Buying advice : Would you trust a 50yr old polyester boat?

[Jim Cate]

^^^^
You might note that the rule applied to boats carrying passengers for hire, not recreational vessels. Again, Uniflyte (sp?) was the only lot that used the fire retardant resin, to their eventual dismay. Valiant Yachts had them lay up some hulls and they too had t he pox riddling their hulls. Bad joss for sure!

So, no, Matt, your boat ain't one of t he pox ridden disasters so rest easy, at least on that subject.

And FWIW, I always suspected that the fire retardant property was a result of the hulls soaking up so much water that they could not possibly burn!

And BTW, upthread there have been some of the most inaccurate statements ever seen in CF. It is left to the student to discover which ones...

Jim

[goboatingnow]

We will easily see the 100 year old grp boat , the stuffs indestructible

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

^^^^
…
So, no, Matt, your boat ain't one of t he pox ridden disasters so rest easy, at least on that subject.
…

Jim

Thank you Jim, good to know. I mean, I figured we’d know by now if the KPs had osmosis issues, but nice to eliminate one concern.

Instead I can lay awake at night worrying about the rubbish stainless steel that was used.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by coopec43

GILow

Has this got something to do with it?

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/26/a...dant-rule.html


https://books.google.com.au/books?id...lation&f=false

Yep, that’s related. But Jim has put my mind at ease… at least about that issue.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

We will easily see the 100 year old grp boat , the stuffs indestructible

100 years?

Can you envision a prettier looking yacht?

https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...ass-boat-ever/

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by coopec43

100 years?

Can you envision a prettier looking yacht?

https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...ass-boat-ever/

Yes. I can but that’s not the point

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Yes. I can but that’s not the point

Yes, OK.

But the point of the article is that the first f/g Chinook was built in 1956 and is now due for restoration. (That means the hull is now 66 years old)

Yes, I would trust a 50 year old polyester boat!

[mvweebles]

Steve D'antonio has written several good articles on topic of blisters, and dispels several myths, explains a few more.

As a past owner of a 1975 Uniflite, and current owner of 1970 Willard (US built), both companies with blister histories and both having US Defense Dept contracts in the 1970s, my opinion is there is much more to understanding blisters than simple fire retardency explanation.

https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/w...Jul_Aug-06.pdf

BTW - one interesting tidbit I picked up from the above cited article is that in the 1980s, industry shifted from orthophalic polyester to isophalic polyester, with the latter being more blister resistant than the former (vinyl-ester being yet a better formulation). May be a coincidence, but the OP mentioned his surveyor stated a change in the 1980s. Wonder if this is what he was referencing.

[rslifkin]

The FR resin thing was definitely just Uniflite. They were required to use it in boats they were building for the US government, so they just used it in everything they built for a while. Turned out to have significant blister problems and ended up killing the company. The remains were then bought up by Chris Craft.

[SV Siren]

My 54 yr old poly boat is doing just fine...nuff said. I did restore the bottom and applied 8 coats of barrier coating, just to avoid any and all future moisture issues down there.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by SV Siren

My 54 yr old poly boat is doing just fine...nuff said. I did restore the bottom and applied 8 coats of barrier coating, just to avoid any and all future moisture issues down there.

Everything degrades with flex over time to some degree.

With somehwere between 1 and 2% saturation rate all polyester boats will become saturated (some sooner than others). Polyester resin is hygroscopic. Many older boats are saturated now but at that percentage, there is little real effect.

The only time it becomes a major issue is when hydrolysis enters the picture and the resin starts to dissolve. This causes the laminates to separate.

I've seen two horror stories where each sheet of laminate could be peeled off by hand. Thats two in many thousands of inspections.

Go enjoy your boat.

[Rumrace]

It’s seems like used boats are parts lists and most of us enjoy that list. We bore our non boating friends showing them some cool widget to replace the 1978 stupid idea widget. It’s best to find a boat with a like thinking captain.
My Broker said he found a real deal for me in New York. A 1999 Jeanneau 37 kept up like new but the captain had passed. I turned it down because of age and having owned several 20 year old boats.
Years ago I wanted a 390 SeaRay. Then when I was ready to swap my 330 for one the hull had become obsolete. The pocket prop hull proved to be a gas gusler and Sea Ray had improved hulls and drive line made a huge leap at Mercury.
The new SeaRay hull had increased range of the cruising Rays almost as good as shallow entry V’s with lightweight chopper gun hulls.
Do you have a clue how many reputable manufacturers used chopper gun? Was considered good practice at the time. Carver created their fly bridge side walls with wood slats in a gel coat mould completely filled by chopper gun. So it’s not a critical hull part but it will fail.
I have a 1986 toy but Donzi hasn’t changed the Hull with 6 different owners and 40 + years. It’s the perfect wet fast hull. Donzi also laid up one of the best glass works in the history of boats in plastic. It now has a white epoxy bottom with no paint just wax.
The hull had no blisters but the engine mounts from the 454 slug had damaged the stringers. The Hull is standing up now that we installed an aluminum chassis for front engine mounts and battery cage. When I bought the wreck I only wanted the hull and some jerk had stolen the factory steering wheel. Cost a bundle to replace. I think I’m I little crazy to be tossing money at it, no roi, but fun boat.
For most of us that’s what boats are, fun for the weekend. I’m tired of working on boats on the weekend.
Buying a 50 year old boat or a badly used 5 year old boat means you’ll likely spend more time working than playing. You’re not alone or weird so ignore the lawn chair crowd and enjoy yourself. There are people living in free boats think they are boating, and there are folks who get out twice a year and claim to be experts.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by coopec43

GILow

Has this got something to do with it?

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/26/a...dant-rule.html


https://books.google.com.au/books?id...lation&f=false

The first article claims it was only for boats for hire and the second confirms that Uniflite was the only one and that due to their contracts with the Navy. To my knowledge, no other manufacturers.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

The first article claims it was only for boats for hire and the second confirms that Uniflite was the only one and that due to their contracts with the Navy. To my knowledge, no other manufacturers.

At the time, Uniflite was one of the largest builders in the world. There were other builders affected, including Willard Marine in Costa Mesa, also a military contractor. What set Uniflit apart was a massive class action lawsuit. Understand that when one of these boats blistered, they blistered above waterline too, not just below waterline. I once met a guy in the California Delta with a smaller Uniflite (26-foot Salty Dog if memory serves). It was pockmarked like an inverted golf ball. He bought it for a song - said the fish didn't care what it looked like.

Part of the issue with the change in resin was that Dupont, maker of the original chemical agent, stopped producing the formulation. The replacement chemicals were more hygroscopic than the ones they replaced. The Willard Owners Group has extensive files on the issues, but it's been 20 years since I've read them so can't recall the exact terminology.

Lot of mythology with blisters. Steve D'antonio is, by far, the best source for information because he cites very high quality references, plus he has extensive experience as yard manager for a reputable yard in Chesapeake Bay.

[Mango51]

Amel mango 53 1979 through 88. Do not have wood or foam core hulls. Only balsa core decks.