BOOK REVIEW Fibreglass Boats Review by Clare Nicholls


Fibreglass Boats (Fourth edition published 2006, reprinted 2007) by Hugo du Plessis ISBN: 978-0-7136-7395-1 £24.99 Paperback 288 pages Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd, 38 Soho Square, London W1D 3HB, UK.


F


ibreglass Boats is a work that has been around for over 40 years, with the fi rst edition published


in 1964. T is current fourth edition was originally issued in 2006, and last year received a further reprint. Hugo du Plessis brings all of his 45


years worth of experience with fi breglass to this volume. He was one of the pioneers of the material, starting as a moulder and boatbuilder, and later specialising in survey- ing fi breglass, therefore gaining experience in common defects as well as the elusive ones. He has owned boats for 60 years, including a small charter fl eet. The book is intended to inform boat


owners, builders, and surveyors how fi breglass behaves, and also to familiarise them with practical advice on working with glass reinforced plastic (GRP). It is written in


turn the bare mouldings into boats. T e gel coat of fi breglass also merits a section, as it both creates the material’s distinctive shiny fi nish, and protects its delicate structural fi bres. T ere is also advice on how to maintain,


clean, and repair these types of boats in order to attain a long lifespan; early examples have shown that up to 50 years is achievable. T e chapters on blistering and osmosis


have been rewritten for this edition, to provide a complete explanation of these phenomena, as the author discovered that these were currently the biggest worry for most owners of fibreglass boats. On some new boats this has been overcome by expensive new moulding techniques rather than improved materials. At the back of the book is a handy appendix


a deliberately non-technical manner that an average boat owner could understand, with formulae and equations kept to a minimum and simplifi ed. More than 40 chapters, divided into seven


sections, explore all elements of building and working with fi breglass boats, and the tome begins with a general explanation of the principles of using GRP to construct boats, including a list of required tools and advice on health and safety. One section describes how and why


fibreglass can fail, and further chapters demonstrate moulding methods and how to


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which lists imperial and metric measure- ment conversions, and the index is useful for looking up specifi c technical phrases. As this imprint is in black and white, it


may be slightly more diffi cult to understand the features highlighted in the photographs, but monochrome suits the many diagrams inserted between the text, which give clear examples of fi xings and shapes, among other depictions. T is well-known work will continue to be


an invaluable source of reference for anyone wanting practical advice on working with GRP. SBI


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