Cold-Moulding vs Fiberglass

[webfoot]

Probably opening a big can of worms with this one, but after removing the crappy fiberglass job on my 1955 Paul Luke I was planning on cold-moulding the hull. Now it has been suggested to me to use Diaginal Glass from Brunswick Technologies because of the cost factor. I have not seen a lot of cold-moulding over old hulls info, but liked the original thought of useing wood over wood.

Any thoughts out there on the different methods?? The hull would need too much replanking to keep original.

[warwick]

If as you state the hull requires too much replanking, fibreglassing would in fact be to build a new hull around the old one, lots of glass would be required, perhaps it would be better to use the old hull as a mould for the new 'glass hull. Sheathing is the same thing, however is there better bond of timber to timber than glass to timber, you still have to make another hull outside the old one, this path seems to be more successful, I have looked into 4 boats that have used this method all with great success, and this is precisely what I have done with my own boat, the first skin has just been finished and today I start on the second skin, there is an enormous amount of work if this is to be done thoroughly, from drying the hull and the removal of ALL ROT, splining the hull bonding in everything possible, floors etc, to make a cohesive monocoque form. I'm sure 'glassing done correctly may work, I just never came across any examples of it.

[Roger Cumming]

Assuming the frames are sound, why not simply replank the boat, using the old planks as patterns? With the boat properly supported, you'd remove a plank from both sides, make a copies, hang them, without more than one plank off the boat at any one time. Compared to working with fiberglass, planking is much more pleasant. When it's done you will still have your Paul Luke yacht, not a radically altered former carvel yacht. If you think about all the details that must be thought through, or improvised, in sheathing the hull, the alternative of simply restoring the high quality original construction is much more appealing.