| A wide variety of materials and materials
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| | foam or similar material is applied after
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| are used in boat building:
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| | the outer layer of fiberglass is laid to
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| Wood - The traditional boat building
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| | the mold, but before the inner skin is
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| material that was and is still used for
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| | laid. This is similar to the next type,
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| hull and spar construction. It is
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| | composite, but isn't usually classified
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| buoyant, cheap, widely available and
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| | as composite, since the core material in
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| easily worked. It is not particularly
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| | this case doesn't provide much additional
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| abrasion resistant and it can deteriorate
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| | strength. It does, however, increase
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| if fresh water or marine organisims are
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| | stiffness, which means that less resin
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| allowed to penetrate the wood. Rot
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| | and fiberglass cloth can be used in order
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| resistant woods such as cedar and oak are
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| | to save weight. Most fiberglass boats are
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| generally selected for wooden boat
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| | currently made in an open mold, with
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| construction. Glue, screws and/or nails
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| | fiberglass and resin applied by hand.
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| are used to join the wooden components.
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| | Some are now constructed by vacuum
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| Some types of wood construction include:
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| | infusion where the fibers are laid out
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| Carvel, in which a smooth hull is formed
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| | and resin is pulled into the mold by
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| by wooden planks attached to a frame. The
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| | admospheric pressure. This can produce
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| planks may be curved in cross section
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| | stronger parts with more glass and less
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| like barrel staves. Carvel planks are
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| | resin, but takes special materials and
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| generally caulked with oakum or cotton
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| | more technical knowledge.
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| that is driven into the seams between the
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| | Composite - While GRP, wood, and even
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| planks and covered with some water proof
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| | concrete hulls are technically made of
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| substance. It takes its name from an
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| | composite materials, the term "composite"
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| archaic ship type and is believed to have
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| | is often used for plastics reinforced
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| originated in the Mediterranian.
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| | with fibers other than (or in addition
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| Another method of building wooden boats
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| | to) glass. Cold-molded refers to a type
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| is lapstrake, a technique originally
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| | of building one-off hulls using thin
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| identified with the Vikings in which
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| | strips of wood applied to a series of
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| wooden planks are fixed to each other
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| | forms at 45-degree angles to the
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| with a slight overlap that is beveled for
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| | centerline. This method is often called
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| a tight fit. The planks may be
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| | double-diagonal because a minimum of two
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| mechanically connected to each other with
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| | layers is recommended, each occurring at
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| copper rivets, bent over iron nails,
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| | opposing 45-degree angles. "Cold-molding"
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| screws or with adhesives. Often, steam
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| | is now a relatively archaic term because
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| bent wooden frames are fitted inside the
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| | the contrasting "hot-molded" method of
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| hull. This technique is known as clinker
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| | building boats, which used ovens to heat
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| in Britain and also as clench built.
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| | and cure the resin, has not been widely
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| Another method uses sheets of plywood
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| | used since WWII. Now almost all curing is
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| panels fixed to a frame. Plywood may be
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| | done at room temperature. Other composite
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| laminated into a round hull or used in
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| | types include sheathed-strip, which uses
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| single sheets. These hulls generally have
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| | (usually) a single layer of strips laid
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| one or more chines. A type of the plywood
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| | up parallel to the sheer line. The
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| panel boat building methond is known as
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| | composite materials in question are then
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| the stitch-and-glue method, where
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| | applied to the mold in the form of a
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| pre-shaped panels of plywood are edge
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| | thermosetting plastic (usually epoxy,
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| glued and reinforced with fibreglass
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| | polyester, or vinylester) and some kind
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| without the use of a frame. Metal or
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| | of fiber cloth (fiberglass, kevlar,
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| plastic wires pull curved flat panels
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| | dynel, carbon fiber, etc), hence the
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| into three dimensional curved shapes.
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| | finished hull is a "composite" of fiber
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| These hullls generally have one or more
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| | and resin. These methods often give
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| chines.
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| | strength-to-weight ratios approaching
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| Steel (and before that iron) - Either
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| | that of aluminum, while requiring less
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| used in sheet for all-metal hulls or for
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| | specialized tools and skills.
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| isolated structural members. It is
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| | Steel-reinforced cement (ferrocement) -
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| strong, but heavy. The material rusts
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| | Strong and long lasting. First developed
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| unless protected from water. Modern steel
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| | in the mid 19th Century in France. Used
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| components are welded or bolted together.
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| | for building warships during the war.
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| Until the mid 1900s, steel sheets were
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| | Extensively refined in New Zealand
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| riveted together.
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| | shipyards in the 1950s and the material
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| Aluminium - either used in sheet for
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| | became popular among amateur builders of
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| all-metal hulls or for isolated
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| | cruising sailboats in the 1970s and
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| structural members. Many sailing spars
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| | 1980s, because the material cost was
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| are made of aluminium. The material
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| | cheap although the labour time element
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| requires special manufacturing
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| | was high. The weight of a finished
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| techniques, construction tools and
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| | ferro-cement boat is comparable to that
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| construction skills. While it is easy to
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| | of a traditionally built wooden boat. As
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| cut, aluminium is difficult to weld, and
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| | such they are often built for slower,
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| also requires heat treatments such as
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| | more comfortable sea passages. Hulls
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| precipitation strengthening for most
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| | built properly of ferrocement are more
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| applications. Corrosion is a concern with
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| | labor-intensive than steel or fiberglass,
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| aluminium, particularly below the
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| | so there are few examples of commercial
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| waterline.
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| | ship-yards using this material. The
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| Fiberglass (Glass-reinforced plastic or
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| | inability to mass produce boats in ferro
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| GRP) - Typically used for production
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| | cement has led there to being few
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| boats because of its ability to reuse a
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| | examples around. Many ferrocement boats
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| female mold as the foundation for the
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| | built in back yards have a rough, lumpy
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| shape of the boat. The resulting
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| | look, which has helped to give the
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| structure is strong in tension but often
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| | material a poor reputation. The
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| needs to be either laid up with many
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| | ferro-cement method is easy to do, but it
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| heavy layers of resin-saturated
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| | is also easy to do wrong. This has led to
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| fiberglass or reinforced with wood or
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| | some disastorous 'home-built' boats.
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| foam in order to provide stiffness. GRP
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| | Properly designed, built and plastered
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| hulls are largely free of corrosion
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| | ferrocement boats have smooth hulls with
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| though not normally fireproof. These can
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| | fine lines, and therefore are often
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| be solid fiberglass or of the sandwich
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| | mistaken for wooden or fiberglass boats.
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| (cored) type, in which a core of balsa,
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