cored hulls

[DougSea]

I'm reviewing my "Pascoe" as well, it's been 6 months and that book is a lot to swallow in one reading. Now let me also say that I find a lot of his opinions a bit on the conservative side (and a bit cranky). According to David not much of value has been built or designed since the '80's, co-incidentally around the time he left the manufacturing end of the business. But he does specify a difference between cored "bottoms" and cored hull sides. Can someone speak with authority on the location of the coring in 28TE hulls? In the world of Pascoe, if I read him correctly, cored sides above the water line are OK.

With authority? No. But with a great deal of confidence? Yes.

Albin hull BOTTOMS are cored. Prior to 2000 with balsa, since 2000 with synthetics. Coring gives a stiffer, lighter hull than solid glass and, if properly prepared (thru hulls) and cared for should have no issues with water retention and delamination. My guy tapped away at the hull in 6" increments all over the hull and paid particular attention to the thru-hulls. He did the same with a moisture meter.

Is coring something to worry about? No. Should you exercise a bit of extra caution when considering a cored hull boat? Yes.

That's my take, Mr. Pascoe be damned!

[Veebyes2]

As the owner of a 1996 32, I have a balsa cored hull. No problems that I am aware of. I installed a ground plate myself a few years ago. Drilled the mounting holes. Dug out the balsa around the holes. Filled the whole area with resin then drilled the holes again.

I might take it off to check as well as replace a seacock. Depending on what is found I may just pull all of the other seacocks as well & rebed them.

There is nothing wrong with a cored boat. Just be aware that it is cored & do what is needed to keep a cored boat dry.

[RicM]

That's why I am enjoying this group so much. I am learning a lot about my future boat before I start making the mistakes in practice.

As I reread it, I think I had confused some of Pascoe's statements about stringer & bulkhead materials with coring material in hull bottoms. Of course he also writes that diesel power is not worth the money in mid-size boats. Wait till we all switch to bio-diesel (has anyone tried THAT yet?

Quality of manufacture is the key in all this and moving from a 1995 Pro-line to a 2003 A28 TE is like night and day from my point of view.

[med2alfa]

Some good points are brought up here. Drilling thru cored hulls is not good unless you do the digging out of coring, epoxy refilling and redrilling thing mentioned by Veebyes2. Several articles on this in Passagemaker and Sea magazines recently.
Also I believe Pascoe and others have a 17000# guideline on installing diesels on boats that weigh more than that. I don't believe you can hurt yourself by going diesel anytime. They are just more dependable plus a bit safer to operate.
As I understand it, Albins have solid laminates along the keel and transition to cored hulls shortly after that and back to solids at the deck to hull joint. I believe this is the standard for most of the industry that uses cored hulls below waterline. The only thing that Albin does better than most is the use of vacuum bagging on their cores. I'm not sure if Albin builds their boats by ABYC standards, but if they do that will tell a lot.

I dug the following up searching for an answer to the ABYC question. It addresses an electrical problem, but by Craig Smiths statements I infer that the total boat is built to ABYC standards.

ALBIN MARINE, EXPRESS TRAWLER, 36’, 2005. Shock/electrocution hazard. Vessel manufacturer failed to properly ground the Northern Lights generator. Neutral and ground were not connected together at the generator and an AC fault would result in a 120VAC potential on all grounded metal on the vessel. The problem is related to Northern Lights installation instructions, which specify not tying the neutral and ground together. ABYC E11.5.3.2.3 states: “The generator neutral shall be grounded at the generator.”

Craig Smith director of marketing for Albin said that Albin builds to ABYC standards, therefore the generator must have been installed by a dealer. When asked if he was aware that dealers were installing generators contrary to ABYC, he stated that he was not a watchdog for dealers and once a product left the manufacturing facility it was out of his hands. He said that Albin has no network to check on the way dealers install equipment. When the Exchange asked if they were concerned that possibly many generators were being installed contrary to ABYC, he changed his mind and stated that the issue needs to be addressed. He suggested the Exchange send the information to him and Ed Winarski, at Albin customer service so the issue could be brought up at the next production meeting. When asked if the Albin factory installed Northern Lights generators, he said that their current vendor was Onan and different vendors were used depending on price and other factors. When asked how Albin installs equipment where the

manufacturer’s installations instruction are contrary to ABYC, as in this case, he said that ABYC trumps the manufacturer’s guidelines and that Albin always follows ABYC standards.

I can't find anything specific related to hulls and ABYC but will approach the subject with the local dealer and report back.

[Mariner]

Wait till we all switch to bio-diesel (has anyone tried THAT yet?

Ric,

We are running a 10% biodiesel blend in our boat. I don't feel comfortable running a higher percentage than that, but so far we've had no problems, and the engine does smoke less and the exhaust doesn't smell so "diesely". It's not exactly french fries, but it's much less offensive than normal.

[Elizabeth Ann]

Wait till we all switch to bio-diesel (has anyone tried THAT yet?

Ric,

We are running a 10% biodiesel blend in our boat. I don't feel comfortable running a higher percentage than that, but so far we've had no problems, and the engine does smoke less and the exhaust doesn't smell so "diesely". It's not exactly french fries, but it's much less offensive than normal.

Thank God for all you open minded folks in the PNW. I watched an interesting show on bio-diesel the other day and it really does seem to be the way to go. Inspired me so much I may want to dablle with making my own.

Mariner, how come only a 10% mix? Have you heard of problems with running a higher percentage?

[RicM]

Here's a link to a rather complete article on bio diesel, benefits and deficiencies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel

[Mariner]

Wait till we all switch to bio-diesel (has anyone tried THAT yet?

Ric,

We are running a 10% biodiesel blend in our boat. I don't feel comfortable running a higher percentage than that, but so far we've had no problems, and the engine does smoke less and the exhaust doesn't smell so "diesely". It's not exactly french fries, but it's much less offensive than normal.

Thank God for all you open minded folks in the PNW. I watched an interesting show on bio-diesel the other day and it really does seem to be the way to go. Inspired me so much I may want to dablle with making my own.

Mariner, how come only a 10% mix? Have you heard of problems with running a higher percentage?

Yes, there are numerous problems associated with running a percentage blend of bio-diesel in engines that are not specifically prepared for it. Clogged filters are just the beginning. In our cold climate, high percentage blends will gel in the winter, rendering the fuel system a clogged mess, not to mention degradation of seals and gaskets. My opinion is that bio-diesel is a nominal benefit in the short term, but is not likely to ever completely replace regular diesel. It's possible that in the long run, engines will be built to accept it, and it can supplement our national supply. Unfortunately, like all bio fuels, there simply isn't enough space on the planet to grow enough to meet our fuel demands. It's a temporary patch on a growing problem.

Part of the reason we run it all is because it is very cheap for us, as a relative is making it himself at home. This is also the reason we keep the percentage low. He's been running it 100% in his car for about a year, and it looks as though he's got some problems with the car that are likely related to the high percentage blend.