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Choosing a yard to build a new yacht?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by NEO56, Jun 12, 2014.

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  1. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The problem with putting an Aluminum or s/s shoe over the fiberglass keel would be that it would actually weaken the hull. The Aluminum (of appropriate thickness) or stainless steel shoe that you would put over the Fiberglass keel does not flex or bend nearly as much or as easily as the fiberglass behind it, so in a large enough collision it would try to rip or crack the fiberglass right apart where it is jointed. It would do so even if the fiberglass is super thick at the joint.......in a lot of cases.....think of shooting a hull with a truncated steel armor piercing round at 400 FPS, it would go through most hulls even at that slow of a speed. Now shoot the same hull with a plastic airsoft bullet of the same weight and same speed and it wouldn't puncture the hull because the plastic would give first. A fiberglass hull when built properly, especially with the right coring material, can take quite a bit of impact before breaking, not so much as steel, but it is indeed surprisingly strong when built correctly. Ive seen 25' boats fall off of a boat trailer going 65mph onto concrete and have very little damage to them. I've also seen trucks trailering boats stop short and see the boat come foward on the trailer and completely destroy the truck towing it and aside from surface scratches be ok.

    I agree with Olderboater, steel hulls of appropriate thickness are not impervious to damage, but they are much more resistant to it than FRP and aluminum.

    Worrying about this whole hitting something in a 100' yacht traveling around the U.S. and Carribbean, is a bunch of BS anyways that shouldn't even be a worry or concern. Let me rephrase that, of course it is always a litle bit of a worry, but not to the extent that the OP is putting on it. It's like buying an armor plated Humvee to drive around in everyday because you're worried about getting killed in a car accident, then trying to get it to perform like a Cadillac Escalade. The OP is not talking about running the boat anywhere near ice burgs and glaciers.

    The hollow keels are actually better or cored keels as long as the hull is sealed where they are jointed. The keel absorbs the impact and crunches, leaving the hull behind it to be sound......sort of like the technology of crumple zones on cars.
  2. Old Phart

    Old Phart Senior Member

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    I dunno

    Reminds of the Titanic and it did not hit a container - just frozen water.
  3. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    Well, I have to say for a non-technical guy, you hit the nail on the head with regards to that steel shoe thing :)

    Kevlar laminates in the keel area would be the right move.
  4. Capt Bill11

    Capt Bill11 Senior Member

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    "Worrying about this whole hitting something in a 100' yacht traveling around the U.S. and Carribbean, is a bunch of BS anyways that shouldn't even be a worry or concern. Let me rephrase that, of course it is always a litle bit of a worry, but not to the extent that the OP is putting on it. It's like buying an armor plated Humvee to drive around in everyday because you're worried about getting killed in a car accident, then trying to get it to perform like a Cadillac Escalade. The OP is not talking about running the boat anywhere near ice burgs and glaciers."

    Yes, I agree. As I stated before there are more important things he should be focussing on than the minuscule chance of hitting a container.

    The keel as a crumple zone is an interesting concept. But I think it would only be practical for the last two thirds to half or so of the hull where the keel would start to get to get thicker. Forward of that towards the bow I don't think you could realistically make it happen.

    But I still think some kind of strike plate from the bow down to below the water line a ways would still work as some impact protection in many cases. I'm not advocating installing one on the boat in question. Just thinking out loud.
  5. NEO56

    NEO56 Member

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    Cored vs. Solid Hulls...

    Thought I'd use this thread as opposed to starting a new one. I read a very interesting article in the May/June issue of Passage Maker concerning cored hulls and the benefits and issues with cored hulls. Turns out a lot of my concerns with cored hulls were validated. I won't go into any great detail about the article, you can read it for yourself. But after reading the article, I did feel somewhat better about cored hulls, but now I know the questions to ask the builders.

    On another note, I have decided to provide a punch list of items that I want on my boat (with the help of several people more knowledgeable than I) and put the boat out for bid with several yards I'm considering. And no, I won't take the cheapest bid either.
  6. Fall Rush

    Fall Rush New Member

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    Sooo, how is it going??