Boats
Boats
Boats have been around for many centuries and were used primarily as means of transportation by many early civilizations. Different boat materials and boat building methods have been developed overtime to provide a more capable and useful types of boats.
Every boat building method developed reduced the complexity of building a boat providing more strategical and easy to understand instructions. It was not long before “DIY” (do it yourself) boat kits were introduced to the market and gathered many enthusiasts. DIY kits are easy to understand, but it is still best to fully understand boats than just rely on what is on your DIY manuals.
Types of boat materials
Wood
Wood is the oldest and most popular boat material.It is a very efficient and flexible material that it offers wide varieties of boat building method. Series of wood treatments and coverings are developed to counter much vulnerability of wooden boat materials.
Oak woods and cedars are the top of the line wood materials. These wood materials are naturally rot and water resistant which makes them ideal for boat construction.
Steel
Steel boat building uses steel sheets or plates to construct hulls. It is a heavy and durable material that is welded to fit together. Availble DIY (Do It Yourself) kits are offered to less experienced steel boat builders.
Steel materials are prone to rust that it requires zink layer covering.
Aluminum
Aluminum materials are commonly used to build metal hulls and other isolated part of the boat’s structure. It is the lightest boat material available and is very expensive. Aluminum requires treatment applications to maximize its durability level. It can endure high level of impact, ultra-violet light, rust resistant and are rot-proof.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass or GRP (Glass-reinforced plastic) is a popular boat material for shaping female mold’s foundation. It can offer strong tension endurance provided that it is reinforced with series of massive resin-saturated fiberglass. This type of boat material is corrosion resistant but is not fireproof.
The most popular fiberglass boats are open molds which uses a hand-lay-up method of application of fibergalss and resin. Fiberglass boats are now also constructed through vacuum infusion which pulls resin towards the mold via atmospheric pressure after fibers are set. Vacuum infusion creates parts that are more glass concentrated and have lesser resin content. However, this method requires a more experienced user.
Composite
Composite is intially associated with timber carvel coating attached to deck beams and iron frames. It offers use of antifouling copper sheets less possible galvanic corrosion vulnerability on the hull fabric. Composites were primarily used by cargo vessels to avoid marine fouling.
The term composite is now widely used to address materials that are made of plastics strenghtened by fibers.
Steel-reinforced cement
Steel-reinforced cement or ferrocement is a well-known material for amateur sailboat builders. This type of boat material is a preferrable material because it is cheap and very flexible. Ferrocement boats are easy to repair, resistant to corrosion and rotting problems. However, the weight of this material restricts it from other possible applications.
Types of boat construction
Lapstrake
Lapstrake or clinker-built is a method of wooden boat construction that was initiallly introduced by the Vikings. This method fix plank woods together in a tight fit with a small overlapping allowance. Overlapping planks edges are screw-fastened or glued on the top and bottom edge which cautions the boat by breaking strong water impacts.
Strip planking
Strip planking is a construction method that builds hulls with narrow strips of wood. The thin strips of woods allows bending and shaping process with a very minimal effort. This contsruction method eliminates the need for screws and bolts by using heavy adhesive materials that securely hold hulls together.
Sheet plywood boat building
Sheet plywood building is a very popular boat building method for “do it yourself” enthusiasts. Plywood panels are simply attached to a frame in this method. High grade plywood material such as marine grade plywoods are most recommended for sheet plywood building. Regular grade plywoods are also considered provided that it is covered with glass fiber to protect it.
Carvel
Carvel planking is a boat building method that involves fixing planks on a frame. The wood planks are layered overlapping each other, which provide a minimal space portruding on plank’s edges. The edges are either screwed or nailed to keep the planks in their place.
Paint is applied as the final covering layer to make the boat watertight.
Cold-Molding
Cold-molding is a boat building method that uses series of thin woods called veneers. The veneers are beveled in different directions that create a durable multiangular structure. It is a popular boat building method in wooden superyachts.
About the Author
Micheal Marlow is a freelance writer who is the author of articles such as How to build a Wooden Boat, How to build a Wooden Boat, and How to build a Model Sailbot Visit Boats.
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