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Frogwatch[_2_] Frogwatch[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,525
Default A better boat building material

What we need is a better boat building material than marine ply/epoxy
and glass. I have no problem with epoxy and glass and the combo with
marine ply yields a far better boat than one can buy in a production
boat but I am not happy with marine ply.
Basically, marine ply is really not much better than standard ply.
The only major diff is that there are fewer voids and even that is
questionable. Some of it I have seen simply has the voids (knots)
filled with some sort of non-structural resin that does not add
strength.
I'd like to see a true high tech wood composite. Maybe bamboo
alternating with carbon fiber/ epoxy and then bamboo running at right
angles to the first. This would be lighter and stronger than marine
ply. On the outsides it would be skinned with a lighter glass than we
use for boats now like my Tolman.