Backyard Renegade wrote:

Terry Spragg wrote in message ...
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.


Sounds to me like you are being sarcastic here, forgive me if I miss.
But if you are mocking this type of "dream" building it is being done
all the time and for some time now. Of course I don't usually carry
elephants around in the bilge, but you never know... maybe pink
ones...
Scotty

Oh, well, I was having a bit of fun, but...

Some foam is good as structure, some is so scored for flexing
purposes, that it is not, IMHO. I believe that c-flex (AKA
"fiberglass planking" among some) is intended to be torn out
after serving as shape form. It is not intended to be used a
structural ingredient.

The real point, fiberglass panels are built in situ, not
purchased as structural material, seems to be adrift amongst the
angst.

C-flex is a temporary form material, only.

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