Ferro concrete hull- help!

[PatTim]

We have just acquired a ferro concrete motor vessel hull - an abandoned project with no known history. Beautiful lines but in need of stripping out to start again from scratch.

Can anyone help identify this from the following description - photograph available via e-mail. Ideally want to identify maker and obtain plans. Approximately 31' on the (estimated) water line, and 12' beam at widest point. Fins encase the two propellor shafts. No evidence of cracks or rust internally or externally. However it may be wise for us to have it surveyed before proceeding any further - any recommendations re best company to do this?

Also advice please on fitting out the boat - we believe there may have been articles in magazines in the past. Currently the outside of the hull has been coated with what appears to be bitchumen up to the water line, but this is flaking off in parts. Advice on how to remove this or what to put on top gratefully received.

This story may run and run and run.....

 

[clyst]

Ferro eh? All the rage in the late 70s/80s but with no known history the boat will have little resale value on completion. insurers are very reluctant to insure ferro boats even with a surveyors report because the surveyor will have no knowledge of build quality nor techniques. Most ferro boats were home built but employed surveyor to witness armature construction and plastering so where then able satisfy insurers. Regarding fitting out , unless there are lugs already welded to the armature for bulkheads etc epoxy resin adheres to cement well and many boats have been fitted out in this manner. Are you sure the coating
on the outside is bitumen? Its probably epoxy tar in which case its going to be difficult to remove . Cant help with identification but try HARTLEY BOATS its an AussiCo I think but they had many designs in the 80s. Sorry to be all doom and gloom but my advice would be talk to insurance companies and surveyors before you invest lots "dosh".
Wish you luck in your project

Regards Terry

 

[steel_slug]

for a surveyor try Derrick Davidson, he is at Long Eaton in Nottinghamshire. I seem to recall that he was involved in building ferro boats. You can get his number from either YDSA or the Boat Safety list of surveyors (on line now ,I think)

 

[Trevethan]

Regarding the covering. Scrape off all it if possible. As posted likely to be epoxy tar, but strange its coming off if the boat hasn't been in the water.... If there are little bubble in it. Prick them to see if there is any water in them. If there is, it will likely be rust coloured and meand that water is creeping into the hull somewhere. Usually from stanchion fitting or similar. Its important to find out where, drill out the area and fill and seal, (use a rust inhibitor too)

For fixing stuff inside I suggest you use subfloor adhesive - sticks to concrete wood your clothes, is very strong, cheaper than epoxy too.

I suggest you glue up some battens. Then insulate the spaces between with fire retardent foam, then fix panelling or fittings to it using stainless or brass fixtures.

www.ferroboats.com should prove helpful.

To be honest a 31 foot ferro hull sounds small - like steel, there is a size where ferro hulls become efficient in terms of strength to weight ration and I though that was around 35 foot.

Once commissioned its important to remember that though very very strong, ferro won't flex on impact like steel or plastic.. so fit a good sized wooden rubbing strake and have plenty of fenders.

I am actually a real fan of ferro. A well built ferro hull looks as good as steel and will outlast metal or plastic - also for the first 20 or thirty years of its life, your hull is only getting stronger as the concrete cures.

Good luck with the project and hope it all goes well!

rgds

Nick

 

[PatTim]

Dear Nick,
Many thanks - yours is the most encouraging response we have received so far. There are no little bubbles in the tar. I have started to scratch it off in places and the surface underneath is smooth and in good condition. There was standing water in the hull because of a badly fiting superstructure (we have emptied out) but it was not creeping through - no signs of cracks or rust. Re the size - the length depends on where it is measured. At the top level it is about 35 feet.

We will look into the website you mention. Thank you for your good wishes,
Pat and Tim

 

[PatTim]

Thank you - we will check this out.

 

[PatTim]

Thank you - we have now visited the Hartley & Brookes web site but can not yet trace the model.
regards,
Pat and Tim

 

[Idlerboat]

hello hello
I have a ferro boat. Now lets start again. Ask whoever it is who replies to your questions how much real first hand experience they have had with ferro boats ! It seems there is a game of "whispers" going on where the same old info is recycled by well meaning people. MY BOAT IS 29 FOOT TOTAL LENGTH.
It weighs in at 3.5 tons and thats with a ballast ratio of just short of 50%!
Compare that to another type of building material and you may get a shock.
It has a 3/4 keel.
The hull is 3/8 inch thick (not a misprint)
I have watched while an identical section of hull to my boat from a sister boat
was placed with the curve up and stood on, then jumped on, till the curve
flattened to the floor. The piece was 2ft X 3ft and the curve was about 2inches.
This piece has been used for years doing this demonstration to dispell myths.
Ferro can flex. What it does not like is sharp pointed hard things. (ie jetty bolt
threads sticking out ,but what does?)
My boat is 37 years old and is in fantastic condition, which is not due to previous
owners. Ferro can be very robust.
Due to the prejudices that abound ferro can be extrodinary value.
Ferro in most cases is the easiest of all types of boats to repair.

Off my soap box.
The site "ferro boats.com" hasn't changed for ages and the "forum" is inactive. There is another site in Norway? but it is not in English.From my searching of the net, ferro means water tanks and free form housing. The bare hull should be coated with some form of epoxy paint first as enamel (alkyld) type paints react with the concrete causing paint blisters. After epoxy you can treat it like a fiberglass boat .Epoxy glue (not polyester) will fasten bulkhead cleats and other bits very well. The more structual, the larger the surface area you should glue to your hull. Glue it wet on wet straight to clean gently roughend concrete. Try to track down other ferro boat owners and go talk to them one on one. See if you can have a look at there boats, you may be suprised .Have fun

marty_dean@yahoo
"IDLER" 29ft X 7ft6inches
Nutcracker
Designed by Kan Walker
Built by the Walker boat co.
Geelong , Australia.

 

[Gunfleet]

Your ferro boat weighs 1/2 ton less than my grp long keel 26 footer!

 

[chippie]

Idlerboat, it was good to see a positive reply. Your boat must be quite hi tech in ferro terms to be 3/8 of an inch thick. I remember helping a mate plaster his boat years ago and he was quite pleased to achieve 3/4 of an inch.
A well made ferro boat can be a good boat, I think the impression that many people hold is of some home built bodge up of which there were many around some years ago.
The reality is however that ferro boats are often discounted price wise ,sometimes unfairly, but having taken that into account a purchaser should be aware of the dangers of over capitalising the boat given the market perception of them. Over capitalisation is common to many boats irrespective of hull material however.

 

[Idlerboat]

Yes that could well be, infact if you look at the stats on a lot of boats that size you will find that regardless of material type the nutcrackers come in on the light side. (Which does make them a bit tender.)

regards
marty_dean@yahoo
Idler

 

[Idlerboat]

I agree but I guess it comes down to wether you are buying a boat for sail or for sale. My sugestion is that if you are not the practical type with a capital P, then undertaking a project as large as building up from a bare hull is not a good idea.But if you can wear the big P on your T shirt, a cape, and your undies over your trousers, then the over capitalisation may be more in labour than in cash.All those other boat bits (anything that is not bolted down and some that are) can be moved to another boat or sold seperately to the boat. My boat has cost me very little, but I do things like go to scrap metal dealers and buy stainless that I then turn into "Marine" bits. My boat has cost aprox 3K pounds including purchase, a complete restoration, and a 500 km road trip.(But it did envolve the demolition cutting up and turning upside down of my brothers tractor shed to make a boat cradle). Further to a PBO discusion about mooring costs, mine costs 8 pounds a year plus 20 pounds administration fees! Its in Australia and that is all Im going to say.....