mikiebaccarat
Junior Member
Is the Hull on the early (1971) E27's balsa cored or solid fiberglass?
Hull
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Solid layup, I am nearly 100% sure...
Loren
Loren
mikiebaccarat
Junior Member
Thanks Loren for the prompt reply
Mikie
Mikie
Jim Baldwin
Member II
Core complaints
About an inch thick towards the bottom, of hand-laid, solid fiberglass. Th balsa-core is used only on deck to add stiffness, reduce weight and save money, (theirs). The basic construction is typical and actually very good but I do have a few complaints about the core...
Personally, I don't like balsa-core anywhere and especially not in the hull. If water ever finds it's way into the core (and it does), then the balsa-core turns into wet cardboard. The deck becomes spongey and the hardware bolts and fittings start depressing and cracking the fiberglass. Now you have big problems trying to make things right.
Balsa-core should never have been used in marine applications. Who in their right mind would ever build a boat using a water soluable material? Even the use of solid plywood for an underlayment should always be marine grade A.
Well, what do I know? Do I know better then the production boat builders all over the country? All I do know, is that their thousands of balsa-core production boats, build just a few years ago, almost all suffer from some sort of spongey deck problems and in some cases it's terminal.
It scares me to think of a hull reinforced with a blasa-core. "Stiff today, waterlogged tomorrow."
Well... I've had my say and sorry but I just needed to let off a little steam. Am I the only one who feels this way?
I asssume you may also have some concerns or perhaps, you like the stuff?
About an inch thick towards the bottom, of hand-laid, solid fiberglass. Th balsa-core is used only on deck to add stiffness, reduce weight and save money, (theirs). The basic construction is typical and actually very good but I do have a few complaints about the core...
Personally, I don't like balsa-core anywhere and especially not in the hull. If water ever finds it's way into the core (and it does), then the balsa-core turns into wet cardboard. The deck becomes spongey and the hardware bolts and fittings start depressing and cracking the fiberglass. Now you have big problems trying to make things right.
Balsa-core should never have been used in marine applications. Who in their right mind would ever build a boat using a water soluable material? Even the use of solid plywood for an underlayment should always be marine grade A.
Well, what do I know? Do I know better then the production boat builders all over the country? All I do know, is that their thousands of balsa-core production boats, build just a few years ago, almost all suffer from some sort of spongey deck problems and in some cases it's terminal.
It scares me to think of a hull reinforced with a blasa-core. "Stiff today, waterlogged tomorrow."
Well... I've had my say and sorry but I just needed to let off a little steam. Am I the only one who feels this way?
I asssume you may also have some concerns or perhaps, you like the stuff?
mikiebaccarat
Junior Member
Thanks for the information re Hull construction on early Ericsons. I had been told that they were solid fiberglass, except for the deck. I am looking at a used Ericson 27, 1971 vintage.
Mikie
Mikie