How big do they make fiberglass boats?

[brian and clare]

Just a random question for the boatbuilders out there. What is the cutoff for fiberglass sailboats size (generally speaking of course). I know that some production builders are coming out with 60 plus footers, but when does a commercially boatbuilder generally turn to steel steel? Of course the application is key, just looking for generalities. I imagine at some point the fiberglass would become so thick as to be uneconomical. Also at what size does the performance of steel vs fiberglass (talking boat speed here) even out (if it ever does). Just some basic questions I never thought to ask till now. Thanks

Brian

[CSY Man]

Meh think 150 to 200 feet..

[delmarrey]

Thay are making the Boeing 787 from composits now!

Business & Technology | "I got lucky. I picked composites 28 years ago. This is a composite guy's dream." | Seattle Times Newspaper

[brian and clare]

Yes but that is carbon, I am talking regular fiberglass vs steel. And by the way, why does carbon fiber cost so much if there is carbon everywhere? Whats the manufacturing process? Anyone... anyone?

[GordMay]

Denmark and the other Nordic countries are in the fore-front of developments for fibrereinforced plastics (FRP) in connection to the sandwich concept.
Danyard A/S in Aalborg has produced a series of Standard-Flex 300 for the Danish Navy during the late 80'ies and early 90'ies, at that time the largest ship in the world using the FRP/sandwich principle.
These shipshave a length of 54 m (177 Ft) and a weight of approximate 300 tonnes.
In Sweden, at the Karlskrona shipyard, a corvette of the Visby-class called YS-2000 was to be completed in 1999, this ship would have a length of 72 m (236 Ft).
The faces of the sandwich hull are made of carbonfibre /epoxy and the ship is designed using the stealth technology.

http://www.ime.auc.dk/People/employe.../Chapter01.pdf

They've grown even larger, since.

[44'cruisingcat]

Minesweepers are often made of GRP - so magnetic mines don't get them. They can be a couple of hundred feet long.

[noelex 77]

There isn't any practical limit on the size fiberglass, but producing a female mold is only sensible when you can sell multiple units. Not many people want a yacht over 60 feet and those that do usually heve specific requirements.
I would argue that Aluminium is a superior material especially to polyester resin and while much more expensive material to make a model that can be sold by the 100's it is not that more expensive material for a one off design. Therfore many superyachts are made from this material.
A better Yacht for a similar price.
If you want the ultimate racing yacht the light weight produced by carbon fiber and epoxy is sensilble. If you want a cost effective commercial boat, or a home built boat, that is easier to weld, steel is the best material
Cheers John
see my blog at amzerzo.blogspot.com

[markpj23]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Minesweepers are often made of GRP - so magnetic mines don't get them. They can be a couple of hundred feet long.

All U.S. minesweepers that I know of are glass - over wood or just plain wood.

[knottybuoyz]

I have been told, but haven't confirmed yet that:

Indian Princess, originally Southern Cross III, might be the largest powerboat at 181 ft/55 m.

Indian Princess

Mirabella V is, I think, both the largest composite sailing vessel and the largest composite vessel of any type, at 247 ft/75 m.

Mirabella V, Ltd. - The Ultimate Sailing Yacht for Charter or Sale

Happy Days, at 164 ft/50 m, is the largest composite powerboat built in the US.

Delta Marine :: Happy Days

[EngNate]

I don't remember the lengths, but construction of a couple really big (near 300ft) composite hull megayachts are advertised in the current Showboats mag. Also is an ad for the largest private yacht ever under construction - 601 feet!

[knottybuoyz]

Hunt Class : Mine Countermeasure : Surface Fleet : Operations and Support : Royal Navy

[GordMay]

Mirabella V:
LOA: 75.22m (247 ft)
Beam: 14.80 m (48.5 ft)
Draught (Keel Up): 4.0 m (13 ft)
Draught (Keel Fully Down): 10.0 m (33 ft)
Displacement: 765 tonnes
Mast Height: 88.5 m (292ft)

November 27, 2004 - VT Group (formerly Vosper Thornycroft) PLC's shipbuilding facility in Southampton, England, has launched the world's biggest composites ship, the “Mirabella V”.

The “Mirabella V” has an overall length of 75.2 meters (245 feet) and is also the biggest single-mast yacht ever built.

Mirabella V will be used as a charter vessel, operating mainly in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, when she enters service early next year. Charter costs are $300,000 a week.

The super-yacht was designed by Ron Holland (Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland) and engineered by High Modulus Europe Ltd. (Hamble, Hampshire, U.K.). VT's sister company VT Halmatic built the ship's 90m/292-ft high carbon fiber mast, the world's tallest composite mast (which will support 9,842 square feet of sail).

More: CompositesWorld.com - High-Performance Composites - U.K. launches Mirabella, world\'s largest composite ship - January 2004
And: Mirabella V, Ltd. - The Ultimate Sailing Yacht for Charter or Sale

Hunt Class Minesweepers:
Length: 60 me (<200 Ft)
Beam: 10.5 m
Draught: 2.2 m
Displacement: 750 tonnes