I've thought about making new hulls for my 18ft prindle. Would other people be interested in buying new hulls for some of the older boats?
edited by: ffbrass, Jul 03, 2010 - 05:42 PM
they recently talked hobie into running 10 h18 hulls. perhaps nacra/performance would do the same if there was interest
MN3
Yeah, I can't imagine trying to make you own. Normally they use a large iron mold to shape the hulls. I actually saw a set for sale on line (in Australia) fairly recently. Not for the P18 mind you, but they were neat to see.
D.
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2
I have a couple of friends that are boat builders. One creates his own designs & molds. The other "pops" a mold from modified existing hulls. "Popping molds" is generally frowned upon amongst most builders, but this is how it's done: Cut boat into topside and hull sections. Clean, polish, fix any imperfections on hull surface. Wax hull. Spray waxed hull with gelcoat. Coat with many layers of fiberglass. Cut plywood braces (They look like stringers) to fit outside of mold and fiberglass outside "stringers" for rigidity & support. Let cure, then "pop" mold off of hull. Repeat for topside. Build boats, hoping the original mold owner doesn't sue you π .
It costs a substantial amount to do this, and it's labor intensive. It's much cheaper than starting from a non-proven design, however.