h 



6^ 



:^f=^' 



Completed hulls of o Blue Joy {left) and El Toro (right) 



something sometime, and when it does a hull that can bend at point of 

 contact, providing of course it snaps back into position immediately after- 

 ward, is preferable to one that can only crack, dent or break. But the 

 compound-curve surfaces of molded sailboats don't lend themselves well 

 to neat repairs. Besides looking untidy, a patch adds weight and is harder 

 to waterproof. 



Plastic Boats. The newest boatbuilding materal is fiberglass molded in 

 layers of polyester-plastic resin. The molding process allows complete 

 freedom in the choice of hull shape; a freedom which, as previously 

 noted, is lacking when such as wood and plywood are employed. The 

 plastic reinforced with fiberglass is probably the strongest and most dura- 

 ble of any material used in boat construction. Most plastic hulls are color- 



30 



