On 30 Apr 2004 04:22:27 -0700, (Snowman)
vaguely proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Maybe I was OOL with my comments.

Are these "ribs" _just_ wood, or are they formers that are then
glassed in?

If they are just ribs then wood in the way to go...learn how to bend
wood.

If they are later glassed in, then the mech, properties of the ribs
become far less important. Compressibility (pinching) becomes more
important than stiffness. The best solution would be kerfed wood;
easily bent, hard to compress/pinch.


I _still_ don't see how these fit the "geodesic" mould.

Remember that with lightweight craft, skin penetration can become a
problem. from my kayaking experience, the boat will hole well before
it folds. Kayaks are very strong, because their cigar shape makes then
that way. Building a boat with a super-thin skin, stiffened by
stringers, will aid this. I suppose kevlar etc will go a long way down
that path.

I would prefer to go on a high protein diet and add a couple of kilo
to the boat!


I'm looking at building a Geodesic Airolite Boat, (see www.gaboats.com
by Platt Monfort) but I'm considering an interesting idea and I'm
wondering what you all might think. Instead of using wood strips to
form the geodesic structure I am thinking about using foam strips
wrapped in Kevlar tape and epoxy.

I have been reading about the construction of these boats and found
that some people have trouble with bending the ribs to shape without
breaking, (and this is with better quality wood that I am able to
source). I'm thinking I can bend foam cores easily to shape and then
once assembled in a frame start wrapping it all in Kevlar tape,
forming a makeshift Kevlar tube frame.

I'm still considering using wood for the stringers and gunwales as I
can form those with little or no problem. Having the stringers and
gunwales constructed out of wood would also make forming the foam ribs
much easier as it would give me something solid to work the foam
inside.

-Does anyone foresee a problem with pursuing this type of
construction?
-How will Kevlar wrapped foam compare to the equivalent
cross-sectional wood piece in strength?

Thanks
Jordan Richardson

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