Which Hull Material is BEST: Fiberglass | Sailing Wisdom

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 25 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 125

  • @bradcraig10
    @bradcraig10 2 роки тому +11

    Well.thats the right guy to ask about fiberglass!Great video-hope to see more like these

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +3

      This series was very eye opening to make!

  • @dutchglobetrotter4513
    @dutchglobetrotter4513 2 роки тому +6

    Two years ago I helped my friend on Britican at a boatyard for a 6 day maintenance and bottom paint job.
    One of the things on the list were through holes.
    An Oyster 56 has a 35-40mm grp hull, no core. Okay she is a heavy displacement boat at 35 ton.
    Great video, I enjoy this serie.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +5

      That is a heavy boat! But also a lot of boat too 😎

    • @dutchglobetrotter4513
      @dutchglobetrotter4513 2 роки тому +4

      @@RiggingDoctor Oysters are magnificent boats. This 56 is also fast, previous owner wanted to race her so she is fast, close hauled 4m waves still doing 9 knots and carving through the waves like they are not there. 11+ knots beam reach. No wonder she beats many cats. I agree it is a lot of boat, just to polish the stainless takes 2-3 days. Britican was my first experience on a modern heavy displacement boat and it put me in team heavy boats.

  • @todddunn945
    @todddunn945 2 роки тому +5

    This was your best video by far in this series. That guy knows what he is talking about when it comes to fiberglass and aluminum. That said a modern TIG welder for doing repairs on an aluminum boat is quite compact and can be easily carried aboard.. Power requirements are easy to meet. You can do many repairs with a 115 20 amp VAC circuit if you have the right welder.Carrying the bottle(s) of argon is much more of an issue. As he said repairing fiberglass is easy with minimal tools (angle grinder). Structural repairs are simple, but cosmetics is much more fussy. Good video.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +2

      I saved the best for last!

    • @mac-doien9298
      @mac-doien9298 7 місяців тому

      If you're not good at fiberglass.. you will be...!
      OR your giant investment will be sunk...!
      Standing water on horizontal decks & fixtures can destroy a gel coat.. deadly bc they're difficult to detect, especially in the early stages.. unless you want to remove every winch, & embedded piece of Chrome & stress test every stantion?
      More likely you will uncover the instability during a gale force headwind, in the dark 🕶️ ?
      w aluminum twin rudder.. running up on shore is done like dinner 🌮 🌮 & I'm sure that keeping plenty of sacrificial anodes & sliding an extra 1/2 sheets of aluminum under the mattress is doable.✅

  • @sylvaingagnon3211
    @sylvaingagnon3211 2 роки тому +3

    Great interview with Matt, Herb. Among all the owners of FRP boats, you picked one that has a trusted perspective on the subject. Well done!

  • @pero2727
    @pero2727 2 місяці тому

    Here's an idea for the aluminium welding problem; convert to an electric saildrive, big battery in the bottom, will easily give 1000 amps of welding power at any location in the world (and carry a few small aluminum panels of the correct grade).
    You get more space in the boat, more stability, less noise when motoring, no gas station dependency (propeller regen instead of reefing sails in higher wind) and a middle-of-the-ocean welding station.

  • @Mylifelovingit
    @Mylifelovingit 2 роки тому +5

    Great video once again. Each person so far gives the pro's and cons of their hull type and if you take all of them together you can get a good idea of what is going to be your best choice

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +2

      My favorite part is everyone is happy on their hull, so there doesn’t seem to be a choice that will “ruin your happiness” if you go with the wrong material.

  • @billkaroly
    @billkaroly 2 роки тому +1

    I've been following MJ Sailing and their build.

  • @californiakayaker
    @californiakayaker 2 роки тому +2

    I think what I liked about this guy is that he had experience with multiple materials. I've heard things about wood, worm problems. Fero-cemment is heavy but tough. Steel rusts. Aluminum corrodes. Fiberglass Cracks . Each material can have a problem of some kind. Wooden Bulkheads, they are terrible, there must be another way to do that bulkhead thing ?

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +6

      Foam core fiberglass is a rot proof alternative 😉
      I really liked his insight as well. Someone who says “I like fiberglass but I’ve only ever had fiberglass” is less valuable of an opinion than someone who likes fiberglass and has experience with a different hull material.

    • @californiakayaker
      @californiakayaker 2 роки тому

      @@RiggingDoctor Yes, definitely, I like folks with a wider view. Merry Christmas.

