matt / cloth question

[KCKracker]

i am asking for a friend, he is doing a budget deck job on a small boat, hes asking me if its ok to fillet, tab, and just use cloth not cloth over matt? i really am not sure. i told him it was my understanding the strength comes from cloth over matt
??

 

[jigngrub]

Re: matt / cloth question

Everyone likes to save money, but even on a budget the proper materials should be used if you want your hard work to last.

This is the layup schedule used by most members here:


Pic credit to WOG.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: matt / cloth question

If you're using Polyester resin you must use CSM mat prior to using cloth/fabric to achieve proper bonding and strength.

 

[KCKracker]

Re: matt / cloth question

what will happen if he just uses cloth? i have seen a number that were cloth only but i dont know the outcome. of course after he fillets and tabs with biax

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: matt / cloth question

Poor bonding and probable delamination of the cloth from the substrate. Failure of the joint.

 

[KCKracker]

Re: matt / cloth question

even if he fillets and tabs with biax ?

 

[zool]

Re: matt / cloth question

even if he fillets and tabs with biax ?

Poly by itself lacks the strength of a resin like epoxy, it needs the mat to blend with the styrene, to strengthen the bond, from what i recall..you may be confusing the two resins..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: matt / cloth question

If it's biax cloth without mat stitched to it like 1708 then yes it will more than likely fail. Poly has no Binders in the resin like Epoxy does and when it dries it becomes very brittle. The styrene in the resin actually Melts the fibers in the mat and this acts as the binders to keep the hardened resin from breaking apart once cured. The cloth/fabric will not break down like this so what you have is a layer of hard brittle resin under and on top of the cloth. When any flexing occurs it will break and then even more flexing will occur and problem becomes more pronounced.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: matt / cloth question

If he's already done it, oh well... time will tell.

If he hasn't done it yet, why risk it?

My feelings are, if you can't afford to fix your boat right... you can't afford the boat to begin with. Boat repair materials are just a small fraction of what the boat will cost compared to just the cost of the gasoline it will take to operate it.

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: matt / cloth question

If you tab with 1708, and you are talking about laying the skin over the deck, you could just forgo the CLOTH and use only 2-3 layers of mat (csm). This would save doing mat then cloth. A lot of decks on here are tabbed with 1708 then covered with 2-3 layers of csm.