Who is Greenville Marine & Sport Center? We are your local boat, motor, and trailer dealer, and we’ve been serving Pitt and Beaufort counties and Eastern North Carolina for 49 years. Check out the brands we deal, and let us know if we can special order anything for you. Our experienced sales and service staff would love to help you with a new or used boat purchase!
Have you ever wondered how a boat is built? Unlike the way that antique and classic powerboats were built, modern fiberglass boats are built using high-tech methods. From Boats.com, here’s a little bit about how new boats are made:
Prior to the development of fiberglass construction techniques, boats were built of wood, steel, and other materials, by assembling pieces and parts into a structure which was then sheathed with a hull. With fiberglass boat building, however, the major components of the boat – the hull, deck, liner, and large parts like consoles—are molded from fiberglass. Usually, this means starting with a female mold. The mold is first sprayed with gelcoat, then fiberglass cloth is applied, and then resin is used to saturate or “wet out” the fiberglass. When the resin cures, you have a hull or a boat part (for an explanation of the different boat parts, see our Beginner’s Guide to Boat Terminology).
Structural reinforcements like stringers and bulkheads can be molded separately and then fiberglassed to the part, or may in some cases be laid up at the same time. While the hull is still open and exposed, items that will be located below deck level like fuel and water tanks or inboard engines can be mounted. This is also when plumbing and wiring may be run. Then the major components are assembled. For most modern powerboats, that means the deck and/or liner is lifted, often with a crane, and lowered into the hull.
Many boats are designed with a “shoe-box” joint where the hull and deck have mating flanges, or overlap one another. Often mechanical fasteners such as screws or through-bolts are used to secure the parts together, in addition to the use of a chemical bonding agent and sealant like methyl methacrylate or 3M 5200, which also makes the joint water-tight. Additionally, some build fiberglass around the perimeter of the hull to deck joint.
With the major parts of the boat assembled, interior fittings like seats and steering wheels can then be added. Finally, the details and finishing touches can be taken care of.
Visit the article “Boat Building: Basic Construction of Resin, Fiberglass, and Cores” to learn more.
When you’re looking to buy a new or used boat, look no further! Check out our boat inventory at Greenville Marine and let us know what catches your eye. We are located at 3600 Greenville Boulevard in Greenville, NC. To contact our boat shop, please call (252) 758-5938. To contact our outdoor shop, please call (252) 758-5945. Come by and see us from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday, or 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday. Come on in!