Glass Over Wood vs Cold Mold

[SaltyDawg86]

Ok, I'm back with more annoying questions, please forgive me! It seems like people love to throw around Carolina Custom to describe a boat, even if it's not. I found a boat I like, it's very clean and called a Carolina Custom (and I think this one is) but they say it's glass over wood, but done when new. Wouldn't this be cold molded, or is that different? I thought CCs were all cold molded, is this just a broker that doesn't know what he's talking about? Thank you for your help.http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1989...g#.Wom7nPxOnk8

[Pascal]

Cold Molded is usually thin layers of veneer epoxied at various angles. The wood is soaked in epoxy and cannot rot. It's very good process, stuff and light

Glass over wood is typically traditional wood construction cover with glass. It's heavier and if water gets into the wood it could rot

No idea what this boat is, if serious about it try contacting the builder. Obviously the broker doesn't taken to care about entering any details so I wouldn't rely on his representation

[Scarlett]

If you look at the picture that shows the side of the engine room it looks like the inside of the hull is glass, but not real smoothly laid up, unless someone also tried to lay glass over the ply on the inside also, if so it doesn’t look like a very good job. Hate to tell conclusively from the photo. John

[bigbill]

looks like a hatteras bridge and side windows, not the hull

[Spellbound]

As Pascal stated “traditional construction” which is plank on frame glassed over. Many Carolina (Scarborough, Willis, Jarrett Bay, Paul Mann, etc.) and Florida ( Rybovich, Merritt, Norseman, Mortenson, etc.) boats were built this way before the cold mold (jig built) really caught on for strength and labor saving reasons. Most are now cold molded but a few are still doing plank on frame.

[Avenger]

Looking at the ribs in one of the pictures I'd say this one is plank on frame.

[Cricket]

The term "cold molded" incorporates many build methods although many associate the term for boat built on a male jig with either plywood strips or solid wood strips both in multiple layers with longitudinal stringers, glassed on the outside and inside using epoxy. Many of the jig boat builds and now using foam instead of wood, only 1 layer of foam is needed saving a lot of labor. Spencer may now be building foam boats only these days Technically and "plank on frame" build is also cold molded. Plank on frame has sawed frames set up and then strip planked, usually with juniper in the Carolinas, the strips are edged glued and glued and fastened to the frames. Some plank on frame builds will have a layer plywood glued to the strips for a better paint finish on the outside of the hull. The jig boats are glassed inside and out, plank on frame boats will always be glassed on the outside, the inside is either coated with epoxy or glassed and coated like the outside.
A juniper plank on frame boat will be lighter than a plywood jig boat, which has always seemed odd to me but they are. The foam jig boats are lighter than a plywood jig boat. Not many frame builders left, Paul Mann and Scarborough have switched to building jig boats over the last few years.
The boat in the photos looks like a plank on frame because there's frames in the engine room.

[SaltyDawg86]

So this should be a nice, solid hull vs say a boat that was rotten then got glassed over? I'm speaking in general, I know I'll have to get this boat surveyed, but I shouldn't be turned away because of how it was built?

[Cricket]

There's no way to know the condition of the wood core, it only takes a tiny crack that allows water to get under the skin which starts the wood rot process.
As an example a captain I know's boss is in the process of looking for a mid 60 foot custom carolina boat, $1.75 mil budget, found the boat, made the deal, went to survey and the hull is wet under the engine vent all the way down to at least the water line for about 15' of length. On my 32 cold molded boat 1 bolt in a rod holder that wasn't caulked properly rotted out 4' of the side deck, luckily it didn't get into the hull. We only noticed it because the deck swelled.
It's really no different than what happens when a leak rots the balsa on a Hatteras, except the entire boat is subject to rot instead of just the cored ares on a Hatteras. Sorry the photos are out of order.

[Spellbound]

Cricket your rod holder/covering board work looks the same as my seating area at the cuddy entrance on my 28’ Cannady. Plywood glassed over, water penetration on edges created swelling/rot necessitating total replacement.