ferro-cement

[angel]

Hi everyone
Could anyone tell me what Ferro-Cement is and is it any good
I have been searching for a suitable river boat and come across this several times
And would like to know if its worth considering?

 

[sarabande]

All the gen you need on ferro.


http://www.ferroboats.com/


Very tough if built properly; easy to maintain; looked at with suspicion and apprehension by other boaters as you come alongside.

If I were building above 40ft, I'd consider it. But then I drive Landrovers.

 

[alant]

(1) Surveyors don't like them, cos they are unable to determine level of 'rust' in the concrete, so won't stick their necks out.
(2) You will find it difficult (impossible) to get any marine mortgage on a ferro boat.
(3) Insurance companies very un-keen to cover them, which will again be a problem if finance required.

 

[Dave_Snelson]

I knew an owner with a ferro boat. He wouldn't have had much else.

Apart from what the other have sensibly pointed out, you should check out whether you like the fit out and quality of the interior. Why? Coz an awful lot of concrete boats are build as just hulls and then passed on to DIY enthusiasts or shipwrights for fitting out. Some of them are decidely "house that Jack built". /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Quite why ferro cement boats are not called concrete I don't know because the rest of the world knows ferro cement as concrete. There is no inherent problem with 'rust' in concrete. The problem is that any surveyor coming to a concrete boat for the first time will not be able to guage the amount of 'cover' to the steel reinforcement inside the concrete. Commonly, the cover is no less than 50-75mm but it is impossible to check with any certainty without having seen the reinforcement prior to casting or spraying. If the cover is significantly less than 50-75mm, then there is the danger of water permeating through the outer layer of concrete and causing corrosion of the steel reinforcement
The other problems that the surveyor has is that he has no way of knowing whether the reinforcement has been adequately designed or whether the concrete has been adequately designed and mixed. In the construction industry there are normally drawings available and concrete test cube results to refer to
I don't think there's a problem with concrete boats as such but it's the degree of uncertainty about their build that puts people off