What Lies Beneath
One aspect of boat construction that is rarely mentioned in advertising materials or sales pitches is the way in which mechanical and electrical components are routed and installed. You may hear general claims of excellence, but these are often lacking in specifics, because the truth is that many builders cut a few corners for the sake of efficiency. Based on 40 years of servicing and repairing hundreds of sail and powerboats of all brands, we know first-hand the problems that are created by the assembly methods that a majority of production boat builders consider standard practice.
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Without naming names, here's a direct quote from the literature of a fishing boat builder that has a stellar reputation in the field. “Once the fiberglass is set, the hull and liner are moved to assembly to receive mechanical equipment and all under-deck plumbing and electrical wiring. When this is complete, the liner is laminated to the hull.”
We call this "assembling from the inside out," and it's a very common and accepted method among production builders. At the extreme end of the spectrum, some companies will install everything from engines to mattresses before dropping the deck onto the hull. All well and good, until something has to be replaced, and won't fit through a hatch. At this point, the saws come out, and there's a lot of fiberglass patching to do afterward.
More often, the assembly process simply involves attaching hardware such as cleats or railings before parts are joined, and running electrical wiring and plumbing along the back side of liners or bulkheads before they are dropped into place. It's quick, easy and the finished product looks good. If the goal is to produce boats as quickly and efficiently as possible, this can be a great time and labor saving technique. But what happens 10 or 15 years down the road, when a pipe fails, wiring must be replaced, or there's no way to get to the back side of a through-bolted cleat? Once again, the saws come out, and what could have been a simple swap becomes a major repair job.
We have never built this way, and never will. We fully expect some of our boats to last for 50 years or more, and build accordingly. No plumbing, electrical rigging or hardware is installed in a Mirage boat until all fiberglass work is completed. This takes a bit longer, and in some cases requires a bit of ingenuity, but it ensures that every component is accessible for repair or replacement—without resorting to the saw.
We call this "assembling from the inside out," and it's a very common and accepted method among production builders. At the extreme end of the spectrum, some companies will install everything from engines to mattresses before dropping the deck onto the hull. All well and good, until something has to be replaced, and won't fit through a hatch. At this point, the saws come out, and there's a lot of fiberglass patching to do afterward.
More often, the assembly process simply involves attaching hardware such as cleats or railings before parts are joined, and running electrical wiring and plumbing along the back side of liners or bulkheads before they are dropped into place. It's quick, easy and the finished product looks good. If the goal is to produce boats as quickly and efficiently as possible, this can be a great time and labor saving technique. But what happens 10 or 15 years down the road, when a pipe fails, wiring must be replaced, or there's no way to get to the back side of a through-bolted cleat? Once again, the saws come out, and what could have been a simple swap becomes a major repair job.
We have never built this way, and never will. We fully expect some of our boats to last for 50 years or more, and build accordingly. No plumbing, electrical rigging or hardware is installed in a Mirage boat until all fiberglass work is completed. This takes a bit longer, and in some cases requires a bit of ingenuity, but it ensures that every component is accessible for repair or replacement—without resorting to the saw.