Mark wrote:

Hello,

I am in the throws of deciding on a sailing cruiser to build and
perhaps more importantly which method of construction that I plan to
use prior to ordering plans.

Currently my preferences are either stitch and glue (as I have done
this before) or cedar strip (which looks like an interesting
challenge), but recently I have been looking at the
http://www.glen-l.com/ website where many of their plans require the
craft to be built from Fiberglass planking. So as to consider this
method of construction is anyone aware of suppliers of such planking
in the UK?

Many thanks,
Mark

Usually fabricated in situ, I believe,

As I recall, a frame kit, some c-flex foam tacked on and some
delightful glass-fibre woven material, like fireproof drapes, and
catalyzed polyester resin slopped on can easily become a
'fiberglass panel' boat.

If you useed planks or cut up pieces of plywood instead, you
would have a more traditional wooden boat, no?

Or do you expect to buy sheets of cured fiberglass like plywood,
to be cut to shape or precut shaped panels, and stuck together,
with glue of some sort, like double sided tape or velcro, maybe
nails? Screws are such a bother.

If, after glassing the outside, you glass the inside too, you
would have a foam sandwich construction with floatation core, and
would need to incorperate some connection system to bind the 2
layers of glass together, unless you trust it to adhere strongly
to the foam while sloughing off 10 tons of lumpy seawater while
the loose elephant cargo below makes a break for Freedom and
Africa?

Dream on.

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