Oddball

[mikemonty]

Anyone any knowledge or experience of a boat like This (link)
An old friend of mine bought this on ebay in one of these "And you'll never believe it but I was the highest bidder and there was no reserve" kind of stories.
I haven't seen it personally, and the only decription I have is that it is aluminium hulled (he is adamant on this point!) and has no centreboard.
Apologies for pics/website - I had to unearth a scanner and my old ntlworld webspace to find a host for these.

Mike

 

[William_H]

It is difficult to imagine it is made of Aluminium with such smooth bidirectional curves.
A guy I knew here in Perth perfected a way of stretch molding aluminium for dinghies but even that was really only in one dimension with a little curve in the other plane. I always assumed his method was near the limit of stretch molding aluminium. So on that basis no way is that boat in the picture Al. (Of course I could be wrong) olewill

 

[sarabande]

You can stretch aluminium and other metals by explosive forming to make polycurve shapes such as aircraft components and boats.

Big Bang

 

[mikemonty]

I questioned the aluminium bit too - but the guy is not an idiot (apart from buying weird boats sight unseen!)
Then you notice that the bead round the hull is convex, like a welding bead?
However, if we put aside the material for the minute...
We have a hull that would look right on an old traditional daysailer - check the stern.
A wing-type plate on the keel.
A high-windage cabin with no side decks and what appears to be a massive hatch to access the foredeck.
Looks like the boatie equivalent of a cut-and-shut job to me!
And what is that little patch just under the toerail, level with the aft end of the cabin?

This isn't a trick question - I just want to be able to tell him the boat is either "A traditional Moldavian lobster potter, well known for transAtlantic crossings", for example, or a "traditional Ebayan Sucker-baiter, well known for taking money from people"

Mike

 

[mikemonty]

Unlikely to use this process since it would have to be high-volume or high-value - you'd either see lots of these or probably have heard of "those bloody expensive wee aluminium boats".

 

[ningcompoop]

Explosive forming - why did my careers teacher never bring that up? What a fantastic job - you get to make stuff, out of metal, and blow things up!

 

[cliff]

[ QUOTE ]
Unlikely to use this process since it would have to be high-volume or high-value - you'd either see lots of these or probably have heard of "those bloody expensive wee aluminium boats".

[/ QUOTE ]Not exactly true. Explosive forming is relatively cheap and is particularily suitable for short runs or even one offs although I cannot see anyone making the dies for a one off hull.

It could have been roll formed in sections and welded together.

As for what it is... I think it is a "traditional Ebayan Sucker-baiter, well known for taking money from people" - no matter what it is it sure is an ugly looking thing.

Anyone know the going rate for scrap Aluminium these days?
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"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>

 

[mikemonty]

I'd have gone for pressing in sections and welding.

I googled explosive forming out of interest after your statement on suitability and only came up with prototypical boat manufacturing techniques.

Anyway, I agree its probably a "lemon"
(a hybrid, a chimera, a death-trap!)