fibreglassed plywood

[seawolfcrusader]

I have just come across a thirty year old motor cruiser that has a plywood hull which has been fibreglassed from new.How does this bode for a thirty year old boat.I have been told that a lot of older fishing boats were built this away and have lasted well.

 

[Lakesailor]

I would have thought it would depend entirely on the actual condition of the sheath and the ply behind it. You can't generalise.

 

[oldharry]

First off, if its thirty years old its not Polyester resin based. Yes it was around in those days, and was used extensively to 'repair' old leaky boats, but it would never have stayed there that long. Polyester resin does not stay stuck to wood once the wood becomes damp. The join fails, water gets in and cannot get out again causing the wood to rot double quick! Ply for some reason is even worse under polyester resins and can fail within a few years.

Far more likely with a boat this age it has been Cascover sheathed. Done from new this was a first class way of extending the life of a plywood hull. My own plywood Eventide now 25 + years old had this treatment, and the sheathed parts are as good as new. Only in the upperworks where rain has got in (and a horribly botched repair to the cabin roof using Polyester resin) is there any problem.

You need to check whether the sheathing has been disturbed, and if so, whether the repair and the plywood beneath it is still sound.

 

[seawolfcrusader]

ok lads thanks for the advice much appreciated.