  • @madloop3217
    @madloop3217 2 роки тому +1

    This video is a treasure

  • @barrywarren4221
    @barrywarren4221 2 роки тому +1

    The newer fiberglass is pretty impressive. The older ones the stringers across the hull would rot out in about 20yrs, on my 1988 Bayliner it did. Merry Christmas to the both of you.

    • @todddunn945
      @todddunn945 2 роки тому

      As was said in the video, quality boats don't have problems cheap boats do. I see 1960s vintage Hinckleys that are as strong as the day they were built all the time. Heck, even the glass in my 1972 Allied is still just fine.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      Different builds last different times, but the glass of the hull seems to remain timeless!

  • @michaelvanwinkle7919
    @michaelvanwinkle7919 2 роки тому

    Good video for someone just getting into a sailboat. Barrier coat was a life saver of the first sailboat I purchased.
    Glad he mentioned that.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      He was very knowledgeable on the topic!

  • @SustainableSailing
    @SustainableSailing 2 роки тому +4

    By far the best of the series but also highlights that there is such huge variation within each material (and of age generations) that generalisations (wood, GRP, Aluminium, Steel) don't take us very far forward. There is also a lot of cross over eg between a GRP boat with wood core or a wood boat sheathed in GRP.
    For example with GRP there are different core options: no core, balsa core, foam core. Then there are multiple resin types, other construction details (stringers, GRP liner or other framing). Cloth type (chopped strand, biaxial, unidirectional) and material (glass, Kevlar, carbon fibre etc)
    The story is similar for wood with many different construction methods and materials.
    Then there are the combinations such as Magic Carpet 2 (GRP Hull, timber deck beams with GRP sheathed ply deck).

    • @KoDeMondo
      @KoDeMondo 2 роки тому

      All of them they are just crap!

    • @bergssprangare
      @bergssprangare Рік тому

      Oyster..A company that went bankrupt when one of their yachts on delivery lost its keel have their say about Fibreglass..Another company that experienced problems wit FG is Nautor Swan

    • @SustainableSailing
      @SustainableSailing Рік тому

      @@bergssprangare our preference is for an encapsulated keel so no worries about it falling off (although of course there are potential different concerns).

  • @bergssprangare
    @bergssprangare Рік тому

    Oyster..A company that went bankrupt when one of their yachts on delivery lost its keel have their say about Fibreglass..Another company that experienced problems wit FG is Nautor Swan

  • @graeme-sailingskeptic
    @graeme-sailingskeptic 2 роки тому +3

    Great video - very informative

  • @NotaFlea
    @NotaFlea 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks for the series of vlogs about materials. It has been a great learning experience.

  • @kevinkurka8020
    @kevinkurka8020 2 роки тому

    Brilliant video idea and Great to have Matt as an interview for the topic!

  • @SustainableSailing
    @SustainableSailing 2 роки тому +2

    The double bottom is fantastic in many ways. Just wondering about when happens if you suspect there has been damage. How do you inspect the compartment when there might be damage? How do you do a repair to the inside of one of those compartments? I'd like to see a section of each compartment as an opening that is bolted onto a seal.

    • @terryroth9707
      @terryroth9707 2 роки тому +1

      To inspect, you can dive onder the boat to check damage. As for repairs, you will have to haul out for major repairs. Small dings could be repaired under water.
      Putting hatches in the boat would result in problems with major damage. More likely to flood the hull. Seals fail.

    • @SustainableSailing
      @SustainableSailing 2 роки тому +1

      @@terryroth9707 I guess it is where you choose to compromise. This way you can't know if there is damage until you can dive and you can't patch from inside. But bigger damage is less likely to cause total failure and the hull is stronger.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +2

      Yep. It’s like airbags in a car: you know they are there and hope they work but you never check on them for the life of the car.
      One day, you might find out how they are doing!

    • @SustainableSailing
      @SustainableSailing 2 роки тому +1

      @@RiggingDoctor exactly.
      Having found lots of issues with parts of our boat that have been hidden for 45 years I'm quite uncomfortable with creating areas that can't be inspected or repaired.

  • @braithmiller
    @braithmiller 2 роки тому

    Well balanced explanation. As much as people complain about blisters they honestly don’t sink you or even slow your speed. The early hulls were overbuilt as most were treated like wooden hull thickness in building, great value for a permanent home. Just the under-built production gets it a bad name.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      We have a blister that we plan to fix this next haul out. I’ve seen it for the past few years but have never had the time to take care of it.
      It’s not a harm so also not the highest priority!

