Hull Construction

[Jfrano]

Does Ranger Tug use Core materials in hull construction or is it solid fiberglass?

 

[bob daily]

I would say core material/construction. I'm no expert on fiberglass construction but to keep the weight down most builders use a core/fiberglass method. If you look in my photo album you will see the plug I cut out of the bottom of a 2009 R-21 for installation of a transducer. It showed about 1/4 in fiberglass,about 1/4 in core material and about 1/8 in fiberglass. My measurements are ruff and total thickness was a little over 5/8 in. Hope this answered your question. Bob

 

[Cutwater28GG]

Pretty sure the hull is solid fiberglass

 

[BB marine]

The hull is not solid fiberglass it has fiberglass layer on the gel coat then core mat ( known as a laminate bulker or a core fabric) It is used to build laminate thickness (increasing stiffness) and to isolate laminate shrinkage from the cosmetic gel coat surface) another layer of fiberglass is used for final lay up. I Cut a hole in the hull to add vents for the engine compartment. I was surprised to see just two thin layers of fiberglass the rest is core mat. The overall thickness is 1/4" to 5/16". The core mat is lighter than fiberglass.

 

[bob daily]

Mr BB Marine, the thickness of 1/4 to 5/8 inch is for interior bulkhead and superstructure IE cabin walls, and decks. Not the hull which will be about 5/8 to 3/4 inches thick. The construction of both are or seem to be the same except for amount of material used. I have cut various holes for the installation of various systems and have the core material. I'll posted a picture of the core from the hull and will post a picture of material cut from superstructure to my album. Hope this clears the question that was originally asked. Thanks Bob

 

[Bobby P.]

All of the "core" fiberglass? I have had some boats that have used balsa core on decks, etc. I have also had boats that have not used any core, just thicker fiberglass where needed. Obviously any wood core is subject to rot, should water infiltrate. So my question is, does anyone know if any of the fluid motion vessels have wood core anywhere?

Just curious.

Bobby

 

[BB marine]

Mr BB Marine, the thickness of 1/4 to 5/8 inch is for interior bulkhead and superstructure IE cabin walls, and decks. Not the hull which will be about 5/8 to 3/4 inches thick. The construction of both are or seem to be the same except for amount of material used. I have cut various holes for the installation of various systems and have the core material. I'll posted a picture of the core from the hull and will post a picture of material cut from superstructure to my album. Hope this clears the question that was originally asked. Thanks Bob

Bob, I believe the question was is the hull material solid fiberglass and the answer is no as we have both stated.It is a combination of core mat and fiberglass. The question was made because the Tug owner has a crack in the hull of his boat. I was explaining the construction of the hull side in answer to this thread and a previous thread that he posted. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15310#p101223. The photo of the hull that you posted I assume is the bottom of the boat which is considerably thicker than the sides of the hull. It is a bit disturbing how much core mat that is used in the bottom. The core mat adds stiffening and a filler but very little strength in comparison to fiberglass. I have not cut any holes in the bottom .

In my post I was referring to his question the hull side not the bottom of the boat. I did cut a large hole in the side of my hull to install a Vent for the engine compartment .

In the variety of holes cut in the cockpit bulkheads, exterior cabin trunk and the hull the dimensions have ranged from 1/4" to slightly over 5/16"

This is a view of the hull side cut out. Which was questioned from the Jfrano. In the photo the core mat layers can be seen along with the fiberglass layup. This section measured just over 5/16"


Thank you for posting the photo's of the bottom, Bob I thought the bottom was solid glass.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

I stand corrected.

Q. Brian isnt the hull where the transducer sits solid glass fiber? if not, wouldn't the core reduce signal transmission?

 

[BB marine]

Q. Brian isnt the hull where the transducer sits solid glass fiber? if not, wouldn't the core reduce signal transmission?

No, because it wets out the same way as fiberglass. So there is a full saturation of resin. It is lighter than fiberglass and used as a filler it helps stiffen but is not as strong as fiberglass. It is commonly used in sides of fiberglass hull layups. I was not aware that the bottom was not all fiberglass material and has core mat in the layup. Based on the photos Bob daily posted there is core mat used in the bottom of his Ranger 21. I guess we are to assume all Rangers and Cutwaters are built the same way.