ChopesBro said..
I'm intrigued by the construction but doubt if I build one I could ever obtain insurance?

No one would build one these days when the place is awash with fix her uppers. You need 3rd party property damage cover to use the slipways so they must be able to get that. The boat in the photo was fully ensured. 54 foot ferro.



The boat on the left was a 35 foot ferro.

Its no different to any other boat building material you get good and bad. Unfortunately ferro suffered from a lot of stigma due to backyard builders. Some thought it was just a bit reo bar and chicken wire tied together and some plaster. If built correctly and maintained properly it can be an excellent construction material. Hesal dubbed the floating footpath was a ferro yacht and won the Sydney to Hobart back in 1973. Friends of mine cruised the world and raised there children on a ferro yacht the only drama was getting insurance and that is thanks to the badly built boats out there. All materials have there pluses and minuses I heard someone say that steel is the best because it can bounce over a reef. There are plenty of wrecks out there that would argue the point and anyway you aren't supposed to hit a reef you're meant to avoid it. Its called navigation I think.
Winkali

chopes if a ferro boat really floats your boat, there is one in our club that you'd be able to get pretty cheap i'd suggest, plus doing alot of people a favour.Located outside Melb.
Its a Hartley 34 of some variation (maybe a Fijian or somethign like that).
Doesnt look too bad if you close your eyes a bit and want something solid, and would be a lot of boat for next to no money.
Has been on gumtree before as owner has lost interest.

Re insurance: nope, you wont get it on a mooring from anyone normal.
I think its currently insured out of someone nonexistent in the Bahamas, but hey, you get a certificate.

Madmouse said..
Sounds like the consensus is insurance will impossible

And impossible to sell

Trek said..
I had a 39ft ferro that I sailed around NZ, bought it, insured it and sold it no problem. It had a QA certificate from the builder which helped. A ferro in good shape should be fine, we are talking steel reinforced!

Did you ever need to repair it strucually? I am wondering how it is done.

woko said..
If you manage to knock a hole in ferro you clean out the loose render and bog it with cement render or thickened epoxy,

Why would you bother with a floating foot path ? near zero resale value and so many good glass boats around cheap.