  • @andrewpiereder2768
    @andrewpiereder2768 2 роки тому

    I'm attracted to the idea of building a sailboat, so, at least in my case, your videos address the issues I'm most interested in; the hows and whys for all the choices that can be made for a boat. Good stuff. High five.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      Building a boat is such a noble practice, in my opinion.
      You are not only building a boat, but you are building the attainment of dreams!

  • @PyeGuySailing
    @PyeGuySailing 2 роки тому +3

    I loved MJ sailing, their videography was great and they had wonderful personalities. I unsubscribed when they started building a cat, not because I'm a boat snob but because after watching Mads rebuild Athena I just couldn't stomach watching another boat build series. Best of luck to them and I may subscribe when they're back on the water.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      He’s building quickly so it will only be a few years :)

  • @corujariousa
    @corujariousa 2 роки тому

    I was surprised by the favorable comments about using core on a fiberglass boat. I have heard many different comments in the past and understand high-end yacht manufacturers do not use it. I'd welcome clarifications on that. Thanks for the video!

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +2

      Everyone building performance boats uses core because it’s stronger at less weight. If you hit something, the repairs are also more involved because the core needs attention.
      Solid hulls are insanely heavy, so bad for performance (if performance is light air racing and not heavy weather sailing) and incredibly resilient after a collision. As long as the hull didn’t crack, you can keep on going without a worry on a solid hull.
      Personally, our boat has a solid hull and down near the keel it’s 3.5 inches thick! It weighs 36,000 lbs and floats on a 32 foot waterline. Rather heavy for her size and slow in light air, but I wouldn’t want to cross an ocean on something lighter that would need a lot of work after a collision. We have seen too many trees and other big junk floating just at the surface out in the middle of the ocean. Sadly, we have bumped into a few things that we never saw at night too. A loud bump followed by a bilge check and we keep on crossing the ocean without a worry!

  • @PrivateUsername
    @PrivateUsername 2 роки тому +2

    Yeah, I'd much rather have a aluminum or steel boat, and I would spend the $1k to get a AC/DC TIG welder and some spare plate to use for holes. But that's just me being a hobby/artistic metalworker being significantly more comfortable working with metal.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      The best material is one you know how to fix yourself!

  • @jonathanwetherell3609
    @jonathanwetherell3609 2 роки тому

    Just to split a few hairs, it is GRP, Glass Reinforced Plastic, unless it is carbon fiber reinforced plastic!

  • @davecopp9356
    @davecopp9356 2 роки тому +1

    Great video and great guy with a lot of knowledge. Thanks.

  • @LoanwordEggcorn
    @LoanwordEggcorn 2 роки тому

    Thanks for a great interview with Matt. Timely too with demonstrations of the build with their new boat.
    Plastic composites are a great material, but unfortunately putting more plastics into the environment is a bad thing.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      I understand and I’m torn on this.
      If the boat is well built, it will last for thousands of years, but so many manufacturers are building them so flimsy that pieces of the boat will last forever but not as a boat.
      It would be really beautiful of wooden boats would make a resurgence.

    • @LoanwordEggcorn
      @LoanwordEggcorn 2 роки тому

      @@RiggingDoctor Agree with all your points.
      Wood is cool, but highly impractical IMO, and requires a ton of maintenance.
      Steel rusts.
      To me the most viable option is Aluminum. It can be highly durable since the oxide layer protects it. It's highly recyclable and recycled. It's mostly made using renewable energy, specifically hydroelectricity in Canada and Scandinavia. Really it's the least bad solution, and has a lot of positives. I'd like to see some revolutions in how boats are made with it however.
      As with composites, current construction techniques for steel and Aluminum are highly labor intensive, and that's why they all cost so much.

    • @LoanwordEggcorn
      @LoanwordEggcorn 2 роки тому

      To be a bit more clear, above I'm talking about solid wood.
      Fiberglass over plywood, which is a lot more common today, is sort of a hybrid, with some strength and most structure coming from the plywood core, but the plastic issues of other plastic composites.
      It also shares the potential core rot problems of balsa cored plastic composites.
      That said, plywood construction is cool from a low-tech, mold-less, DIY-friendly construction technique. In principle anyone can build a plywood boat and glass it over. And many shapes are possible, but mostly with flat or curved planes.
      But it's still putting plastic into the environment.

  • @Mar-vu9nx
    @Mar-vu9nx 2 роки тому

    I to, I like MJ chanel! The couple personality, behave like angels. But Mat forgoten TOTALY the biggest fiberglas disatwantage of all! And that is FIRE! EVEN WORST THEN WOOD!!!

