Bart Senior wrote:
I spoke to a fellow that has used it, and he
told me that sanding kevlar leaves fibers poking
out of the surface. He recommended either
fairing it, or laying it up with one layer of glass
on the outer layer for fairing.

Have you used it?


Yes, and your friend was right. There is no way to sand a Kevlar lay-up
smooth. I helped a friend put a layer of Kevlar on the bow of his
catamaran, we used a layer of medium density fairing compound over it
and ther are a few spots that show stubble... you have to look real
close, and after painting on anti-foul it's not visible. I hope no
future owners sands the forefoot(s) (forefeet?) too agressively.

A better method might be to lay a layer of very fine FG cloth over the
Kevlar, or a light type of scrim. Or, if you're building the whole thing
from scratch, put the Kevlar in the middle of the laminate.

I was thinking of using a mix of Kevlar and carbon fiber on the dinghy,
but have decided to go with just CF.

DSK