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Old 08-07-2018, 16:17   #1
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Niagara 31 Cored?

I keep seeing different answers to this.

Does anyone know for sure?
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Old 08-07-2018, 20:04   #2
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

The Niagara 31 was balsa cored, both hull and deck. I owned a 26 not the 31 but am quite familiar with the brand.
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Old 09-07-2018, 08:17   #3
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Thanks.

That's to bad because I like the boat, but don't trust balsa cored hulls on old boats
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Old 09-07-2018, 09:21   #4
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

I tend to agree but you can have the entire hull checked with a moisture meter and a percussion test. They are lots of cored boats out there that do not have issues. If the thru hulls were properly sealed and there has been no damaged to the hull that could let water into the coring it may be fine.



It does have the advantage of being a good insulator so no condensation on the inside and light and stiff which of course is why they installed it in teh first place.



The decks tend to have more issues due to the number of fitting installed. You can get it checked and if OK remove many of the fittings and reseal the openings again and you might never have an issue.
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Old 09-07-2018, 09:40   #5
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

I tend to stay away from a couple things in boats:
-cored hulls
-bolt on keels

It's just more to go wrong, also might be fine when you buy but not 3 years later. There are many boat options out there. Boat maintenance is bad enough.

Regarding the Niagara, the other thing is it has a spade rudder, and if that is OK with you there are plenty of boats that will perform better with spade rudders anyway! It's kind of a half modern half cruiser.
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Old 09-07-2018, 11:07   #6
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Mc View Post
I tend to agree but you can have the entire hull checked with a moisture meter and a percussion test. They are lots of cored boats out there that do not have issues. If the thru hulls were properly sealed and there has been no damaged to the hull that could let water into the coring it may be fine.



It does have the advantage of being a good insulator so no condensation on the inside and light and stiff which of course is why they installed it in teh first place.



The decks tend to have more issues due to the number of fitting installed. You can get it checked and if OK remove many of the fittings and reseal the openings again and you might never have an issue.
If I had 30 years experience with a moisture meter and tap testing I might go for it but to trust someone (a surveyor) who will have no liability if he is wrong no thanks
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Old 09-07-2018, 11:12   #7
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheechako View Post
I tend to stay away from a couple things in boats:
-cored hulls
-bolt on keels
This is where I am so far.

I was looking at an old Pearson 10M that I really liked but it needed a holding tank, (it has a bag now), and a decent anchor, chain, and rode, depth gauge, autopilot, and a dodger plus it has a bolt on keel

I started thinking about the abuse I've brought upon my present boat and knew if I had hit bottom with the 10M as hard as I have with this Bristol 27 I'd have probably done some damage to the keel if it had been bolt on

I've bounce the Bristol 27 along off the bottom back to deeper water a number of times with wind, wave, and outboard after running or being push aground
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Old 16-07-2018, 17:19   #8
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

I have a Niagara 31. It does not have a cored hull. Deck is cored. The Niagara 35 has a cored hull.
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Old 16-07-2018, 17:52   #9
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

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I have a Niagara 31. It does not have a cored hull. Deck is cored. The Niagara 35 has a cored hull.
This is what I had understood was true also but it's weight is quite light for a 31' boat at 8000 lbs it makes you wonder
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Old 16-07-2018, 19:37   #10
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Some had sail drives and the newer ones had v-drives.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/rev...35-1216-1.html
Says: Hinterhoeller Yachts, like C&C, liked to use balsa coring for its light weight and rigidity. Both the Niagara 31 and 35 have it in the hull and deck.
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Old 16-07-2018, 20:29   #11
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

If there's good access it's not hard to tell if its cored.

Also it's not super common but I've seen deals dependent on destructive testing. The C&C my uncle's marina sold had some inconclusive moisture meter tests that showed slightly elevated levels. The owner swore it was dry so they drilled exploratory holes inside near through hull fittings and every couple of feet. The core was bone dry and they think the new bottom paint caused the readings to be off. When they finished it took me about an hour to feather and fill the holes with thickened epoxy and a half dollar sized patch of glass. The holes are small and afterwards its stronger than before. Plus there's no doubt as to the core's condition.

I'm skeptical of balsa core too but on a quality boat the main concerns are holes not drilled during construction. A quality boat will locate through hull fittings in areas where they make pads without any coring. You'll usually see the depression. Its when people don't make a epoxy bed that ruins boats. One freeze and bam its delamination city :-(
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Old 20-07-2018, 11:21   #12
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

I have a C&C Custom which is fully balsa cored except where there are deck fittings. No problems after more than 40 years.
You have to know who built the boat. You need to talk to owners of that specific boat. I wouldn't buy anything built outside N. America.
I watched my C&C being built in the custom shop.
Many C&C custom boats since 1972 were fully cored and many are still sailing and the owners value them highly.
Most production C&C that had coring only had coring only in the forward sections and deck, so you don't get all the befits of a double hull construction - quiet and dry.

After spending ten years cruising I would only have a fully cored boat.
I am sure the Niagara 31 is a well built boat. I have met the designer and the builder and I trust them.

For more info on cruising and the C&C Custom build quality got o my web site

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Old 18-11-2018, 09:05   #13
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Frank 31 is correct, the Niagara 31 does not have a cored hull. Only the deck, cabin top, cockpit sole, winch placement areas are balsa cored. A lot of Niagara's suffer from some moisture issues but not all. A lot of boats from that era regardless of make will have some wet deck problems. In my opinion low to medium moisture readings are not the end of the world (boat life) you just have to keep up good maintenance.
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Old 14-08-2019, 11:25   #14
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Quote:
Originally Posted by thomm225 View Post
I keep seeing different answers to this.

Does anyone know for sure?
I was told by two owners here in BC that their boats were definitely not cored in the hull. Apparently, Practical Sailor got it wrong in an early review, and everyone since has just been repeating what they said - including Wikipedia. I have no idea, personally, but do recall reading somewhere that the 35 hull was cored and the 31 was not.
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Old 14-08-2019, 11:30   #15
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Re: Niagara 31 Cored?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kmacdonald View Post
Some had sail drives and the newer ones had v-drives.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/rev...35-1216-1.html
Says: Hinterhoeller Yachts, like C&C, liked to use balsa coring for its light weight and rigidity. Both the Niagara 31 and 35 have it in the hull and deck.
Yes, it says that. It may well be incorrect.
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