Steel or Wood Construction - Why ?

[imagine2frolic]

Ferro cement needs a small gale to get moving. There will be a lot of motoring, and some slow speed. Of course it would probably be a comfortable ride in a gale......i2f

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

Ferro cement needs a small gale to get moving. There will be a lot of motoring, and some slow speed. Of course it would probably be a comfortable ride in a gale......i2f

From what I've read, your statement don't apply to all FC yachts, some of the FC yachts are very fast, even beating plastic yachts in races
Anyway, if I wanted to get somewhere fast, I would buy a plastic racing Tri, or a 40' power boat with two bloody big gas swigging motors, you know the one's, 40-60 + GPH But I don't want a speed boat, I would be happy to take it slow and easy...Just so long as I get there safely and, from my research, the best mono's that suits my needs would be a Pro built Ferro Cement yacht
Each to their own I say

[Geoduck]

ferro cement vessels go just as fast as anyother - displacement is displacement.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

ferro cement vessels go just as fast as anyother - displacement is displacement.

if you believe that, I'd love to get you in a tacking duel sometime. Acceleration is accelerating.

[Geoduck]

well, I know what youre thinking but the fact is if you were to build four boats, all the same design and same displacement out of any material you like, I think youd have a dead heat race. Saying that, I still think ferro cement boats sink like a stone!

[martinjrichter]

Originally Posted by Geoduck

well, I know what youre thinking but the fact is if you were to build four boats, all the same design and same displacement out of any material you like, I think youd have a dead heat race. Saying that, I still think ferro cement boats sink like a stone!

That is because FC boats are stone. That said there are plenty of wood, plastic and steel boats on the bottom. Whether they went down like a stone or not is a mute point, being on the bottom is the pertinent point.

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by martinjrichter

That is because FC boats are stone. That said there are plenty of wood, plastic and steel boats on the bottom. Whether they went down like a stone or not is a mute point, being on the bottom is the pertinent point.

Ditto to that Martin

[NeptunesTrident]

If you are a good welder, there is nothing wrong with steel or aluminum, providing you can weld aluminum as well as steel. If your a pretty good carpenter, nothing wrong with wood. If your an excellent painter, nothing wrong with either, as long as your johnny on the spot with your trusty paint can.

Bottom line is, if you can fix it without having to do a lot of research, go for it.

Just MHO.

[IdoraKeeper]

I think emotion is the key. If you love the smell of wood shavings get a woody. If you like the roar of a torch and the buzz of a grinder get steel. Either way you will have a relationship with your vessel that will add a great deal to the experience of ownership. Unless you are wealthy you will need plenty of your own time and effort to maintain any decent boat.

I my own case, I can't stand the smell of the resin used in FRP construction. I was innundated with it when I was a kid during the construction of a Wiiliam Garden schooner built by my Dad.

When it comes to FC boats, I would never get in a tacking dual with anyone called Bash.........afterall, concrete Hulls do not like to be bashed!

Todd

[Geoduck]

When I was a kid, i got a job as a flunky for Weyfarer Yachts who originally built Islanders and I soon got burned out on fiberglass - then I became an emotional wreck because I love wood boats and I build steel and aluminum for a living.
I still think cement boats sink like a stone!
When I finally sink my 70 year old ketch - I'm going with her - to hell with it!
I told my old lady that if I croak before she does, she has to arrange to have me burned at sea with my boat - just like the Viking that I am!

[Cheechako]

One thing about even low carbon common grade steel, it's very tough and durable. Ever try to beat a hole in a piece of 1/8" steel? Although I have run a shop building aluminum boats, the problem with aluminum in my mind is weld cracking (it aint a perfect world!), low cycle fatigue, and corrosion issues. Aluminum has a modulus of about 1/3 of steel, so the boat will be real "bendy" unless very well engineered with extra structure the steel boat doesnt need. Sure it works for airplanes, but most of the wing and other structure on a Boeing jet is riveted not welded. They cycle test the wings to the up and down limits early in the design/ build/test stage something like 300,000 times, then tear it all apart to look for failures and redesign as needed. Still, aluminum just feels "cleaner".
How thick is the hull on a typical Ferrocement boat anyway? Pretty intrigueing discussion..... Unfortunately, alot of those hulls were built in a backyard....

[capn_billl]

If I was going to hit an obstruction, I would rather do it in a steel boat. But like any other modern building material it has it's downsides. Steel being basically soluble in sea water.

I prefer plastic, because I have a great deal of familiarity with it, and it is very stable, (comparing plastic to 100 year old wood is not fair, they didn't have plastic 100 years ago). But if I saw a good deal on a steel boat I would take it.

[boathemian]

steel is far easier and cheaper to repair than wood... better not to build your boat from dead vegetation these days.