posted 02-12-2002 12:07 PM ET (US)            

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Rover,

I've got a chunk of 1970 Whaler sitting on my desk right now. It's chopped glass. I believe this is, and always has been, the Whaler method of constructing the skins of their hulls. It's also one of the reasons why Whalers have such consistently smooth and unblemished hulls.

posted 02-12-2002 01:00 PM ET (US)            

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I got a tour of the Rockland plant in the mid 80s while at a dealer meeting. They were using chopper guns at that time.
At the time I was both a Whaler and Bayliner dealer in Alaska. After the Whaler dealer meeting I atended the Bayliner meeting at Rosario Resort in the San Juan Islands.
Back to back meetings realy gives you insight into quality and construction.
Bayliner flew us to the factory from Rosario in a company plane and gave us a great tour. They wined and dined us at one of the finest resorts in Washington for 3 days.
The Bayliner factory was far larger than the Rockland Whaler factory but in spite of both using chopper guns you could allmost eat off of the floor at Rockland and had no idea what you were stepping in at Bayliner. We all know that there is no comparison in quality betwen the two but touring both factories in the same week it was eye opening to see the construction procedures and compare them while everythig was fresh in your mind.
Bayliner won in the wining and dining catagory, even though Whaler fed me the best lobster I have ever eaten.
Whaler won in all other catagories, and as we all know, including construction.

I might have got a little out in left field on this post but having toured several boat factories Rockland was the winner.

posted 02-12-2002 01:03 PM ET (US)            

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The main reason for chopped glass is that it doesn't show the pattern as would weaved glass matting on the gelcoat, at least in many construction methods. It is less expensive than matting as it doesn't require nearly the labor. (Shooting vs. wetting, cutting, laying, rolling.)

Much of the strength of the Whaler (and other similar) design is not so much in the skin thickness or chopped vs. matt but more of the 'sandwich' design. There are exceptions, however, as in the transom specifically. There's wood to help in the reinforcement and also the design of the spash well is a big factor in the strength of the transom.

posted 02-12-2002 02:57 PM ET (US)         

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When I visited Edgewater in 1990, they told me all Whalers were chopper gun glassed. Contrary to what some believe, this is not sub-standard construction at all, and is uniquely suited to the Whaler foam hull construction. I would guess that the rough, still wet glass/resin mix from the gun makes an idea bond to the foam. As we know, this combination of glass work and foam makes the toughest & strongest hull on the market.

Large repairs to the hull, however, do need to made with woven glass matting.

posted 02-12-2002 10:45 PM ET (US)            

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As many have mentioned, there is nothing wrong with chopped glass - if it is done right. The strongest glass is, however, the cloth - again done right.

lhg - the lay-up of the boats use a "lay-up" resin - which does not have the wax, therefore, the outer-most resin surface, even though it feels firm is still uncured and bonds easily to the next resin material it sees - namely the foam. Gelcoat and other exposed glass surfaces are installed using a resin incorporating a wax which will let the resin cure.

Dick - I toured the BW plant in Edgewater in 1997 and they didn't provide me with any lobster - who do you know? --- Jerry/Idaho