Speaking of silly tools you don't need....
Is anyone familiar with a Barcol Hardness Tester http://www.qualitest-inc.com/barcol.htm
Is this a useful test in evaluating fiberglass hulls?
Barcol hardness tester
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JonnyBoats
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Tim
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Frankly, I never really understood the point. It gives you a number...woo-hoo. I have never seen a quantified explaination of what it all means, in relative terms.
To me, the Barcol tester always seemed to be a surveyor's tool in the "baffle 'em with BS" category. I bet most surveyors that use one don't really know what the results mean either. Perhaps the results have value in a laboratory setting when analysis of a laminate is required...but I'd still need some truly empirical data to be convinced of the practical worth of the results in the real world, as relates to boats in particular. In other words: show me data collected from Barcol meters and relate it to boat failures, sinkings, or other structural-related damage.
I prefer big-picture stuff myself--the nuts and bolts, nitty-gritty. Practical knowledge and hands-on has always meant more to me than fancy figures and the like. Even moisture meters,with their simple conceptual operation and analog readouts, leave so much open to interpretation. How can one rely on electronic means when all they give you is a relative figure to start with?
Perhaps a Barcol hardness number can be a useful tool in determining the overall quality of a sample of laminate. But assuming that's true, what does it truly tell you about the overall condition and suitability of the entire boat? To me, I say: not that much.
I am sure the tool has value in certain settings...I don't mean to imply otherwise. But I think boats require more of an eye towards the vessel as a whole, rather than becoming lost in quite possibly irrelevant details. Overall, if I had to guess, I'd say that most older, hand-laminated boats probably perform relatively poorly from a Barcol hardness standpoint, at least when compared to higher-tech laminates used in critical industries, like computer manufacturing or safety ladders or some such.
I think infrared imaging probably has the most potential future value in evaluating hull and deck structures, but the technology is out of reach, cost-wise, for most at this point.
To me, the Barcol tester always seemed to be a surveyor's tool in the "baffle 'em with BS" category. I bet most surveyors that use one don't really know what the results mean either. Perhaps the results have value in a laboratory setting when analysis of a laminate is required...but I'd still need some truly empirical data to be convinced of the practical worth of the results in the real world, as relates to boats in particular. In other words: show me data collected from Barcol meters and relate it to boat failures, sinkings, or other structural-related damage.
I prefer big-picture stuff myself--the nuts and bolts, nitty-gritty. Practical knowledge and hands-on has always meant more to me than fancy figures and the like. Even moisture meters,with their simple conceptual operation and analog readouts, leave so much open to interpretation. How can one rely on electronic means when all they give you is a relative figure to start with?
Perhaps a Barcol hardness number can be a useful tool in determining the overall quality of a sample of laminate. But assuming that's true, what does it truly tell you about the overall condition and suitability of the entire boat? To me, I say: not that much.
I am sure the tool has value in certain settings...I don't mean to imply otherwise. But I think boats require more of an eye towards the vessel as a whole, rather than becoming lost in quite possibly irrelevant details. Overall, if I had to guess, I'd say that most older, hand-laminated boats probably perform relatively poorly from a Barcol hardness standpoint, at least when compared to higher-tech laminates used in critical industries, like computer manufacturing or safety ladders or some such.
I think infrared imaging probably has the most potential future value in evaluating hull and deck structures, but the technology is out of reach, cost-wise, for most at this point.
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Forum Founder--No Longer Participating