what happens to plugs

[nickyp]

i know of a guy who has a big jarvis newman boat. it is absolutely fair has beautiful lines. upon working on it i realized that this is a wooden boat that has been glassed over really well. i've been now told that this is a plug that jarvis used to make his mold, and was subsequently turned into a usable boat.

is this a common practice? do most plugs get turned into boats?

 

[F/V First Team]

Could go either way. Usually they are unless it's just a plug built that is going to be destroyed afterwards.

 

[nickyp]

thanks for the prompt reply

 

[F/V First Team]

The same goes for top molds as well, typically both hull and top plugs need to be sheathed and/or finished because usually they are spotted with different types and colors of fairing compound because what they are looking for is a finished product to be reproduced out of the mold, so the surface characteristics aren't as important on the plug unit itself.

Sometimes they are sold for very little $$$ in comparison to a part taken from the finished mold even though they have much more time put into the piece than the product would have in it coming out of the mold.

 

[blackdiamond296]

As I've heard the story told, the first Fortier 26 was a wood boat build that got such a good reaction that they made a mold from it and began the business. Sort of the other way around- from boat to mold.

 

[Badlatitude]

As I've heard the story told, the first Fortier 26 was a wood boat build that got such a good reaction that they made a mold from it and began the business. Sort of the other way around- from boat to mold.

Many popular hulls were pulled off a wood boat. The 30 Repco is probably the most popular I can think of. They made thousandssss of them.

The popular Pango style boats were pulled from hand made south american boats too.

 

[F/V First Team]

All of the Young Brothers models were splashed from wooden boats.

Those builders weren't too happy about it.

 

[nickyp]

i thought ernest libby designed the yb boats for them?
except what is now called the slippery 38, which was an old wood boat.
i could have that all wrong

 

[Hallelujah Newman 36]

The Jarvis Newman 36 mold was taken from the Bunker and Ellis boat Irona. This was a common practice, making molds from wooden boats in the early days of fiberglass boats.

 

[OLD BAY]

The Wasque 32 was pulled from a wooden boat also.

 

[F/V First Team]

Plugs and splashing a mold from a wooden hull are similar, but totally different.

Plugs are built for the specific purpose of taking a mold from it.

Boats that have a mold splashed off it were built to be boats before hand.

Plugs may have cross bracing and other undesirable traits to them which wouldn't lend them to being used for boating purposes, or they are designed to be torn free from the completed mold and thrown in the burn pile.

Just wanted to make that difference known to you guys.

 

[nickyp]

Plugs and splashing a mold from a wooden hull are similar, but totally different.

Plugs are built for the specific purpose of taking a mold from it.

Boats that have a mold splashed off it were built to be boats before hand.

Plugs may have cross bracing and other undesirable traits to them which wouldn't lend them to being used for boating purposes, or they are designed to be torn free from the completed mold and thrown in the burn pile.

Just wanted to make that difference known to you guys.

this thread is taking a slight detour. i think we are on the same page.
i am aware that quite a few fiberglass production boats are produced from molds that were built from an existing wooden boat that the builder liked.
my question was about purpose built plugs, like the one for the calvin beal 30 on sw's website.
you have answered that question for me. thanks.