[thefantasea]

Marlene:

You say you are "researching". From this I cannot tell whether you are planning to buy an existing boat or to build one.

If you are planning to 'buy', don't bother to read any further.

If you are planning to build, consider this. Ferro cement has been used as a building material for boats for about a hundred years. Some of the early hulls, especially in Europe, are still in use. In areas where wood was becoming scarce, it was a cheap and readily available alternative. That being said, I believe that all of Jeff's comments are valid and should be given careful consideration -- with special emphasis on those dealing with aesthetics, modification, and re-sale.

In recent years, advances in marine adhesives have resulted in hull building methods that enable home builders to turn out hulls that can be indistinguishable from those professionally built. As an example, the W.E.S.T. System, or as referred to by some designers, a wood/epoxy system, has been used by many ameteurs with great success. Many naval architects, Bruce Roberts, for example, have a number of designs specifically drawn for construction by this method.

Both W.E.S.T. System and Bruce Roberts websites contain a wealth of information and can easily be found.

Good luck with your quest,