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SVN Solovelanet Global
At that time, many thought that resin added to the
structure, and were proud of laying huge layers of
this material, though in fact it is just the glue that
holds two glass woven rovings together.
b) The second problem is resin crystallization. When
resin and a catalyst are joined, a phenomenon of
resin crystallization starts and will never stop. The
more time elapses, the more the resin between the
glass woven rovings crystallizes and becomes fra
-
gile. This is why an old boat is more susceptible to
damage than a modern boat.
But considering these problems, that apparently
don't seem trivial at all, why are we stating that a
30+ year old boat is still a safe boat?
Again there are two reasons:
a) Most boats are built to withstand much greater
efforts than they actually endure when they are sai-
ling in summer at our latitudes.We can say that bo-
ats have a strength reserve and even if they become
more fragile over time, the reserve is such that they
are still safe.
b) The size of boats from 40 years ago is very dif-
ferent in comparison with current models. The New
Optimist, an 11.20 metre boat from the early 1970s
designed by Dick Carter and built in Italy by Biasi,
was 3.20 meters wide and very low on the water.
At present, an 11.20 meter is between 3.80 and 4
meters wide, which means that she has much lon
-
ger levers and consequently undergoes much more
effort.Older boats, on the other hand, were narrow,
compact and for this reason very sturdy.
So what are the shortcomings of a very old boat?
Rather than shortcomings, they are differences, and
there are many. Let's consider two of them, perhaps
the most obvious:
a) It's a matter of comfort. Boats built in the Seven-
ties and Eighties, precisely because volumetrically
much smaller, are less comfortable than modern bo-
ats of the same length.
b) Between a 1980 and a 2020 boat there is a 40-year
distance. This means 40 years of technology and
design evolution, which once again mainly affects
comfort. The good news is that a 1980 boat costs a
fraction of a 2020 boat of the same length.
Maurizio Anzillotti, direttore di SVN
Solovelanet, nasce, velisticamente
come solitario. Oggi si occupa di mer-
cato e tecnica.
L'autore
In the first two photos above,
a Show 38 by Barberis from the
1970s-80s in navigation and a
photograph of its salon. The two
photos above are of a Beneteau's
Oceanis 38 launched in 2003
