Cover
FAO FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPER 321





Fishing boat construction: 2 Building a fibreglass fishing boat




CONTENTS

Prepared by
Ned Coackley
Y. Bryn
Glan Conwy
Clwyd LL28 5SL, UK

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do notimply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-41
ISBN 92-5-103116-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1991
© FAO

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document has been prepared on the basis of the author's practical experience of FRP boatbuilding in North America, Europe and the Developing World.

It is the second Technical Paper within the series dealing with Fishing Boat Construction destined for fisheries officers and selected boatbuilders who want to develop their knowledge of various boatbuilding methods.

The Organization is debted to the following Institutions who have allowed the reproduction of selected parts of their literature and/or illustrations:

Lloyd's Register of Shipping
Owens Corning Fibreglass
Sea Fish Industry Authority
Pittsburgh Plate Glass
Venus Spray Guns
Ferry Boatyard
Scott Bader Co.
Dept of Boatyard Management
Southampton Institute of
Higher Education
Cygnus Marine Ltd

Distribution:

FAO Fisheries Department
FAO Regional Fisheries Officers
FAO Fisheries Field Projects
Selected Naval Architects and Boatbuilders

Coackley, N.
Fishing Boat Construction: 2. Building a fibreglass fishing boat.
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 321. Rome,
FAO. 1991. 84p.
ABSTRACT
The contents are intended to give the reader a sound basic knowledge of FRP and it's possibilities and limitations in boatbuilding. Any person using the document is likely to have some technical or management capacity upon which to base the information.
It is not intended to describe all aspects of FRP, but attempts to cover most subjects applicable to small vessel construction and setting up a new boatyard. The publication leads up to and deals mainly with the single skin manual layup technique, however, other FRP technologies are also presented.
Sections such as Design and Construction Considerations, Planning for Construction and the Production Flow Chart are intended to stimulate appraisal of the requirements of FRP boatbuilding while others such as Workshop, Equipment and Tools and Basic Vessel Construction offer practical guidelines.

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

CONTENTS

1.INTRODUCTION
 1.1What is FRP?
 1.2Equipment and Materials
 1.3Advantages and Disadvantages of Boats Built in FRP
  1.3.1Advantages
  1.3.2Disadvantages
 1.4Comparison with Other Boatbuilding Materials
2.FRP AND ITS COMPONENTS
 2.1Glass Reinforcement
  2.1.1Chopped strand mat (CSM)
  2.1.2Continuous roving
  2.1.3Woven roving (WR)
  2.1.4Unidirectional roving
  2.1.5Glass cloth
  2.1.6Surface tissue
 2.2Resins
  2.2.1Lay-up of laminating resins
  2.2.2Gelcoat resin
 2.3Resin Putty
 2.4Catalysts and Accelerators
3.GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
 3.1Fire Hazard
 3.2Health Hazard
 3.3Delivery and Storage
  3.3.1Resins
  3.3.2Reinforcement
4.WORKSHOP, EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS
 4.1General Conditions
 4.2The Building
  4.2.1Construction
  4.2.2Insulation, air conditioning and humidity control
  4.2.3Ventilation and dust extraction
  4.2.4Lighting
  4.2.5Electrical and compressed air systems
  4.2.6Access to the workshop
  4.2.7Cleaning
 4.3Tools and Equipment
5.FRP HANDLING AND USE
 5.1Mixing Resin and Gelcoat
 5.2Application
 5.3Preparing Reinforcement
 5.4Laminating
 5.5Stages of Cure
 5.6Using Tools on FRP Mouldings
6.CONSTRUCTION METHODS
 6.1Single Skin Laminate
 6.2Double or Sandwich Skin Construction
 6.3Mouldless Construction
 6.4High Technology Developments in FRP
  6.4.1Materials
  6.4.2Advanced boat building methods
 6.5Production Methods
  6.5.1Production line
  6.5.2Mass production
7.SIMPLE CONSTRUCTION
 7.1FRP Applied to Core Material
 7.2Making a Simple Plug and Mould
 7.3FRP Practice Panel
8.BASIC SINGLE SKIN VESSEL CONSTRUCTION
 8.1Plugs and Moulds
  8.1.1Hull plug and mould building
  8.1.2Deck and interior
 8.2Plug and Mould Details
  8.2.1Water/air inlets
  8.2.2Split moulds
  8.2.3Care and use of moulds
  8.2.4Variations to a standard product
  8.2.5Component assembly
 8.3Construction Details
  8.3.1Keels and areas requiring extra stiffening
  8.3.2Framing and stiffening sections
  8.3.3Bulkheads
  8.3.4Deck and superstructures
  8.3.5Deck to hull connection
  8.3.6Fuel and water tanks
  8.3.7Connections and fastenings
  8.3.8Bonding to materials other than FRP
9.DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION CONSIDERATIONS
 9.1Choosing the Right Design
 9.2Choice of Construction Method
 9.3Structural and Design Requirements
10.FRP IN THE TROPICS
 10.1Heat and Humidity
 10.2Appropriate Technology
 10.3Workforce, Skill Levels and Training
11.MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
 11.1Arrangements and Obligations
 11.2Maintenance
 11.3Gelcoat Repairs
 11.4Repairs to FRP Structures
  11.4.1Tools
  11.4.2Procedures
 11.5Osmosis
 11.6Lifespan of FRP
 11.7Sheathing of old wooden vessels
12.PLANNING FOR CONSTRUCTION
 12.1General
 12.2Selection of Design, Material and Equipment
 12.3Foreign Currency Problem
ANNEX 15.7 m Open Fishing Boat 15.0 m Decked Inshore Fishing Vessel (Sambuk)
ANNEX 2Glossary
ANNEX 3FRP Construction Rules
REFERENCES

