This will be interesting

[JPA Cate]

Bilgewater's explanation about the fibreglass not adhering to the cement, and the alkaline atmosphere of the cement would concern me. It sounds like there's a possibility the boat could fall apart on you. Maybe he could give you a source for this info so you could check out this issue before deciding to move on this boat. The risk is buying what turns out to be something you pay to dispose of in the tip; a $20 k loss if you pay the asking price.

Be sure, also, to find out about the insurance before you buy. The policy may be transferable to you. The reason is that on the east coast of Oz and in Tassie, [don't know about the other States] one is required to carry third party insurance for admittance to a marina, and for hauling out. For reasons unknown to me, most insurance companies here are wanting to sell you a whole package instead of just the third party.

Ann

[Manos1955]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

........+1, totally agree.

+ 2 I also totally agree

[Johnathon123]

DBY Boat sales are insurance agents for most majors. If insurance is a worry, lob it back to the broker, here is my offer, conditional upon THE BROKER organising insurance.

I have dealt with DBY for years, always found them to be very helpful.

[CrazyStoney]

G'day everyone. Well thanks for so much for the great advice and food for thought.

Originally Posted by dlymn

What is your sailing ground like? Is it sheltered or exposed to the big seas that comprise much of the waters around australia? How far apart are established anchorages and moorings? what are the prevailing winds like? Matters such as these might influence your decision making.

dlymn I am living in Brisbane , so Moreton Bay will be my playground. With plans to move/sail north and possibly go right around Australia.

[CrazyStoney]

Originally Posted by mawtty

I think it is ok to go for, looks comfy inside.
I know of a fiberglass 37 footer in Moreton Bay which is far better. The owner is asking $30,ooo .
Tim.

Hey Tim, sounds good but unfortunately my budget doesn't go much past 20K

[CrazyStoney]

I actually don't mind the look of that boat. Ugly? I found it more " Robust " or perhaps more appropriately " Rotund " Although I do have the eye of a novice when it comes to sailing boats. I have always found functionality more pleasing than form.

[Hoohaa]

Have a look at this one on Gumtree, Its in for $12000. Its a 40ft Hartely Fijian, needs some finishing but the pics look good. Might be worth a call?
Yacht Hartley sloop | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Gold Coast North - Coomera | 1117829735

[HankOnthewater]

Originally Posted by Johnathon123

.......I have dealt with DBY for years, always found them to be very helpful.

I agree with above.

Regarding the second boat now on Gumtree....as one can can see it was and still is advertised on Yachthub, was $45k, now $12k and maybe even open for lower offers. That Hartley boat does not look like an "Fijian" to me, most of these were 43 or 45 ft and often stretched to 48 ft, and certainly not as sleek looking as the one in the ad.
The $12k boat would offer double the space, but would be more than twice the displacement of the one in your first post. With it being a project boat, it may be not suitable as a 'first' boat, unless you have the skills and the time.

But looking as that price drop, that it could be an indication of the boat market in that category.

[Snowpetrel]

Its possibly made from ferrolite or similar, this is a modified polyester resin that is used instead of concrete over the steel armature. I have a freind with one. It seems to have lasted well and is much lighter and warmer than normal concrete. If this is the case its probably a big plus over normal concrete, though less is known about its ultimate lifespan. Sometimes layers of glass fibre are added over the top.

The interior seems dated, and the boat isnt pretty. I doubt it would sail very well, especially if it has traditional heavy concrete decks which would make it very tender (unstable). But it looks like a comfortable cheap roomy livaboard.

In the market today in aussie you can get a lot of boat for not much money. It seems like $30k can get you a much nicer boat, but thats an extra 10k...

[Scout 30]

I strongly caution against buying a project if you are inexperienced. Without having gone through it it's hard to understand how time consuming & expensive something like this can be. The boat you are considering does not appear to be a project but you need a well qualified surveyor to tell you that. I will say that now that we've got a pilothouse it would be hard to ever consider a boat without one. It's not just the obvious protection from the wind & rain that's a blessing, it's the protection from the sun reflecting off the water that a Bimini doesn't give you. Regarding the boat's looks I think painting the topsides a dark color would really help. Regarding the boat's construction, if there were a major defect I would think it would have showed up by now.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by billgewater

Ferro cement works because steel has excellent tensile strength, adhesion to cement, a fairly comparable rate of thermal expansion as the surrounding cement and steel also survives in the alkaline environment. Steel reinforced concrete is by far the worlds most successful building material. I have yet to see a fiberglass apartment block. Fibreglass strands do not generally survive in an alkaline environment and is also hydroscopic as seen in the dreaded fibreglass osmosis. The presence of the water destroys any adhesion between the glass strands and the cement leading to rapid failure. If there was a functional substitute for steel in concrete I am sure it would be used in bridge pylons and breakwaters.
However, it is true that many ferro cement vessels had internal voids (due to poor application of the cement mix) and many also used poor quality concrete mixes that had excess water in the mixes which after setting, led to evaporation and high porosity. Ultimately the ingress of salt water would win leading to corrosion of the steel reinforcing.
There are many ferro hulls that are still functioning after many decades. However, the application of the water proofing epoxies and careful checking when on the slips is essential as it is with any material in such an aggressive chemical environment.
Many ferro cement hulls have no internal paint cover at all as there simply is no need . Try that with steel or timber!

