Cold moulded Faireys

[nabbers]

I have fallen in love with a Cold moulded yacht which seems to have been abandoned in a pub car park in Cumbria! Going to call back and try and do a deal! I Only know of the various Fairey built cold moulded boats, built from built up veneers of wood in a mould, but does anyone know of other manufacturers?

[andrew]

Fairey's were hot moulded as, I think, was this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270859243790? ... 1423.l2649

[Nessa]

I think my 14 was cold moulded, wasn't it? By Souters.

[JimC]

, but does anyone know of other manufacturers?

It was pretty common in yachts for quite a few years, especially high end stuff before aluminium became popular.

[Michael Brigg]

, but does anyone know of other manufacturers?

It was pretty common in yachts for quite a few years, especially high end stuff before aluminium became popular.

...For example this one. "Wavetrain" took Class3 in Cowes week by storm in the 1990's I think.

Dead sexy too...

http://www.afloat.ie/boats-for-sale/wel ... hannel-29/

[Ed]

gosh, yes, very nice

eib

[Rupert]

I remember Wavetrain - can't believe it was 1988... I'm getting old...

[rme_01]

Cold moulding for high end yachts - wood heaven. A Spirit 100 in cedar and double diagonal khaya. I suppose if one is being pedantic this is not strictly cold moulded as it is built on its frames rather than a mould but who cares when it looks that good.

On an historic note I have always assumed that Faireys were the only builder to try hot moulding - is that in fact the case? The Souters 14s were cold moulded (as incidentally was the Audacity!)

[jpa_wfsc]

There was I thinking lovely strip plank canoe - then I saw the builders up near the bow which gives a certain scale to the image!

[Rupert]

I think there was an American company who hot moulded boats - can anyone remember the name of the boat that pre-dated the Fairey boats (looked a bit Duckling like?) but it really only paid for Faireys because they had the equipment left over from plane manufacture. In terms of industrial scale, the rotomoulding process would probebly be the first to come close since.

[Ed]

Merring?

There were a couple around Bristol Harbour. Kept getting cross as people would tell me they were 'Ducklings'.....which they certainly were not.

My girlfriend of the time managed to get one of the Bristol ones ( I think if memory serves).

The company had some connection with Bristol.

There is mention of them in one of the early Dinghy Year Books.

As for whether 'hot' or 'cold' moulded and date of first build.....I agree that the understanding was that they were 'hot' and that they did pre-date Fairey. But I havn't seen the proof of this.....and some how I rather suspect it isn't true. The article in Dinghy Year Book seemed to imply it was a 'new' boat.....and I just can't see any small dinghy builder being willing or able to make the investment in the research or infrastructure to create autoclaves and vacuum bags as Fairey did during the war.

But very happy to be proved wrong on this. Any other info anyone? I would dig out the books, but they are all in storage at moment.

cheers

eib

[Rupert]

Merron - thanks Ed.

I'll go take a look at the year books, but I think there was an article from just post war about them which popped up a long time ago.

[rme_01]

I have often wondered whether the "heat" element of the Fairey process, although primarily to do with the gluing, also inadvertently contributed to the longevity of Fairey hulls. Heat treatment to improve durability and dimensional stability by alteration of cell structure is now established (Themowood etc.) and the downside of reduced elasticity wouldn't matter much in a multi veneer hull - indeed the additional stiffness would presumably be an advantage. Whether the Fairey autoclave temperature was high enough to make a difference I am less sure.

Anyhow idle speculation - as you say the economics are against it Perhaps when peak oil has been and gone?

[Ed]

Merron! that's it!

As for the heat treatment being part of the successes with the Fairey hulls.....I am sure you are right!

Somewhere.....and I just can't remember where....I have read some technical stuff written in the late 50s early 60s about the Fairey process and what it was doing....and why they thought it worked etc. It had photos from their famous experiment where they buried an unvarnished Firefly hull in the river mud and left it for a year or two, before digging it up, cleaning it off, varnishing it and then sailing it.

Of course the Pathe stuff about Fairey factory (building Firefly) is worth watching too.

Long and the short is that they seemed to be pretty savvy about the technology. Incredible really.

I hope that DaveH will be able to give a little background as his father was 'chief of works' there for many years I think.

cheers

eib