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      Good point, but no matter the hull a fire at sea means that you are probably going to die ☠️

    • @Mar-vu9nx
      @Mar-vu9nx 2 роки тому

      @@RiggingDoctor that is not the goal of your program! It is, which hull material is wisdom!

    • @braithmiller
      @braithmiller 2 роки тому

      Most aluminum and steel are then insulated and woodwork built in. From my observations all boats are fully sustainable to fire for the contents and furnishings alone.
      Electrical, now battery devices 1# issue.
      Most recent full loss boat fire was a cheap lithium device in storage.
      Personaly I consider my fire danger relatively low in my wooden vessel. If we are discussing the hull not the deck house or inbuild.

  • @livingsimplytosimplylive6817
    @livingsimplytosimplylive6817 2 роки тому +1

    Great series. Merry Christmas

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks! Merry Christmas to you too 🎅🏻

  • @DavidPaulNewtonScott
    @DavidPaulNewtonScott 2 роки тому +1

    I like wood but a goods things about fiberglass are rot resistance and really remarkable tolerance of uv light.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      I too appreciate wooden boats from my fiberglass boat.

    • @KoDeMondo
      @KoDeMondo 2 роки тому

      Not completely correct UV are speed up crystalizzation process within the GRP which is a process alive throughout vessel life

  • @GregoryVeizades
    @GregoryVeizades 2 роки тому

    Seeing this video, i think you should interview Acorn to Arabella or Sampson Boat Co. On their wooden hull builds.

  • @pavelavietor1
    @pavelavietor1 2 роки тому +1

    Hola feliz noche buena. Saludos Iberians. Saludos a Puerto Rico

  • @terrahasher
    @terrahasher 2 роки тому

    so, you make the bulk hull/complete frame of the catamaran from foam board aswell and than laminate it with fiberglass? and how many layers should be working to get the job done?

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      That is all up to the naval architect who designed the boat. Some areas need more layers, other areas have fewer layers to save weight.

  • @bobcornwell403
    @bobcornwell403 2 роки тому

    The main reason fiberglass dominates is because it is the easiest method to use to get compound curves. Once the molds are made, it takes a shocking low amount of man-hours to get a hull.
    The one fiberglass boat I owned, I waxed three times a season. Once before launching. Once mid-season. And once before winter storage.
    I didn't have access to clean water, so I used the somewhat dirty river water. It didn't shine as brightly as it could have, but the boat ended up looking half the age of a five-year-old boat that was really half my boat's age.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      Fiberglass is the hull material I chose to buy and live on. 9 years later, it just keeps on going strong (and she’s over 50 years old now).

  • @pavelavietor1
    @pavelavietor1 2 роки тому +1

    Hello FELIZ NOCHE BUENA. SALUDOS IBERIANS SALUDOS A PUERTO RICO

  • @BertMerlin57
    @BertMerlin57 2 роки тому

    Not seen all I admit, but I also start think what whit the envoriment? Inpact whit the different material, both in build fase and when the boat are worn out, steal and aluminium is to use again, but fiberglass? And what whit wrecks? Sunken plast and fiberglass boats?

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      The wrecks are a bog issue with fiberglass. They stuff will stay around for thousands of years!

    • @BertMerlin57
      @BertMerlin57 2 роки тому

      @@RiggingDoctor - That is my fear, yes. And the wage and work conditions for some glass fiber boats. There is a reason they are so cheap. Compared to EU build, steel and Aluminum boats.

  • @webheadusa9377
    @webheadusa9377 2 роки тому +2

    I've been watching Matt & Jessica for a few years. For the past four - six months or so they have been building a Cat from a kit in a tent. Very capable craftsman, very knowledgable as they have been explaining in detail each step as they go. They also point out the type of glass they are using. :¬) Webhead USA

    • @stevenr8606
      @stevenr8606 2 роки тому

      ⬆️ how many people? That's all they want you to see. Get real.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      @STEVEN R I don’t understand what you are getting at here?

  • @sensor6101
    @sensor6101 2 роки тому

    Great video.

  • @DavidPaulNewtonScott
    @DavidPaulNewtonScott 2 роки тому +1

    Old fiberglass hulls tend to be waaay overbuilt the therefore never get stress cycled they last forever. My Westerly Pageant is built like a tank.

