So what would happen if...

[cthippo]

So what would happen if you took a traditional plank on frame wooden boat, stripped off the (old, rotten) planks, rehabilitated the frames as needed, and then built a cold molded hull over the frames? Granted, it would probably be heavier, but the durability and reduced maintenance might make it worthwhile.

Thoughts?

[PAR]

If you took a carvel, restored it's structural frame work, then replaced the planking with a mold hull shell, you have a lot more structural frame work then necessary for that new hull shell. Worst off, the frame spacing for the carvel may not be close enough for the first layer of molded material, so it would sag, making for a nightmare planking situation. It would also be much more costly then just replacing the carvel planks, which is about the easiest of all the planking methods to replace. Yep, the molded hull shell wouldn't have to be regularly caulked, but there are other considerations.