Re: [Paddlewise] aluminum instead of gelcoat....

From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 2003 14:30:14 -0400
On 19 Jul 2003 at 12:17, Kirk Olsen wrote:

> The boats are constructed of carbon with a skin of lightweight
> aluminum cloth, providing a light stiff hull with heat reflective
> qualities, very little weight is added as a gel coat is not needed
> with the vacume bagging process"

Titanium white reflects more heat than silvery metallics, in spite of 
what popular opinion seems to think.  You'll see lots more 
astronomical observatory domes painted white than silver - all to 
reduce temperature changes during the day and night.  I had a solar 
filter with a homemade mask on my telescope - the mask was painted 
flat white and the filter cell was aluminum.  On a summer day (like 
the 41C desert in Baja during the 1991 solar eclipse), the cell would 
get too hot to touch and the mask was not much hotter than air 
temperature.

I can't help but think a thin layer of white epoxy paint would do 
more with less weight than a thin aluminum cloth if heat was the only 
problem.  Strength-wise, the aluminum would help make a stronger skin 
in a number of ways.

Mike


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Received on Sun Jul 20 2003 - 11:25:01 PDT

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