"Lawrence James" wrote in message thlink.net...
The point of my link to the article was to support my statement that
polyester resin is not water proof. You won't find that I have suggested
that foam core is a good idea. I recognize that salt water can act as a
preservative. But what I see is that many boats are built with plywood. In
the floor and transom. Some even use encapsulated plywood for stringer
grids. Many will get wet from rain water, not sea water. Not all, but
plenty of them will evetually suffer rot in these areas. So I see nothing
good about using plywood to build fiberglass boats.
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The reason for using wood is to add stiffness to the structure without
adding excessive weight. Wood is much stiffer than fibreglass and
weighs less than half as much. The trick is to use the very best
quality plywood and to make sure that it is well encapsulated. Good
quality marine plywood can withstand years of a high moisture
environment without deterioration of any kind. The problems arise
when builders cut corners by using ordinary construction grade ply.
Unfortunately that's a common practice at the low end.