Article: A class in 'glass: a fiberglass boat will last much longer if you learn how to care for it.(Boat Strength)

In the early 1970s when fiberglass boats began to hit their stride, we heard some pretty extravagant claims for the new material. It was maintenance free, lasted indefinitely, didn't rot and didn't corrode.

But fiberglass, with its high strength-to-weight ratio, good mechanical properties, reduced maintenance and improved corrosion resistance, didn't turn out to be the "magical" material it was first thought to be. Fiberglass, indeed all composite boats--like people--age.

In the case of fiberglass boats, we're not talking about extraordinarily rough seas, storms or failures that result from putting a boat on the rocks of running into something. Aging ...

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