50 year old sailboat

[Lewisdb]

Hello

I'm thinking about buying a 50 year old Ohlsen 38 but have been reading that the fiberglass on a boat of that age will start to lose strength.

Does anyone have an opinion/experience they would like to share as to whether the boat will be safe?

Would a survey show potential problems or could they remain hidden?

 

[Aja]

Hi Lewis and welcome.

Fifty years ago, boatbuilders were just beginning to find out how robust and and long lasting fibreglass (grp) was. Still, at that time, boatbuilders were over-engineering the hulls and fittings.

If you suspect an issue with the Ohlsen, a reliable surveyor should be able to give a complete hull condition survey.

There may be areas of delamination or of osmosis but these should be identified and recommendations given.

There will be owners on here of older grp boats who live with small defects but it will be more likely that the boats were built to a heavier layup than modern ones and with today's engineering practices boatbuilders have managed to reduce the amount of material significantly.

As to whether the boat will be safe or not would depend on a survey and the surveyors recommendations.

 

[neil_s]

Get a surveyor to look at it, as Aja says above. You will need to show a survey report to your insurance company, anyway. My own boat is 47 years old with no sign of weakness in it's GRP - can't sat the same for the motor, though!

 

[Rappey]

Boat breakers from their experience of crunching up boats said that around 30 yrs the grp becomes more brittle whereas newer grp just bounces back..
Still extremely strong. Plenty of 40+ yr old speed boats racing about and slamming into waves without any problems ?
This is the first time ive come across anyone concerned about a grp hull strength due to its age so would think most wouldnt be worried about an aged grp hull

 

[scozzy]

Good advice above ,surveys are never not going to be useful, v surprised if not compelled to get one regardless for insurance.
My beautiful Halcyon 23 is 50 yrs old and built like a brick s***house! Feels v safe I'd be more worried about standing rigging etc etc etc

 

[Aurai]

As an owner of a 59 yr old GRP boat. A surveyor with their tap, tap, tap hammer to check the hull, will soon provide a report. Inside you can check all bulkheads and inside cupboards for any ripples or cracking. My own hull, was hand laid and is, generally solid. Moulding around the prop-shaft exit and sharp curve around the rear of the keel, is prone to minor delaminating. While the original topsides surface treatment had a lot of filler and some areas of GRP not going off. Well hidden by layers of paint. “Sand” blasting, it was not sand, soon cleared away the areas that needed treatment. Then it was relatively straightforward to epoxy the hull again. There is an Uber skill part to fairing that we did not have.

 

[Lewisdb]

Thanks for the replies. That's very helpful.

I've kind of fallen in love with the old girl so will put my fate in the hands of a surveyor.

I might try and find a new owners group for some more general feedback on owning one.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I’ll be very surprised if the hull lacks strength, and likewise very surprised if the standing rigging, sails, motor and instruments stand up to even amateur inspection.

 

[Lewisdb]

I’ll be very surprised if the hull lacks strength, and likewise very surprised if the standing rigging, sails, motor and instruments stand up to even amateur inspection.

She's been well maintained and kept up to date. She also had a new engine a few years back.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

She's been well maintained and kept up to date. She also had a new engine a few years back.

Even so…. There are bound to be many parts that still need attention and updating. The hull is the least of your worries.

 

[Aja]

She's been well maintained and kept up to date. She also had a new engine a few years back.

Just a thought. My boat is 35 years old. Only the hull and the mast is original, meaning the running and standing rigging; electronics; sails; upholstery etc have all been renewed.

In your ownership stopping ongoing refurbishment would be unlikely.

 

[Lightwave395]

Just a thought. My boat is 35 years old. Only the hull and the mast is original, meaning the running and standing rigging; electronics; sails; upholstery etc have all been renewed.

In your ownership stopping ongoing refurbishment would be unlikely.

Same age as mine, same situation, pretty much everything renewed other than the hull and bare mast.
Last survey (hull only for my peace of mind ) was 2021 and surveyor pronounced all good for age and if it was a survey for a sale he'd have no reason to advise against anyone buying her - and to all you naysayers she's balsa cored too...!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

My boat is 20. The hulls and structure, the mast, the boom and the stove are the only original parts remaining. All upholstry including foam is new, heating, batteries, a lot of the wiring ( due to previous butchery) the engine, standing and running rigging, sails, instruments, tanks, freshwater piping and toilet have all been replaced, much of it recently by us. This was not a neglected boat, it just needs doing. It’s a high maintenance environment. Hence the expression ‘it’s not the initial outlay, it's the ongoing expense’. I don’t wish to put the OP off his purchase, few things are more satisfying than improving your boat. Just making sure that the true implications of older boat ownership are realised. Anything over 10 years is likely to need some fairly major upgrading, regardless of previous ownership.

 

[vyv_cox]

I have read technical papers suggesting that in elderly GRP layups a strength reduction can occur when the bond between resin and glass fibres begins to fail. This seems to be very dependent upon the rigidity of the layup. Most 50 year old hulls had layups that were very much thicker than strictly needed, which would increase rigidity.
My boat is 40 years old with no evidence that I can see of a reduction in strength, even in lighter layups.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Mine is 53 and the hull is sound.

 

[Poignard]

Mine is 53 and the hull is sound.

As was the Tyler-moulded hull of my 1967 Twister when I sold her this year.

 

[jbweston]

If I remember rightly these Ohlson 38 hulls were moulded by Halmatic (Correction: that should be Tylers) Some were professionally fitted out by Robertsons of Sandbank on the Clyde and by some other yards. The hull was also available for homebuilders to fit out.

If the one you're looking at was a home fit-out it's even more important to have a thorough survey. Some home fit-outs are excellent, other not. It isn't just possible age-related problems to be aware of, but some amateur builders do odd things right from the start. Although if she's still afloat after 50 years she can't be all bad!

 

[Frayed Knot]

Get a surveyor to look at it, as Aja says above. You will need to show a survey report to your insurance company, anyway. My own boat is 47 years old with no sign of weakness in it's GRP - can't sat the same for the motor, though!

Mine’s 46, also with no signs of weakness - can’t say the same for the owner though…

 

[Avocet]

Avocet is a 52 year old fibreglass boat - like a smaller version of the Ohlson, with an encapsulated lead keel. To be honest, if she's lost half her strength, she'd still probably be twice as strong as a fibreglass boat half her age! As Aja says, fibreglass boats of that era were super-conservatively built and very thick. Moreover, they didn't use more modern techniques like sandwich construction with balsa or other materials in between separate adjacent fibreglass skins (which, if penetrated, can allow water into the sandwich, or can de-laminate, so you get creaking sounds). This usually happens when someone screws something into (or through) one of the skins and it doesn't seal.

The Ohlson was a fine boat, with good construction. You'll be getting a survey anyway, but I have absolutely no concerns about having an old fibreglass boat. Osmosis can be a problem, but the surveyor should check that.

 

[Metalicmike]

Mine is 45 years old, had a new mast 11 years ago I'm sure that it will out last me unless we decide to go to Australia when I sense that dementia is closing in. I will stock up with plenty of fluids to keep my spirits up