Hi Chuck, Sorry, I should have clarified that I meant balsa cored hull only. I'm not concerned with decks, and am comfortable fixing small areas there. I don't believe many boats used balsa cored hulls other than C&C, and certainly not many meant for bluewater cruising, but I could be wrong. Having seen first hand how involved a cored hull repair can be (a Landfall 42, and it was above the waterline, caused by a rafted power boat and some big wake), it does concern me, but maybe I worry too much...
-- Shawn Wright shawngwri...@gmail.com S/V Callisto, 1974 C&C 35 https://www.facebook.com/SVCallisto On Mon, Mar 20, 2023 at 5:17 PM CHARLES SCHEAFFER <cscheaf...@comcast.net> wrote: > Balsa Core: I'm pretty sure balsa coring was used by almost every > manufacturer from the 70's, 80's and 90's to save weight, add stiffness, > and problems can be detected by a decent survey. C&C used Balsa but so did > Pearson, O'Day, Columbia, Ericson, Swan, Baltic, Beneteau, Jeanneau, > Peterson, Morgan, Hunter, Catalina, Columbia, on and on. If you held a > piece of balsa cored deck and compared it's lightness and stiffness to a > solid laminate, you'd understand why a cored hull is so amazing and highly > desirable. I'd say 90% of the boats in the average boatyard are balsa > cored boats, sailboats and powerboats. > > I've done some balsa core replacement and can share photos, but the end > result is faired and painted and the repairs are undetectable, so my boat > now looks better than when I bought her twenty years ago. Plus, all of my > deck penetrations are now overdrilled, filled with thickened epoxy, and > redrilled for the fasteners, so the balsa is sealed from moisture, which > wasn't done when my boat was built. If a deck fastener leaks over time, > the water will pass the balsa core and drip into the boat, alerting the > owner to rebed the fitting. > > Many balsa cored boats are sailing offshore and around the world. > > > > Chuck Scheaffer Resolute 1989 C&C 34R, Annapolis > > > > > > On 03/20/2023 7:06 PM Shawn Wright via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: > > > As we once again consider a boat with cored hull (LF43 or LF38), I am > reminded of why we eventually chose our current 35 four years ago. I > couldn't be sure of the hull integrity without an expensive survey, and at > the low price range we could afford, avoiding a cored hull just removed > this concern. > > But as I understand it, most C&Cs over 35' have been cored since the late > 60s or early 70s depending on the model, so that includes a lot of boats, > most of which are probably still sailing, albeit mainly coastal cruising or > racing. Now as we consider the next boat for our long term offshore boat, > things like potential hull damage from a reef or a collision in a remote > part of the world are a concern. > > So I am interested in hearing about experiences with cored C&Cs, problem > which have occurred under both normal use and as a result of damage from > impact, and how effectively they could be repaired. > > I guess an additional question is how C&C's balsa coring compares with > modern day foam coring, either with or without vacuum bagging. I assume > foam has some advantages in not absorbing water. > > Thanks. > -- > Shawn Wright > shawngwri...@gmail.com > S/V Callisto, 1974 C&C 35 > https://www.facebook.com/SVCallisto > Please show your appreciation for this list and the Photo Album site and > help me pay the associated bills. Make a contribution at: > https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > Thanks for your help. > Stu > >
Please show your appreciation for this list and the Photo Album site and help me pay the associated bills. Make a contribution at: https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks for your help. Stu
