process for making a fibreglass boat
Discussion
Any number of established glass fibre boat manufacturers could do this for you, or point you in the direction of a specialist firm who do this for a living.
Moody's in Poole are a good example. See http://www.moodyboats.com/.
There are umpteen others around the coast.
This will not be a cheap process. How big are you thinking about?
Moody's in Poole are a good example. See http://www.moodyboats.com/.
There are umpteen others around the coast.
This will not be a cheap process. How big are you thinking about?
Craig
Power or sail? What’s the design brief? Boat design is all about compromise…what’s important, and what isn’t to you?
I would say unless you know EXACTLY what you want, and have a lot of experience to know exactly what you want, don’t bother. There will be something out there that will already fit the bill, even if it’s a bare hull you are after.
The really expensive bit in GRP boat building is the mould. First you build a plug (exact, non functioning copy of the finished boat), then lay the mould up over that, then spend countless hours fairing the mould to perfection (hundreds of hours and many £’s to get this far), before laying up the first hull. Throw the plug away, and unless you are doing a production run, throw the mould away too. Thousands later and it will be fitted out, but you will never recoup the cost as people probably won’t ever want to buy it as it’s an “oddball”
If you are serious about trying one of your own designs, far easier and cheaper to build in wood, decent quality ply and epoxy and it will last for years…
Power or sail? What’s the design brief? Boat design is all about compromise…what’s important, and what isn’t to you?
I would say unless you know EXACTLY what you want, and have a lot of experience to know exactly what you want, don’t bother. There will be something out there that will already fit the bill, even if it’s a bare hull you are after.
The really expensive bit in GRP boat building is the mould. First you build a plug (exact, non functioning copy of the finished boat), then lay the mould up over that, then spend countless hours fairing the mould to perfection (hundreds of hours and many £’s to get this far), before laying up the first hull. Throw the plug away, and unless you are doing a production run, throw the mould away too. Thousands later and it will be fitted out, but you will never recoup the cost as people probably won’t ever want to buy it as it’s an “oddball”
If you are serious about trying one of your own designs, far easier and cheaper to build in wood, decent quality ply and epoxy and it will last for years…
Hi Craig,
You'd need:
A Naval Architect to draw up the plans - to make sure it floats correctly and is stable at speed (if it's fast), getting the centre of gravity in the right place.
A structural engineer to design a structure that will hold together.
A specialist builder to put it together.
A consultant (who could be any of the above) to draw up a technical file to demonstrate it complies with EU regulations.
I can put you in touch with most of the above if you are serious.
Duncan
You'd need:
A Naval Architect to draw up the plans - to make sure it floats correctly and is stable at speed (if it's fast), getting the centre of gravity in the right place.
A structural engineer to design a structure that will hold together.
A specialist builder to put it together.
A consultant (who could be any of the above) to draw up a technical file to demonstrate it complies with EU regulations.
I can put you in touch with most of the above if you are serious.
Duncan
I think the EU rules are the Recreational Craft Directive.
http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/technica...
There are some exemptions, such as "built for own use and not placed on the market within five years". I'm not very familiar with these regulations, but there's piles of Government gobbledegook linked on that page.
I can put you in touch with a good Naval Architect if you'd like to chat detail over.
http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/technica...
There are some exemptions, such as "built for own use and not placed on the market within five years". I'm not very familiar with these regulations, but there's piles of Government gobbledegook linked on that page.
I can put you in touch with a good Naval Architect if you'd like to chat detail over.
Legmaster said:
I think the EU rules are the Recreational Craft Directive.
http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/technica...
There are some exemptions, such as "built for own use and not placed on the market within five years". I'm not very familiar with these regulations, but there's piles of Government gobbledegook linked on that page.
I can put you in touch with a good Naval Architect if you'd like to chat detail over.
Basically this.http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/technica...
There are some exemptions, such as "built for own use and not placed on the market within five years". I'm not very familiar with these regulations, but there's piles of Government gobbledegook linked on that page.
I can put you in touch with a good Naval Architect if you'd like to chat detail over.
Mark it clearly with 'Prototype', keep it for five years before selling, and RCD (CE approval) isn't required.
No excuse for not building or designing properly, just a loophole in the regs.
Insurance may be a pisser though?
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