[Harmton]

The manufacturing process starts by laminating two half hulls into their own molds. Nauticat paints the waterline into the gelcoat and therefore we had to choose the hull’s decoration’s colour already before the start of the lamination. Suwena will have a white hull with black waterline and decorations. At the same time we also decided to rise up the waterline level a few centimeters as our boat will be heavily loaded for long distance cruising.
Nauticat 441 hull
On two outer layers Nauticat uses powder mat. In construction layers Nauticat uses directional mat for maximum material strength. Mats are laminated by using polyester resin. Finished laminate’s thickness is depending on a location but in hull it is between 15 mm and 30 mm. more

[Vinnie]

Both hull sides are laminated together when the resin is still tacky. The final result looks like the hull was made from single piece. Next step is to laminate the hull stiffeners and main bulkheads. Also the iron ballast is added to the hull. Nauticat 441’s ballast weight is 5.5 metric tons. As the resin dries the styrene evaporates and the polyester shrinks just a little. Therefore the mold is easier to separate from the hull.
The place of Nauticat 441 forecabin
Upcoming Nauticat 441 master cabin
Nauticat 441 bulkheads in fitting
Before a fixing the deck with the hull all bulky parts like engine, fuel tanks, shower and toilet modules are installed.
Perkins M225Ti engine installed
Starboard side fuel tank
Parallel with the hull the deck is made in its own mold. When deck is separated from the mold places of windows, doors and other hatches are cut open. Then the teak is fastened and deck hardware and winches are installed as well. To build the full yacht there are needed many other molds in addition than the hull and deck molds. E.g. in Nauticat 441 shower and toilets are made as separate molded parts.
Installation of winches into Nauticat 441 deck
The rudder of Nauticat 441
Foreman of lamination operations Veikko
The finished deck is lifted on the top of the hull and then fixed together with epoxy glue and bolts every 10 cm. here

[Sarahb1966]

The manufacturing of the Nauticat 441 boat starts with the lamination of the hull and the deck. All Nauticat boats are made of solid single skin laminate by hand laminating.

[otalesak]

The full curing process of the polyester resin takes several months. It’s depending on a yachts size and model curing times varies, however storage in warm location for 4 to 5 months is absolute minimum to achieve a good result. Our boats hull will be inside for eight months before she is taken to test pool outside. When we visited aboard in many yachts on different fairs the smell was one thing we noticed. Nauticat yachts do not have the stink of the resin, instead they have a smell of the clean wood. more

[bitcoinia]

Of course, this is only part of the problem that results from this inferior method of attachment. The other is that every time the boat bumps a piling with this deck joint that is no longer securely fastened to the hull, and being that much weaker, every succeeding impact causes more damage. Soon, the rub rails start denting and the toe rail starts cracking from the excessive amount of flexing that is now occurring, all because the structure is progressively weakening. more

[greigmare64]

That very large numbers of boats, both large and small, power and sail, have inferior deck joints is probably the result of the fact that the effects of a weak joint don't start showing up until the boat is getting on in years. Here's why:

[gem]

It should be readily apparent what happens when the side of the boat bumps up against a piling with even a moderate impact: the threaded screw is going to break right out of the self-tapped threads that is made in the very thin deck and hull side lap. But that's not what happened with the two year old Silverton boat shown in the next photo below. In this boat, the screws in the rub rail, which also hold the deck joint together, have backed out all the way around the bow in places that are not normally subject to impacts. This occurred with about 80% of all the deck joint screws. The only area spared was the transom.

[ziablik]

By far, the most frequently asked question we get in our emails is the one by first time boat buyers asking about what brand they should buy.

[Versus71]

Depending on the size of your boat, it can be relatively easy. Follow Jason's advice regarding hull distortion closely.<br /><br />I popped the top off my 16ft boat this past weekend. Lots of rivets. and the wife and I easily lifted and moved the top deck out of the way.

[Jameson]

Re: Seperating hull from top of boat more

[mattbrown75]

Excellent, thanks bh357 for the advise. If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave the most forward sections out? It obviously didn't have anything to do with the transom, right? I was thinking of using the SeaCast System for the transom as opposed to plywood. Any thoughts on that idea? Thanks again. [links]

[charlestaylor142]

Almost all builders these days first install a boat’s interior and then close up the hull by placing the deck, another very large fiberglass part, on top of it. Large pieces of equipment, such as engines, electrical generators, and water and fuel tanks, are also installed while the deck is off. Sometimes owners later discover they cannot remove such equipment from inside the boat, as there is no deck aperture large enough to accommodate it. A few builders–Catalina Yachts is a good example–install all mechanical equipment after decks are installed to make sure this never happens.

[fantomas]

Basic hull-deck joint variations more

[limikael]

Prepping an inward hull flange prior to installing a deck. The surface is roughed up so the adhesive sealant will adhere better [links]