The benefits of fiberglass
The use of fiberglass has many benefits to the boat builder. Fiberglass withstands harsh marine environments with ease. It is impervious to the corrosion and rot that frequently destroy wooden and metal boats. When finished properly, fiberglass is unharmed by intense sunlight and the temperatures of tropical environments.
Fiberglass construction techniques allow boat builders to use long, sweeping, compound curves that are impossible to replicate with metal or wood. This allows marine architects ultimate freedom when designing a new boat.
In addition, fiberglass construction lends itself to mass-production without a decrease in quality or hull integrity.
Despite these characteristics, fiberglass cannot tolerate abrasion and impact as well as other materials of boat construction. These two types of damage – abrasion and impact – account for the vast majority of damage to fiberglass boats.
Luckily, damage of this type is often simple and inexpensive for the boat owner to repair.
