Zagato
Well-Known Member
Just looking at Cape Henry 21's made out of some kind of ply (complete ignorance here!) and wondering after ALL that effort how long this type of boat would last for. Not long surely if it is just some kind of marine ply...
How long do home build boats last?
- Thread starter Zagato
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SteveA
Well-Known Member
There are a couple of Diamond Cats at our club that were made from marine ply in the '70's that are still going strong
cherod
N/A
if it is protected properly many many years
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Since I started a Cape Henry 21... A few comments. The ply epoxy methods used are very durable, esp if one sheathes the hull with thin glass cloth. There are a couple of building threads over on the WBF and one covered by Watercraft.
Simple answer, done well, will see you out and likely the next owner, or two.
Simple answer, done well, will see you out and likely the next owner, or two.
colind3782
Well-Known Member
A lot depends on the home and the builder
cherod
N/A
a friend built a ferro cement sail boat , must be 30 years ago now , boat still going well, unfortunatly the friend has passed .
Rappey
Well-Known Member
There are a numerous amount of ply yachts still going strong in portsmouth harbour..
Like many materials, if built right then they canlast.. Ply boats are very easy to repair...
Poignard
Well-Known Member
And don't allow water to collect in the bilges or in the cockpit.
graham
Well-Known Member
Theres a huge range of quality in marine plywood.
The decks and cockpit tend to rot first . If well built and very well looked after could last donkeys years but if neglected will rapidly deteriorate.
The decks and cockpit tend to rot first . If well built and very well looked after could last donkeys years but if neglected will rapidly deteriorate.
Wing Mark
Well-Known Member
Most ply boats have already lasted 'donkeys'.
Some will be fine for another 20 years if looked after, others will have been bodged horribly and should meet their end on Friday.
If they aren't too wet to burn.
Concerto
Well-Known Member
At the Southampton Boat Show next to Concerto was the first Atalanta built over 60 years ago. It was made with hot moulded mahogony and painted, not a bit of epoxy on it. Any wood boat will last provided it is maintained to keep the timber dry (inside and out) otherwise rot can start. Epoxy coated timber is a huge advance in boat building and allowing modern one off wooden boats to be built that are very light and strong. That is how Spirit Yachts are constructed.
Spirit Yachts | Modern Yacht Designers and Boat Builders | UK
Spirit Yachts | Modern Yacht Designers and Boat Builders | UK
John the kiwi
Well-Known Member
I have owned a glass over ply trailer yacht for coming up 12 years now. The boat is now 36 years old and sound as a bell.
Definitely higher maintenance than a tupperware (fibre glass) boat. And I do a little painting each season. I have fallen in love with the quality and durability of brush and roller applied two pot paints, but its not too onerous. Stitch in time is the key.
As said, water is the enemy. Especially fresh water from above. I have had to replace minor sections of cockpit coaming where rain got into the ply from the bottom edge of the access ports. Water would run down and bead on the upside down surface edge and presumably wick up wards. Actually not a difficult job and sometimes replacing a larger area is a lot easier than trying to repair a small area.
I have had trouble getting ply that is even close to the quality of the original though. Where i have cut sound plywood from 1985 its been lovely quality stuff!
I will probably choose fibre glass for next boat, but i don't regret buying the current boat.
Definitely higher maintenance than a tupperware (fibre glass) boat. And I do a little painting each season. I have fallen in love with the quality and durability of brush and roller applied two pot paints, but its not too onerous. Stitch in time is the key.
As said, water is the enemy. Especially fresh water from above. I have had to replace minor sections of cockpit coaming where rain got into the ply from the bottom edge of the access ports. Water would run down and bead on the upside down surface edge and presumably wick up wards. Actually not a difficult job and sometimes replacing a larger area is a lot easier than trying to repair a small area.
I have had trouble getting ply that is even close to the quality of the original though. Where i have cut sound plywood from 1985 its been lovely quality stuff!
I will probably choose fibre glass for next boat, but i don't regret buying the current boat.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
You need to find out exactly how it was built. Most builders will have used good quality ply and it is probably sheathed externally. Not all were home built and professionally built ones should also be good quality. as already mentioned the enemy of Ply construction is fresh water and you will probably find that previous owners have used a cockpit cover to keep rainwater out. No reason why a modern construction ply shouls not last as long as GRP on this type of boat, provided it is not left open to the elements. Not too difficult to check condition on such a boat.