LIST OF FIGURES

1.Hull plug
2.Hull mould
3.Hull
4.Reinforcements manufacturing process
5.Glass reinforcements
6.Manufacture of polyester resin
7.Examples of plant layout
8.Some hand tools
9.Drum cradle
10.Reinforcement dispenser
11.Single skin construction for large planing hull
12.Example of bilge and keel, 18 m trawler
13.Cross-section of a double skin shrimp trawler
14.Sandwich skin patrol boat
15.Wooden framework for mouldles construction
16.Foam sheets on framework
17.Outer FRP skin
18.Spray gun laminating
19.Insulated FRP/foam fish container
20.Free standing insulated container
21.Release angles
22.Simple mould
23.Practice panel showing working face and gelcoat face
24.Panel with framing reinforced and hole repaired
25.Repairing one-side access hole
26.Mould construction
27.Polished surface of new mould
28.Deck mould
29.Split mould
30.Production line/component assembly
31.Typical lay-up along chine and transom boundaries
32.Methods of laying-up keel
33.Typical framing and stiffening section
34.Typical bulkhead to hull connections
35.Typical deck to hull connections
36.Tank manhole details
37.Typical designs of engine bearers
38.Hauling out a fishing vessel
39.Gelcoat fault - wrinkling
40.Gelcoat fault - pinholing
41.Gelcoat fault - poor adhesion
42.Gelcoat fault - fibre patterns
43.Gelcoat fault - fish eyes
44.Gelcoat fault - blisters
45.Gelcoat fault - crazing
46.Gelcoat fault - star cracking
47.Gelcoat fault - internal dry patches
48.Gelcoat fault - leaching
49.Repair technique for impact fracture
50.Repair technique for punctures
51.Repair technique for blind panels
52.Hole due to grounding on anchor
53.Collision damage to bow
54.Abrasion damage to gelcoat and laminate
55.Severe impact damage to side

LIST OF TABLES

1.Comparison of ultimate strengths
2.Comparison of thickness and costs for equal strengths
3.Calculation of hull weight per m2for a 12.6 m fishing vessel
4.Exotherm with time
5.Gel time and temperature
6.Hardening time with hardness
7.Cure times
8.Relative rigidity of sandwich laminates in bending
9.Sea Fish Industry Authority Laminate Schedule
10.Flow chart for development and production