognition for their hard work

We have just gone through Hurricane Hanna, actually it was a strong Tropical Storm, but it was our first and to us it seemed what a hurricane might be like. After much apprehension, worry, planning and preparations we are very relieved that we survived unscathed. Actually the boat suffered no damage whatsoever. We were tied to a T-head dock which started coming apart in the strongest winds. We recorded 69 knots in the strongest gust. I took some pictures of before, during and after.
TAKU TORI - The adventures of Bill, Sandy & Sarah aboard S/V TAKU TORI- powered by SmugMug

Jacquie, I took a look at your sites and pictures. You have done wonders to your Queenslander. It's probably the nicest Queenslander I've seen. Hartley were among the best ferro boats around. She'll take you far.

Don't worry about what others say about ferrocement they are proven world cruisers. The boat is only one part of safety and enjoyment at sea.

Back in Australia I once had a 69 Toyota Landcruiser, which I bought for $3000. I overhauled many things and repainted it. One weekend we took it up into the Dargo High Plains; we battled narrow, steep tracks and blackberry bushes that scratched the sides. When we arrived at the top of this one hill, there was a guy in new $90,000 Landcruiser Saraha looking at the same scratches on his vehicle. The point is: we both enjoyed the same sunset ...his just cost a lot more to achieve.

[cooper]

Hey guess what ....I still have my landcruiser !!! I have had it for 27 years...and its still going ..and yes I bought it for $3000. Right now it sitting by my new boat with the gas bottle and tools on it, but it is still my normal transport....and I confess...I have a ferro boat too

[Alan Wheeler]

Hi Bill, well you have come to the right place for info. The C-mist and many of the Samson boats are a lovely design. Is this the clipper bow with Bowsprit?
I look forward to some photos sometime soon I hope.
By the way, there is a NZ forum that have many Aucklanders participating Crew.org I don't know if there are any Samsons up there in Auckland, but certainly some of the crew on crew will know and tell you.

[ken and carmen]

hello I have recently acquired an unfinished professionally built 45 ft Samson C-Breeze. I am an experienced boatbuilder with wood and fiberglass, but no experience with FC. Things i need to know: does the hull need to be sealed before painted? and im looking for good adhesives for bonding the interior structure to the inside of the hull.. and any do's and don'ts in the construction process.