I build each HOLO 24 on a custom basis as a one off. As I stated on the home page I prefer to build this way, and am looking for the customer who recognizes and prefers handcrafted quality. The state of the art materials I use allow for the boat to be built light and strong. The entire boat is built with epoxy resin which I have been working with exclusively for over 12 years. The composite hulls are foam sandwich, comprised of 1/2 inch CoreCell foam, triaxial (stitched) fiberglass cloth, and of course epoxy. The primary advantage of using these more expensive materials is the high strength to weight ratio. Marine plywood has always been a good and strong boatbuilding material though heavy when used exclusively. Another problem with plywood is the fact that polyester resins are not adhesives and do not bond to wood, nor do they seal out moisture, resulting in eventual de-lamination and rot. Enter modern epoxies. The properly done epoxy bond will be stronger than the two pieces of wood it is holding together. Epoxy also is a 100% barrier against moisture, completely protecting encapsulated wood. The traditional boatbuilding material, wood, when properly used with modern epoxies becomes state of the art, and once again is a very valid boatbuilding material. Another advantage of epoxy is its flexibility. The epoxy-fiberglass lamination that is bonded to the foam or wood core, can move with the hulls as they work under loads, preventing cracks. As you will see, I integrate epoxy- foam composite technology with limited epoxy wood technology, along with a modified traditional technique for one off hull construction.

I start with setting up my marine plywood bulkheads on the strongback in the traditional way. Using epoxy for all gluing, I install clear fir chine and sheer stringers, a keelson, and a small bow stem of ply/foam sandwich. These are faired to shape with a power plane, and is then ready for the foam panel installation. The four foam panels (two bottoms and two sides) are pre-laid up (glassed one side) in full length on a perfectly flat table. The panels are bent over the framework (glass to the inside), and glued on one at a time, each allowed to cure and trimmed before the next one is glued on. They bend on fair to the already faired framework.

The entire hull is then shaped, glassed, faired, and rolled over.

The two hulls are then lined up and connected with the two main crossarms and the wingdeck. Every thing is meticulously glued with epoxy before glassing takes place, ensuring strength and eliminating the need for any permanent fasteners. The chine and keel stringers, which add longitudinal stiffness, are glass taped on the inside along with the bulkheads to the already glassed hull.

CONSTRUCTION FEATURES

  • all glass work is hand laid and neat - no sharp edges or barbs anywhere
  • cabin, foredeck and gunwale decks are foam sandwich
  • stringers and marine plywood wingdeck are scarfed
  • no bare wood anywhere - all surfaces above deck are epoxy glassed, and below decks whatever isn't glassed structurally is heavily epoxy saturated.
  • all joinery is meticulously glued with epoxy and then glassed -no left in fasteners
  • foam filled under motor well decks providing positive flotation for safety
  • collision (solid with inspecton port) bulkheads in bows for safety
* More construction photos in PHOTOS
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