Get Real, Get Gone: How to Become a Modern Sea Gypsy and Sail Away Forever

by Rick Page

However, some fibreglass boats are made so thin and light (in the tiresomely endless quest for speed and profit) that they are more suitable for storing bleach than for long term voyaging. Fortunately for us, these boats nearly always have narrow fin keels and spade rudders, making them fairly easy to spot. Some lighter fiberglass hulls are made with an inner core of wood or a high tech substance like Nolex. On an older boat, these are best avoided as repairing them can be complicated and the designer obviously had speed at the top of his wish list rather than longevity. This type of boat notwithstanding, a strong argument could be made for thick, well laid-up, solid fibreglass being the best hull material for a budget voyager. Fibreglass is fairly strong, does not suffer from corrosion and can be moulded into some beautiful shapes. It can be ignored with fewer repercussions than other materials. There are certainly more fibreglass boats on the market than boats of any other material, making it the number one choice for most sea gypsies (including ourselves).