Reinforcing a glassfiber hull with Kevlar - is it possible?
 

Anybody out there knowing anything about the use of Kevlar - and if it's
possible to reinforce a glassfiber hull with Kevlar?

I'm planning several years of Circumnavigation. Honestly, I would prefer af
cruising sailboat or motorsailer with at steel hull, but I do have to take
both my economy and the relatively limited numbers of steel boats at approx.
35-45 feet into account... and will probably end up buying a glassfiber
boat. One of the boats I'm interested in is a Fisher 37 - but, no matter how
well it's constructed, it have a glassfiber hull. Despite good sailing and
navigating skills there are also the possibility of a grounding, an
encounter with a whale, a container and other 'debris' out there. That's why
I'm interesting in Kevlar and its possible use - and limitations.

Whether You yourself have any knowledge og Kevlar or 'just' know of relevant
persons, homepages etc. I will be glad to hear from you.

Beforehand thank you.

Sincerely,
Paul

Reinforcing a glassfiber hull with Kevlar - is it possible?
 

"Paul Eric Lantzer" wrote...

I'm planning several years of Circumnavigation. Honestly, I would prefer
af
cruising sailboat or motorsailer with at steel hull, but I do have to take
both my economy and the relatively limited numbers of steel boats at
approx.
35-45 feet into account... and will probably end up buying a glassfiber
boat. One of the boats I'm interested in is a Fisher 37 - but, no matter
how
well it's constructed, it have a glassfiber hull. Despite good sailing and
navigating skills there are also the possibility of a grounding, an
encounter with a whale, a container and other 'debris' out there. That's
why
I'm interesting in Kevlar and its possible use - and limitations.

Several production boats, from very small to very large, have Kevlar in the
lay-up. In the small range, the "glass" versions of Steve Kaulback's
Adirondack Guideboats (www.adirondack-guide-boat.com) have a layer of Kevlar
sandwiched between 2 layers of glass. I don't recall which large boats have
Kevlar in the lay-up, but you can probably find the mfgrs quickly with a web
search.

OTOH, I don't think it's practical for a layman to "reinforce" an
already-built boat by adding layers of Kevlar. It is harder to work with
than glass, and has to be protected from abrasion, so it cannot be used
effectively for the outer layer. Also, it seems impractical to me to add
more layers to an already-built hull...

Reinforcing a glassfiber hull with Kevlar - is it possible?
 

OTOH, I don't think it's practical for a layman to "reinforce" an
already-built boat by adding layers of Kevlar. It is harder to work with
than glass, and has to be protected from abrasion, so it cannot be used
effectively for the outer layer. Also, it seems impractical to me to add
more layers to an already-built hull...

And I'd agree, as the properties of Kevlar really don't match that well
with glass. It is also a pain to work with and as above, needs to be
protected from abrasion.

Kevlar is nasty to work with, ending up with all those 'fuzzy' bits
when you try and sand the stuff. It can be used where lots of flexing
is desirable but your hull is not really one of those - the right place
is your deck where you trample all over whilst changing sails &
drinking.

If you want a heavier layup, add more glass, otherwise go for a new
hull with a 100% carbon layup in the same weight as glass - it'll be
tough and stiff as old boots if built correctly.

Artie