RE: [Paddlewise] Composite vs. Plastic Info - aluminum?

From: Shawn Baker <shawnkayak_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 08:15:55 -0800 (PST)
Hi Doug,

What makes a hand-laid kayak stiffer than a vacuum-bagged boat?

Extra resin.

Why not a VB'ed boat with extra glass that is the same weight as the
aforementioned hand-laid kayak....much more stiffness _and_ more
strength.   And only slightly more cost.

Resin is more brittle than glass.  Resin is much more brittle than
Kevlar, diolene, or polyester cloths.  If it were practical, I'd VB my
wooden hulls...it's highly practical to VB a molded glass hull.

I love the Brit's designs, but I don't buy the more-gelcoat-is-better,
more-resin-is-better mentality.  More cloth is better.  Resin is just
the matrix for holding the cloth together. :)

Shawn

>I still like hand-laid kayaks, as they tend to be fairly stiff, if a 
>bit heavier than bagged boats. And as far as galling of plastic kayak 
>hulls, aluminium galls badly too.

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Received on Fri Feb 28 2003 - 08:15:58 PST

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