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Opinions on fibreglass cabins


SadieF

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Hello all

I'm looking to buy a narrowboat to live on (still), and I wondered what difference a fibreglass cabin/steel hull makes as opposed to a steel hull and cabin. Does anyone out there own a fibreglass cabin/steel bottom narrowboat and are you happy with it? does it have an effect on keeping the boat warm inside or levels of condensation. Also is it possible to walk on the top? 

Would appreciate the thoughts of people who've got experience of this? they do certainly seem to be cheaper - but is this for a good reason? 

Thanks

Sadie

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Its often said that the cabin hull joint will leak over time due to differing expansion rates of the different materials. 

I have no direct experience, but a chap near me has one,albeit older, but the gel coat was cracked and letting in water, along with the area under the aluminium strip covering the two mouldings. 

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To the best of my knowledge f/glass tops have not been made for years - others may know better- so the top will be getting on in years and likely to have cracked gelcoat at the very least as well as just being plain old and tired. Of course if the top is old then the hull is too along with much of the fit out and engine etc. Unless its quite unusual I would expect that sort of boat to be a bit of a project and low priced to match. I would be careful of such a boat. In fact it is a good idea to be careful of any boat. I would also like a surveyors opinion on the hull at the very least.

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I'm waiting for more info on the age of the boat, and lots of other info. i know very little about the boat at the mo. only it's 40ft, and asking price 14k. 

it is sounding like a steel cabin and hull is a safer option

 

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A steel top, provided it is sound and not covered in rust will in my view always be a lower risk option.

Whilst some GRP top boats were/are OK, others are notorious for leaks both where they join the hull, and between separate section of the top itself.  (Harborough boats in particularly, but if it was the one you were looking at earlier that wasn't a Harborough - it might have had a Teddesley top, I think).

You should expect to pay significantly less for an otherwise equivalent boat that is GRP topped rather than steel topped, (and hence you would need to price  it cheaper too, if you need to sell it on).

Look for evidence inside of the results of leaks.  On cabin joins particularly, though damage to internal linings could be feet away.  Also along the whole join to the hull.

GRP topped boats are generally old enough that the engine may well be "old school" as well.  An air cooled 2 or 3 cylinder Lister, maybe, rather than a water cooled unit.  Such engines can last many decades, if well maintained, but equally there are lots of boats on the market with Listers that are really quite "clapped".

EDITED TO ADD:

Also wooden handrails attached to a GRP top can be another point where things go wrong, and leaks occur. (Not all GRP boats have wooden handrails, though).

Edited by alan_fincher
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