SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Hi all, first time posting so here goes...
I'm considering a 10yr old diesel powered Shetland 27 which looks in good nick for wide canal and river use.
However I've read elsewhere they are prone to osmossis.
Is that your experience and what else should I be aware of?
I'll be getting a hull survey anyway but don't want too many surprises!
Thanks all.

Most GRP boats can be prone to osmosis but many aren't. It depends where and how they were moulded and the conditions they've been afloat in. Shetlands were moulded in clean, dry shops using Lloyds approved resins and glass, so had a good start. I've owned mine for 52yrs with no problems of osmosis. The survey should pick up any problems with the hull provided it's an out of water survey.

vreagh wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 4:56 pm Most GRP boats can be prone to osmosis but many aren't. It depends where and how they were moulded and the conditions they've been afloat in. Shetlands were moulded in clean, dry shops using Lloyds approved resins and glass, so had a good start. I've owned mine for 52yrs with no problems of osmosis. The survey should pick up any problems with the hull provided it's an out of water survey.

Thanks for the reply I'll continue the purchase research.

There was a similar inquiry about possible problems with a Shetland 27i last November (see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4367&p=13169#p13169)

Here is what I wrote then.

Check for rot at the bottom of the plywood bulkhead between the anchor locker and the locker under the forward seats.

The seal over the joint between the hull and the superstructure can leak rainwater into the wooden core of the transom. In our case, the water leaked inside the hull around the stern thruster and we spent a small fortune resealing the thruster without curing the problem.

On my boat the bow thruster tube was not fitted properly into the hull. On one side the hole in the hull was oversize and the gap had been repaired with filler instead of glass fibre. It became apparent when the boat was lifted out. When the hull surface was dry, water continued to seep out around the edge of the tube.

I did not have any significant osmosis on our boat which was from 2006 and sold in 2019. The purchaser's survey reported a high moisture content in the hull which may have been because the boat was kept afloat during the winter.