Thanks! I really didn't need the primer on ferro it may have been useful to some readers. I had considered building in it some 40 yrs. ago. The necessity to trowel it out all in one shot was the deciding reason to nix it.

The question as directed at the wording of the ad. it contained glass and ferro in it. Since it has a project of a university and some work was done on substituting glass fiber for some of the steel, not the rebar, I was curious about the wording?

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Bilgewater's explanation about the fibreglass not adhering to the cement, and the alkaline atmosphere of the cement would concern me. It sounds like there's a possibility the boat could fall apart on you. Maybe he could give you a source for this info so you could check out this issue before deciding to move on this boat. The risk is buying what turns out to be something you pay to dispose of in the tip; a $20 k loss if you pay the asking price.

Be sure, also, to find out about the insurance before you buy. The policy may be transferable to you. The reason is that on the east coast of Oz and in Tassie, [don't know about the other States] one is required to carry third party insurance for admittance to a marina, and for hauling out. For reasons unknown to me, most insurance companies here are wanting to sell you a whole package instead of just the third party.

Ann

Ann, it was build 46 yrs ago. I think it would have had a catastrophic failure by now. I just posed the question out of curiosity. I'll bet it was just poor wording in the add. Maybe ferro hull with glass topsides?

[Teknishn]

Someone mentioned earlier that DIY builders give Ferros a bad name. Maybe so, but I am regularly onboard a 20-meter Ferro here in the Red Sea which was built by a DIY'er 35 plus years ago. The boat was built in the Czech Republic about 50-miles inland on a farm. The Owner, and also the builder, is half-German/Czech and recently pulled the boat. The hull was surveyed by a surveyor from Germany and given a clean bill of health even after not being hauled for 5-years. Boat is currently for sale for $20 Euros as the owner wants to retire to Germany. Standing rigging replaced about 10 years ago, new sails 3-years ago. If it weren't for the odd equipment configurations in the Engine Room (Propulsion engine being an old ex-Czech military marinized Mercedes 4000cc truck engine bought at auction during the boat's build (still purrs like a kitten though), and both Generators, as well as all system's pumps and motors being 380-volts, old Mercedes diesel driving the antique dive compressor, 16-batteries for Start and another 8 for House), I would consider it for myself....galley alone is to die for! Plus two full aft cabins with private heads and 7 cabins and two heads forward. Oh, forgot to mention a bathtub even! But to stay on thread, I have crawled through this boat fore and aft many times chasing the odd electrical problem in exchange for beers and a gourmet meal (Owner's a retired chef), and I have to say that I was impressed to find no signs of rust or water intrusion anywhere. This was the DIY owner's first, and last, build. Apparently he took the time to learn how to do it properly. So it can be done by DIYer's .So Ferro's do last.....To the OP, have that survey done if you are seriously interested, sail or crew on it, crawl through every inch of it. Then make your offer as you will be better informed as to what the boat will need now, or in the immediate future. Good Luck!

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

Someone mentioned earlier that DIY builders give Ferros a bad name. Maybe so, but I am regularly onboard a 20-meter Ferro here in the Red Sea which was built by a DIY'er 35 plus years ago. The boat was built in the Czech Republic about 50-miles inland on a farm. The Owner, and also the builder, is half-German/Czech and recently pulled the boat. The hull was surveyed by a surveyor from Germany and given a clean bill of health even after not being hauled for 5-years. Boat is currently for sale for $20 Euros as the owner wants to retire to Germany. Standing rigging replaced about 10 years ago, new sails 3-years ago. If it weren't for the odd equipment configurations in the Engine Room (Propulsion engine being an old ex-Czech military marinized Mercedes 4000cc truck engine bought at auction during the boat's build (still purrs like a kitten though), and both Generators, as well as all system's pumps and motors being 380-volts, old Mercedes diesel driving the antique dive compressor, 16-batteries for Start and another 8 for House), I would consider it for myself....galley alone is to die for! Plus two full aft cabins with private heads and 7 cabins and two heads forward. Oh, forgot to mention a bathtub even! But to stay on thread, I have crawled through this boat fore and aft many times chasing the odd electrical problem in exchange for beers and a gourmet meal (Owner's a retired chef), and I have to say that I was impressed to find no signs of rust or water intrusion anywhere. This was the DIY owner's first, and last, build. Apparently he took the time to learn how to do it properly. So it can be done by DIYer's .So Ferro's do last.....To the OP, have that survey done if you are seriously interested, sail or crew on it, crawl through every inch of it. Then make your offer as you will be better informed as to what the boat will need now, or in the immediate future. Good Luck!

This sounds liken an amazing boat. Can you post a link to the listing or some pics?

[Teknishn]

Scout 30, will be back over there sometime near towards the end of next week and will take and post some pics. Probably should post it in the "For Sale" section though, with the owner's permission, but will post a link to it here.