Cold-Molded Boats

[swabbmob]

Hello Steph,
I've owned a wonderful 46 ft cold molded cutter for 3 years now, and am a big fan of this method of construction. My boat is nearing 40 years old, but is tough as nails. She already has one circumnavigtion under her waterline and is ready for another. She is very dry and my buddies who've been offshore (in very challenging weather) are amazed at how quiet her hull is in comparison to the fiberglass boats they've sailed. She is solid - now groaning and squeaking. To have one built like this today is a high dollar proposition, but you should be able to find a used one for a reasonable price. Few boat buyers understand the construction, and they are a bit gunshy about them.

[stephaneg]

Originally Posted by swabbmob

Hello Steph,
I've owned a wonderful 46 ft cold molded cutter for 3 years now, and am a big fan of this method of construction. My boat is nearing 40 years old, but is tough as nails. She already has one circumnavigtion under her waterline and is ready for another. She is very dry and my buddies who've been offshore (in very challenging weather) are amazed at how quiet her hull is in comparison to the fiberglass boats they've sailed. She is solid - now groaning and squeaking. To have one built like this today is a high dollar proposition, but you should be able to find a used one for a reasonable price. Few boat buyers understand the construction, and they are a bit gunshy about them.

Thank you sound like you've got a great beaut how did you find it? and how did you make sure that it was in good shape in inside of the hull?
thanks!
S

[stephaneg]

Hi again..I was wondering also whats the name of those sailboat that are shape like a football? they are large in the senter and make more room insite. does they have a name? and do they make them Cold-Molded ?
thank you to all
S

[stephaneg]

hey all i ave a new question..is composit hull like Cold-Molded hull? is it the same thing?
thanks
S

[GypsyHawk]

I just stumbled on this thread and feel I have to have a say. My boat is a strip planked cedar / epoxy and I have never regretted the purchase. When my wife and I went looking we had a reject list which included no cold molded or wood epoxy, no custom or owner builds, no tiller, ..... Well, we both fell in love with what we thought we didn't want, got a thumbs up at survey and haven't been let down. Strong, stiff and a great sail in all conditions and yes, no more maintenance than our previous GRP boat. In fact less, no osmosis. But like any boat its all in the design and quality of the build, no matter what the material.

Have a look at the Van De Stadt web site for ideas and construction pics.

[Aussie_Sequoia]

After seeing some absolutely beautiful cold molded wood boats in New Zealand, I have to admit I've been keeping them on the radar in my boat search here in Australia (not that there's that many here comparatively). They seem to have the warmth of a timber boat with the easier maintenance of GRP (or something like that?)... either way I seem to be attracted by them. I need to study up on some of the links posted earlier to see who the really high quality cold molded builders are.

[stephaneg]

thanks for reply cool let me know on what you discover for high quality cold molded builders.
thanks!
S

[swabbmob]

Stephaneg, Just to get an idea about current builders - look up Covey Island Boatworks, also Paul Gartside designs some beautiful small cruising boats for cold molded construction. The Woodenboat Forum is also a great place to learn more. Nigel Irens is also a designer who uses this construction method.

You'll have to search pretty hard to find them for sale. Not sure cold-molded works as a filter in the Yachtworld website.

[mrohr]

Had a cold molded robin class sloop once :glued,no epoxy or glass,just varnish and paint.Very tough and beautiful but needed much upkeep,maybe would have been less intensive with a west system ,but strong she was.
BTW: Many seem concerned here with"strength", and rightly so,but one aspect that never gets consideration consideration is abrasion resistance; and it is here that I think that cold molded will surpass FRP (glass) with of course steel being at the forefront in this regard. By abrasion resistance I'm refering to grinding up against a beach or some such mishap in wind and waves where there is extensive grinding occuring over time.

[stephaneg]

cool ..thanks SWABBMOB
i will check it out.

[u4ea32]

Originally Posted by PAR

There seems to be a lot of myths about cold molding that I wasn't aware of. First of all, it's resale value is not low. It is in fact the highest of all the modern approaches.

That's an interesting statement, but I think it cannot possibly be true. First, cold molding is more expensive in the first place than fiberglass, so one starts out at a cost disadvantage. Then, no bank I have found will lend on wood boats, including cold molded boats. Therefore, the total market is populated only by those who will buy with all cash, a dramatically smaller market: far less demand means far lower price.

Originally Posted by PAR

... The real problem facing all wooden boats is neglect. Wooden boats can tolerate neglect the least of all the building materials. Of the building methods, cold molding ranks high, near the top of the list in terms of durability to neglect. Only composites with wooden cores fair better and this is directly proportionate to the thickness of the sheathings in comparison.

Yet another reason that new wooden boats are nice, but nice old wooden boats are few and far between. The pervasive smell of mildew is enough for me to avoid them.

[isobelk]

While mine is a power vessel, it is cold moulded, using 6 layers of 3/16" x 1 1/2" strips, west system epoxy, with each layer laid at angle to the previous layer. The outer layer has glass over it. Painted with 2-part poly (Sterling)

total hull thickness 1 5/8"


Very stiff hull, boat launched in 1998, designed as a replica of a 1963 Monk, and dry and dusty in all bilges.


Since I have not run into anything to damage it yet, I don't really have any experience in the 'repair' process, but it seems like it would be fairly easy.


good luck

[fridu]

Hi to illustrate this thread on the molded wood epoxy, I suggest you watch these videos on the construction of a molded wooden sailboat.
The manufacturer is Thierry Dubois is a French skipper, well known in France for having raced the Vendee Globe. After having built his own racing boats and have stopped competing, he decided to build his dream boat, a schooner molded wood on a Nigel Irens plan. The videos show the construction of this boat over 6 years and shows the extent of the works to provide. This boat called "La Louise" sails now in Greenland. You can automatically translate the videos in English because they are French in origin. There are 15 episodes. But it is very informative and impressive.

Episode One:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Dr...840BB6B436B96B