We love Ferro cement but beware !

I can't remember the name of the engineer. It was in the mid 1800's

 

Ferrocement was developed in 1848 by Joseph Lambot and patented in 1852

 

I'll bet there's some Roman architect rolling in his grave now at the prospect of a Frenchman getting credit for his efforts.

 

Let him spin backwards Paul! FERROCEMENT was the issue............

 

The Italian ingeneer Nervi was the one who perfected the methode of a structural steel framing, a mesch and the concrete as a watertight barrier. The steel structure was the main support. Longitudinal and transversal framing of small section but close spaced and welded. The mesh was to keep the concrete together.
If you look at the price now of the rebars, mesh and concrete plus work, you will see that it take twice the amount of time that a steel construction and twice the price. It is not a good solution for small and light structure like a hull, comprer to large structures like building and bridges. And the workers must know what they are doing, as for the steel, but twice the time in man hour.
Jay Benford did quite numerous design for FC and built a 17' catboat in FC. I think he had is own yard for building FC, but I am not sure of that. He wrote a book about and was greatly immersed with this technique.
Cheers
Daniel

 

The price of most used ferro boats today is often less than the price of the gear on them. Thus it makes no sense to build one, but they can often be bought so cheaply that they are disposables, and if you get a couple of years cruising out of one, then salvage the gear off it, it owes you nothing.

 

Well said , makes a lot of sense to me.

 

"Well said , makes a lot of sense to me."

..............but not to me, we are all different and have different ideas on what makes good sense.........fortunately, being a boatbuilder, I get to make a living from those that have different opinions to myself.........some boats really are holes in thge water that people pour money into.

However, it is still nice to read and understand some of the reasons we are all different....

 

So what`s to stop someone commissioning a boat from you , and fitting good salvaged gear off a ferro hulk ......or hiring you for the internal fit out ?

A good boat builder is still in demand , even in these difficult times.As for the poor folks like us who would consider buying a ferro to salvage the gear ,
we could not afford you anyway.

I guess it also depends what you build.

The little guy has a better chance than the bigger outfits that either have , or are folding....

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/26/2580705.htm

 

boat fan,

In theory, your comment "and fitting good salvaged gear off a ferro hulk" sounds OK, the fact is, very few ferro boats have anything above the deck worth salvaging....they are built cheap, fitted out cheap, and as such resell cheap.....if you manage to find one worth wrecking, then do so....I have yet to see such an item. I have purchased more boats than i should have, but never lost money on one. I consider used gear to be worth 10% of new retail cost, so by that margin, go find a used FC boat, strip it and then refit using the gear....lots of luck mate.

 

I'd have to agree with Lubber on that one. I wreck boats at an alarming rate any more. The ones you hate to destroy are the ones you'd expect to hate to grind up, well built, good materials, good design, good equipment, etc. Ferro builds are built with what they think will be a cheap hull material, furniture, propulsion, rig and accommodation equipment are equally budgeted and the deck gear is the same route, leaving you with little of value.

 

Sails on old ferro boats often have seen little use, anchors are worth a ,lot more than 10%of a new one, some have good rigs on them and engines which have seen little use. I can help someone get a steel hull together and detailed for under 20K and the gear off a cement boat can be easily transfered over.
Used sails in almost new conbdition sell for 1/10th the price of new ones and are thus worth a lot more than 10% the value of a new one. My mainsail ,which I bought in 1980 for $100, is on it's last legs after six pacific crossings. I doubt if I would have got 60 Pacific crossings out of it had I bought it new.
When the Canadian government started buying back fishboats in the 70's a lot of cruisers bought them cheap and salvaged gear off them that was worth many times what they paid for the boat. A friend bought a fishboat for next to nothing , then salvaged a Sabb deisel with variable pitch prop, hydraulic steering and a spotlight, then burned the boat .
True, some have nothing of value on them but one should always keep an eye out for those which are worth salvaging.
I have rarely had to buy anything new in the 35 years I've been cruising. Those who do usually spend a lot more time working to pay for their expensive tastes , nad far less time cruising, and few are able to semi retire and start cruising almost full time at the ripe old age of 27, as I did.
Again, judge the value of advice by what it has done for the person offering it.

 

I agree !

If you have time and look hard enough , you CAN find it.

Fishing boats can be very good , commercial / professional equipment too , not " yachty toy " components.
A far cry from backyard budget builds.But even there , you have to select carefully . A tired old trawler would not necessarily be a bargain.

Both sides of this argument can be valid.

 

Brent Swain said:

"Used sails in almost new conbdition sell for 1/10th the price of new ones and are thus worth a lot more than 10% the value of a new one."

Think about what you have written here Brent...

If you don't get it, then don't worry about it.

-Tom

 

Check this out. There is`a loy of good information here: http://www.ferrocement.net/