Excellent design, by all accounts superior to its main competitor the Shrimper, but nowhere near the same numbers built, perhaps because it was not made in GRP and sold in ready to use form.
msangel
New Member
If it's properly maintained, it should last for a few dozens of years.
Keith 66
Well-Known Member
A lot depends on what plywood was used. Much of todays marine ply is vastly inferior to what we used to get even twenty years ago.
Brynzeel used to be the gold standard & probably still is, Their top of the range ply had a 25 year guarrantee. Robbins elite is probably close.
both are horrifically expensive today.
Do not think that you can get away with cheap ply & it will be fine if slathered with epoxy, it will still fail if the glue is substandard.
Brynzeel used to be the gold standard & probably still is, Their top of the range ply had a 25 year guarrantee. Robbins elite is probably close.
both are horrifically expensive today.
Do not think that you can get away with cheap ply & it will be fine if slathered with epoxy, it will still fail if the glue is substandard.
DownWest
Well-Known Member
Umm, the Cape Henry is the bigger brother of the Cape Cutter 19, which is the same size as the Shrimper and somewhat faster. The CC was built in GRP, first in S Africa, then in UK by the Devon Yawl outfit. Though seemed to have stopped, when it changed hands. Several ply ones have been built.
Wing Mark
Well-Known Member
I inherited a stash of marine ply from an In-Law.
Probably 30 years old..
The inner plies of some of it had been seriously got at by beetles or something, it had been in a garage all its life..
Wood is biodegradable.
All of it.
William_H
Well-Known Member
If ther op is considering buying a plywood boat then most likely he would be better off buying GRP. As said plywood if cared for can last a long time but not if it is neglected. Wheras a GRP hull will stand up to a lot of neglect like half full of rain water for years. Any boat for sale is most likely neglected to some degree. If OP wants a plywood boat then just look very closely especially in the bilges where fresh water an accumulate. ol'will
doug748
Well-Known Member
There was a fleet of Muscadet yachts racing in St Malo last year, most were immaculately presented with new sails and deck hardware; many were on brand new galvanised road trailers. They have a lot in common with our Debutante and made a great sight on the water, not because they are particularly pretty but the sheer elan of the thing
Most would have been made in the 50's / 60's.
Muscadet sailing snap:
.
Most would have been made in the 50's / 60's.
Muscadet sailing snap:
.
Zagato
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all your responses. I suppose one answer for the well heeled is to buy the Shrimper 21 which seems to be a very close copy of the Cape Henry 21 if GRP is preferred.
I wonder which came first Roger Dongrays Shrimper or the Cape Cutter 19 by Dudley Dix commissioned to be small enough to be transported in a shipping container! The latter by Honnor Marine is a far better bet in my view having lead ballast not steel punchings which expand with corrosion over time causing the well known problem with older Shrimpers that the centre plate cannot be lowered due to the ballast squeezing the plate. The Cape Cutter is also a stiffer boat due in part to the Hull difference of sharper bow and wider stern. This allows more sail area so she is faster, better in light airs particularly and is not so tippy. The interior space is also larger for those that require four decent berths. One real advantage is that due to the outboard engine being placed on the centre line an inboard is not required. The outboard on a Shrimper is known to lift as it is not centrally placed and does not steer so well as it is on the side of the rudder. Honnor Marine produced about 70 with Bob and Norma and they still can be bought for about 35k under the new owners of Honnor Marine. I am sure I read somewhere they will be producing the Cape Henry 21 in GRP ?
I wonder which came first Roger Dongrays Shrimper or the Cape Cutter 19 by Dudley Dix commissioned to be small enough to be transported in a shipping container! The latter by Honnor Marine is a far better bet in my view having lead ballast not steel punchings which expand with corrosion over time causing the well known problem with older Shrimpers that the centre plate cannot be lowered due to the ballast squeezing the plate. The Cape Cutter is also a stiffer boat due in part to the Hull difference of sharper bow and wider stern. This allows more sail area so she is faster, better in light airs particularly and is not so tippy. The interior space is also larger for those that require four decent berths. One real advantage is that due to the outboard engine being placed on the centre line an inboard is not required. The outboard on a Shrimper is known to lift as it is not centrally placed and does not steer so well as it is on the side of the rudder. Honnor Marine produced about 70 with Bob and Norma and they still can be bought for about 35k under the new owners of Honnor Marine. I am sure I read somewhere they will be producing the Cape Henry 21 in GRP ?
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