quick question on wood alternative

[Scott Danforth]

for a really curved section of my latest project, should I use many small laminations of wood, or could one use alternating layers of 1708 and coremat? also, which insulation foam isnt attacked by resin? time to start planning the coolers.

that begs the question, could one build up a transom with alternating layers of 1708 and coremat for curved transoms. I got the idea from a brochure of ebbtide boats that was advertizing a dura-core hull featuring layers of roving, coremat, etc. with a layer of 1" foam. My guess is the weight would go up.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

If you use packing tape on the foam, you can resin the heck out of it. Making an all Glass Transom would be very heavy and costly.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

thanks WOG. I agree with the weight, however in the grand scheme of things do we ever really want keep track of costs :facepalm:

back to the foam question, I would like to bond the glass to the foam for the coolers

 

[island mike]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

I dont know if this helps but have you checked into these: Nidacore(honeycomb) or seacast?(pourable transom)
Cant help you with the foam much,I only know that it does not really bond well to glass.Then again,If heavyly glassed the foam would just serve as a mold...Just thinking along

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

I backwards engineered seacast a while back. nothing more than equal parts resin, body filler, and ground up boat chunks.

however I am looking to make a cooler out of foam and glass over both the inside and outside.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

polyurethane foam won't dissolve in resin. It's not that the resin won't stick well to foam, its the foam that fractures at the bond line because it is not very dense unless you get some very expensive stuff. There is no chemical bond either, all mechanical where it attaches to the broken bubbles. Once made some machine gun mounts for the US Navy out of 60lb/cuft foam. Cost was about $160/sqft at 1" thick but it adhered the resin very well.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

for a cooler, I doubt I need 60#/cuft. I am sure I can get away with 4# or similar. headed to the home centers today. I think the foil backed foam is polyurethane. going to try it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

found this detail on making deck hatches

http://bertram31.com/peterson/cover_plug.htm

 

[island mike]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

Nidacore A.K.A honeycomb. Not nidaCAST! maybe worthwhile to look into?Rotproof.U.V proof,lightweight.Can be molded and bent in any shape.When glassed superhard.I used it to built my hardtop.The only thing it needs: inserts to attach something unto it since it has a honeycomb core...
It also has exellent insulating properties...
Good luck!
I mike

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

PVC foams are good like DIAB used to be called divinycell, kledgecell, and others. Don't know where you could get it though. Unless you have access to an FRP supplier like Composites One in your area. There is a Comp One distribution center in
appleton I think, or near Milwaukee for sure. I used to deal with a tech rep name of Tom Somenske from there. Call Comp One and get his number.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

Do you even know what Coremat is used for ?

YD.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

Coremat is commonly used to add stiffness and rigidity to complex shaped parts. it also has really good screw retention and works well for gauge panels, etc. it is usually used as the core of the laminate. My searay had tons of it throughout the gunwales.

Hence my original thought and question of alternating layers of coremat and roving for curved areas.

it can also be used to block print bleed thru.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

Coremat when used correctly, can be a stiffener, but offers no strength. It is also a print blocker, the reason it blocks print is because it fills with resin and there are no glass fibers to shrink around. It also forms a barrier between the gel coat and bulkheads or other items that may show through to the surface as distortion. Coremat is rather weak and when stressed and can fail quickly.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: quick question on wood alternative

Coremat when used correctly, can be a stiffener, but offers no strength. It is also a print blocker, the reason it blocks print is because it fills with resin and there are no glass fibers to shrink around. It also forms a barrier between the gel coat and bulkheads or other items that may show through to the surface as distortion. Coremat is rather weak and when stressed and can fail quickly.

Thank you ondarvr ..

And when Not used correctly its a Major point of Delam...or a Major point of brittleness.

Coremat is sometimes suggested for builds that have a Dark color finish coat. This will/can Help the Print because the glass is still post curing when you get your boat ..

All Im saying is that Coremat might not be the best option. It can be used..but it will suck up the resin and create possible failure points. If you know how to use it then it is a good alternative for Specific areas around a finish build..but not a structural build .. this is of course just IMHO ..

YD.