Boat Building Forum

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Re: Lightest and strongest
By:Jan Gunnar Moe
Date: 7/2/1999, 5:37 am
In Response To: Lightest and strongest (Nathan Osborn)

A few builders do use kevlar on inside hull on top models. This will help keep the boat together in rough situations.

However, one place I have read that the kevlar do not contribute much to stiffness, so they say that on a carbon and kevlar only boat the kevlar will flex so easily that the carbon will take most load when boat is new, and so the carbon fibers will break. THe kevlar will hold the boat together, but the boat will turn softer and softer, making it unsuitable for things like racing. So if safety is no issue, carbon only would result in a boat staying stiff longer.

On your boat, with wood, I believe that the situation is another. This will be a sandwich, and I believe that kevlar on the inside will contribute to much stiffness because of the thickness of the sandwich. (Kevlar does not like to stretch.)

I would consider kevlar on the whole inside of hull, if not too expensive where you live. (I consider doing this myself)

Jan Gunnar

Messages In This Thread

Lightest and strongest
Nathan Osborn -- 7/1/1999, 7:53 pm
Re: Lightest and strongest
Dean Trexel -- 7/2/1999, 7:04 pm
Re: Lightest and strongest
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 7/2/1999, 9:56 am
Re: Lightest and strongest
Jan Gunnar Moe -- 7/2/1999, 5:37 am
Re: Lightest and strongest
Stan Heeres -- 7/1/1999, 9:43 pm