Build Quality Descriptions

[sailorboy1]

What do you feel this statement means as to boat build quality and construction?

"As for weight savings, we have our secrets. For example, while the bulkheads appear to be solid cherry or Formica, they're actually made of lighter composite material".

[GeoPowers]

Who knows? Not enough information. It could equate to a lower build quality, but then again I can think of some really expensive and strong composite material. Weight savings in and of itself is a good thing, right? So if they can produce a lighter yet stronger system I'd have to say that is a positive thing. (I have never thought of Formica as some superior build material anyway, especially on a boat, so that part of the statement is kinda weird if a superior quality from it is implied.)

I'm guessing that you're gonna wait for a few posts and then reveal that this was from a brochure of a high-end or semi-custom builder? You ol' troll you...

Frank

[sailorboy1]

I copied directly off a web site and will say whose after a while. The MBA part of me always loves a good marketing line.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

What do you feel this statement means as to boat build quality and construction?

"As for weight savings, we have our secrets. For example, while the bulkheads appear to be solid cherry or Formica, they're actually made of lighter composite material".

That's marketing speak - likely for veneered plywood (which doesn't have quite the same ring as "composite" ).....but to be fair, that is probably the best construction method (for weight, strength and cost / ease of fitting)......and unless solid glassfibre (or a cored panel?) I can't think of anything else it likely to be......and that same construction as most other builders, of all "quality" levels. You don't need 6 inches of solid oak - unless she is made of wood, has square sails, and possibly a gun deck .

The hope would be that they have not gone too light / thin on the plywood etc in the interests of saving weight.

Not sure I would want a bulkhead made of solid formica........ that alone sounds like the sales gumpf is aimed at the numpty market . is it a..........

Certainly I would not allow a builder to get away with keeping the construction of the bulkheads a secret.

At the risk of thread drift this early ........not sure why so many builders are hung up on the wood veneer thing, if I was in the market for something "modern" I would ideally want bulkheads and accomadation from gelcoated GRP or failing that decent Formica - for the low maintanence / easy clean (hosepipe? ) and would stand up to knocks a bit better than thin veneer after 10 years.

[Multihull]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

What do you feel this statement means as to boat build quality and construction?

"As for weight savings, we have our secrets. For example, while the bulkheads appear to be solid cherry or Formica, they're actually made of lighter composite material".

Moris 48

Thank to google.

[hummingway]

It's an interesting line. When they say solid cherry they probably mean plywood, which is a composite itself. Depending on the material in the composite it can be stronger as well as lighter. Plywood is an everyday example.

[GeoPowers]

Originally Posted by Multihull

Moris 48

Thank to google.

Whew, thanks! The suspense was killing me!

I guess I could be talked into swapping boat titles in spite of the apparent subpar construction methods down below :

View Boat Photos - YachtWorld.com

[sailorboy1]

talk about a thread killing spoiler!

So does everyone now think less of Morris? Because if a production builder had said this everyone would have called it cheap construction!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

talk about a thread killing spoiler!

So does everyone now think less of Morris? Because if a production builder had said this everyone would have called it cheap construction!

Who cares about what the bulkheads are made of ...........want to know whether you have won the lottery (I like to personalise my begging letters ).


(oh, and people would only have said that the construction method was cheap if it had been on a Hunter - and that mostly about the entertainment value ).

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

talk about a thread killing spoiler!

So does everyone now think less of Morris? Because if a production builder had said this everyone would have called it cheap construction!

I wouldn't have said it was cheap construction unless it was. I suspect it would be rare to have a bulkhead that wasn't some sort of composite. Most of the interiors I see are plywood. Generally speaking plywood is stronger and lighter then solid wood.

A laminate allows you to combine materials that have different desirable characteristics. For instance, you could combine a light foam core with carbon fibre layers at different orientations to give maximum stiffness and shear with kevlar to prevent punctures and finally a lovely veneer.

In absence of other information I presume everyone is using some kind of laminate for their bulkhead.

[DeepFrz]

That isn't cheap construction. It is only found on high quality custom or semi-custom builds. It costs more to vacuum bag a panel than to buy a piece of plywood. I doubt that you would ever find this type of quality on a production boat, like say, a Hunter.

[44'cruisingcat]

Funny, but to me, plywood bulkheads means heavy and cheap construction. Mine are all cored biaxial and quadraxial glass laminates. Every one of them, even cabin dividers.

Guess it depends on what you're used to.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

talk about a thread killing spoiler!

So does everyone now think less of Morris? Because if a production builder had said this everyone would have called it cheap construction!

Not if it was a catamaran builder. Cored composite interiors are pretty much standard practice with them. Nobody would buy one otherwise.

Mark

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

What do you feel this statement means as to boat build quality and construction?

"As for weight savings, we have our secrets. For example, while the bulkheads appear to be solid cherry or Formica, they're actually made of lighter composite material".

How about a carbon fibre skin over cored aluminum honeycomb or similar with a decorative finish.

[sailorboy1]

slings & arrows, sticks & stones ............ just ate a BBQ rib and did so in name of the God Hunter

some of you are really in for it now!