Critics Said A Concrete Boat Can't Float Poem by Terence George Craddock

some bright spark came up with an idea
to build an entire boat out of concrete
an entire hull poured made of concrete
critics laughed said concrete does not float
wood floats ships are made of wood
they were told iron steel does not float
but ships are made from iron and steel
concrete ships built of steel ferrocement

ferrocement construction materials are cheap
cheap materials no specialist tools needed
reinforced concrete not steel or wood
Joseph-Louis Lambot in Southern France
in 1848 built the oldest known ferrocement
watercraft a dinghy using iron reinforcement

iron rods, chicken wire invented in Britain
in 1844, plus cement mortar masonry but
to do this he had to invent ferro-cement

in the 1860s ferrocement barges were built
in Europe for use on canals around 1896
small ships were built out of ferrocement

by 1908 to 1914 larger ferrocement barges
were built in 1917 the first self-propelled
ferrocement ship intended for ocean travel

was launched both World War 1 and 2 saw
increased construction in ferrocement due
to shortages of steel in military construction

why did concrete ship building fade between
the war years the reason was new shipbuilding
methods other techniques were cost cheaper

less labor-intensive the killer other kinds
of ships were competitive cheaper to operate
concrete ships entered the realm of forgotten

history rare built now as use pleasure craft