Four boats.

[Frosty]

Four identicall boats go up a reef on a desert island with trees on it. On is wood one is steel one is cement and one is fibreglass.

They all get a hole 1 foot by 1 foot----Yeah I know but--

The fibre glass guy has got resin and glass, the cement guy has got a bag of cement, the steel guy has a gen -welder and some steel, and the wood guy has got some tools.

Which one is repaired and gets away off the reef first?

[Pierre R]

The guy with the steel boat is going to get away first. Why, because he is working with the only ductile material you mention. His hole can be pounded back into place and welded in a relatively short period of time all with a better fix. Welding can be accomplished in wet condtions.

The second off the reef will be the guy with the fiberglass boat providing he has enough material on board. Fiberglass is relatively easy to work with and fast. It may not look pretty or be a totally satisfactory fix but he will be afloat. This is easy provided that the boat is high and dry for a period of time each day. There are also epoxy resins that will harden underwater and adhere. If the glass is totally saturated before submersion you could even do a fix without the boat high and dry using this epoxy.

The third off will be the guy with the wooden boat. He would normally have the best chance of all except you gave all of them repair materials. He is third only because repair of wooden boats is very labor/time intensive.

The guy with the cement boat is still probably on the reef. Cement does not bond to itself well and prep to get cement to hold to cement would be a nightmare. In wet conditions the cement will wash away.

[westlawn5554X]

The ferrocement boat with the guy who have a bag of cement... based on real life experience... could be wrong...

Stuff the bag of cement in the whole and let it do its work... seen in Vietnam and it is fast unless u have a major crack

[StianM]

Steel first no doubt.

If the fiberglass guy can get he's boat to a dry place he will be second, but if not the sement guy is my favorite for second.

Woodguy last

[messabout]

Jack:
You penalized the wooden boat guy by making him cut down a tree and mill his planking. Play fair and give the wood guy some plywood to start with. Give him a bucket of tar to go with the plywood and he'll have his patch done before the steel guy can even crank his gen set. Damage controlmen have been using wood emergency patches for centuries because it is quick and the participants prefer not to drown.

[bertho]

all get nuts before have time to repair because to much mosquito on this fuc...desert island.. and no fresh beer 100nm away! ..

[hansp77]

I like westlawns idea.
Fill up something, a large fender, a sailbag, etc, with cement, strengthening it with some spare stainless rigging coiled throughout, and stuff it into the hole. Have one person (or object) push from the outside, and one from the inside so that the bag mushrooms out on either side of the hole untill it sets- (the SS wire would be running around the curves of the mushroom doing a sort of 'figure 8)
once the cement is set , you could tightly coil a bit of rubber, some greased line, fabric and sikaflex- whatever- around the 'plug' on the inside and outside of the hull, to improve the seal- tie it off- and get the hell out of there.

may produce a bit of resistence, but you'll be ready to try to drag your boat off the reef in a little over the time it takes the cement to set. It has got to be quicker than any of the other options (aside from maybe the woody if he had some plywood and a bag of nails for a dodgey quick fix).

Dragging it off the reef is a whole nother matter (which if they all have to wait for the next tide might lead into a draw- or the lightest boat getting off first).
From what I have heard of my mates big ferro boat up in Darwin and his ability to 'park it' on rocks and reefs with no damage- the ferro may just have the best chance of getting back off the reef without knocking another hole in it.

[PAR]

The wooden boat skipper tears off the plywood countertop in the galley and nails a patch over the hole and is on his way, without the need for additional wood. I've done this, while well out in deep water. I used screws. While everyone else is looking for welding equipment, the hardener tube that use to be with the resin or wondering if the bag of concrete has some usable stuff in the middle of the rock hard exterior of the bag.

all wrong the steel boat bounces up and down, does not get holed, sits and waits for high water, , breaks a coconut, mixes with rum, catches a fish hey you guys are all crackers
saw lotsa steel yachts and others too up on the reef and beleive me its very scary, unless you see the fury of the sea upon a coral reef you have no idea just how freaky it is, but i,ve seen em battered but never holed, the ferro boats never get off they just get pulped .as do most, although there was a big ally bilge keeler up on the reef our Noumea, she did get off there are without exaggeration hundreds lost in the Pacific on reefs every cruising season

[Trevlyns]

You're a cheat, Jack Your original post said (quote) They all get a hole 1 foot by 1 foot----Yeah I know but--
Now you've ruined the friendship

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Trevlyns

You're a cheat, Jack Your original post said (quote) They all get a hole 1 foot by 1 foot----Yeah I know but--
Now you've ruined the friendship

And that what it still says,-- always has said that. I havent changed anything.

Im not a cheat sir --I demand satisfaction,-- Feather dusters at 200yds.

[Trevlyns]

Touche! Although I must warn you, my normal choice of weapons would be conkers

[Frosty]

Conkers !!!!! jeees our sepo friends wont know what we are talking about. I had a 109er once. Soaked in vinigar of course, hanging on a toilet chain.

Very intimidating at competition level.

Very well, if you insist,-- 6am under the old oak tree.

you even got that wrong frosty, UNDER THE OLD HORSE CHESTNUT TREE!!
And mine which wuz oven baked(AGA- no less) was 999, er

I,LL HEV YOU KNOW, I wuz educated at Harrow!! so our conkers were simply top notch, ole bean,