    • @SailingAnja
      @SailingAnja 2 роки тому +1

      Hehe agreed there i have a 73 year Kings Cruiser 29 and i am dreading to make a through hole for a depth transducer.. i need a bigger stronger drill haha

    • @DavidPaulNewtonScott
      @DavidPaulNewtonScott 2 роки тому +1

      @@SailingAnja I will never drill a hole in a boat more stuff to worry about.

    • @SailingAnja
      @SailingAnja 2 роки тому +1

      @@DavidPaulNewtonScott Exactly why i am thinking of a transon transducer haha.. i don't like holes in my boat :P

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      I have closed up all the through hulls I can, so far we only have two. One for the Air Conditioner, and one for the galley discharge.
      I made all the other discharges above the waterline (even when we heel) and it’s still a chore to drill through the hull!

    • @SustainableSailing
      @SustainableSailing 2 роки тому +1

      @@RiggingDoctor We are down to two (cockpit drains as we have a centre cockpit). Will add one inlet which will be used for watermaker, galley, deck wash. All will be inside a coffer dam (and they are all TruDesign). That means we have filled 10 holes so far.

  • @eprofessio
    @eprofessio Рік тому

    Fiberglass or aluminum hosed with closed cell foam.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  Рік тому

      They make great hulls!

    • @eprofessio
      @eprofessio Рік тому

      @@RiggingDoctoragreed. I have had aluminum and fiberglass and they both lasted forever. The aluminum was sprayed with closed cell and when I forgot the plug it would just be out the floating. I would wade out, start the bilge pump, make breakfast and by the time breakfast was over the boat would be ready for fun! I would definitely stay away from wood core or steal. I had the wood transom rot out on one boat and it was a nightmare to replace.

  • @Noneya792
    @Noneya792 2 роки тому

    Coring below water line - not. Fiberglass, thick and old, Yes!

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      I agree with you there, but I’m on a boat from 1968 😎

    • @Noneya792
      @Noneya792 2 роки тому

      . 1981 leaky teaky tank

  • @charlespayne1061
    @charlespayne1061 2 роки тому

    I like glass boats but hell if I'll get on a glass cat those things well put you in the newspaper!

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      For going too fast?

    • @charlespayne1061
      @charlespayne1061 2 роки тому

      @@RiggingDoctor yep they're fast I believe one holds the world's record in speed but they seem to like flipping.

  • @stevenplancich6449
    @stevenplancich6449 2 роки тому

    Hmm. Sounds like a Fair Weather choice

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      That’s their plan. After Norway, they are done looking for storms and now want to sail where it’s nice.

  • @DowneastThunderCreations
    @DowneastThunderCreations 2 роки тому +1

    👍👍👍

  • @jamesadams1064
    @jamesadams1064 2 роки тому

    Sorry Herbie. Those people give me the creeps. Even though they’re fellow Michiganders

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      😂
      But he is still a good resource on fiberglass construction.

  • @markbailey6051
    @markbailey6051 2 роки тому

    Steel is real, I can ram anything with no damage, maybe a small dent. If I am at anchor and some clown t bones my boat the damage is minimal.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      It’s like a plastic bottle hitting a tank 🤣

    • @coreyriddell4726
      @coreyriddell4726 Рік тому

      The only new paint to touch my GRP sailboat in 15 years is antifouling. How does steel compare?

  • @KoDeMondo
    @KoDeMondo 2 роки тому

    It's break... And never get back to previous structural strength

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      It takes a lot of grinding and reglassing to bring it back up to spec

    • @KoDeMondo
      @KoDeMondo 2 роки тому

      @@RiggingDoctor yes a lot of grinding 🤣...about the specs, what specs? How you can measure the specs? Who will assess it? According to what? please mention rule and reference...

  • @lexiecrewther7038
    @lexiecrewther7038 2 роки тому

    HDPE is the best hull material

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      Do you have any examples of large boats built with this that I could look into?

  • @RodFleming-World
    @RodFleming-World 2 роки тому

    Doesn't even discuss solid fibreglass. Sorry there's no way I'd trust cored.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому +1

      He did for a moment. Basically that it’s super heavy to have the same strength.
      I cruise on a 1968 solid glass hull. Never have to worry about coring issues 😎

    • @RodFleming-World
      @RodFleming-World 2 роки тому +1

      @@RiggingDoctor exactly. And on a sea boat, heavy is not bad. It adds comfort.

  • @stevenr8606
    @stevenr8606 2 роки тому

    🤦🤷 only one opinion. Come now.

    • @RiggingDoctor
      @RiggingDoctor  2 роки тому

      One opinion of someone who knows how to work and repair the stuff; that’s the difference 😉