Looking for feedback on materials and their preferential manufacturers. What do you use and why? I have an 18.5' picklefork hull mold and I would like to build a few of them. It kinda looks like a scaled down 25 daytona. Anyways, not looking to go with the high end composites (epoxy, kevlar, carbon fiber) more like middle of the road vinylester resin and traditional glass. Maybe even polyester for the first boat? I talked with Glass Dave about building one for me and that still may be in the works.

I have a supplier that I can get quite a lot of different materials from different manufacturers. I just dont know what to purchase.

What brand gel coat?
(i like the Cook composite gel on my profile, shiny as hell and tough as hell)

What brand resin/s?

What materials for coring and what brand?

What transom material?
(I am thinking traditional plywood but like any feedback)

Does it matter if the glass is made over seas?

Is there any materials that I should avoid at all cost?!!!!

Theres a lot of good products out there. I like Ashland (i think its under a new name now though) for resin and gel but have a new supplier that i like a lot. Price wise i can get a good high performance (Interplastin CoRezyn) vinylester for around thirteen hundred a drum and for budget project i can get poly down to around five hundred a drum (actually a very good HP resin that is part of a batch overrun purchase program i get occasionally). There is a huge difference in import and domestic woven laminates. I dont care for any of the Chinese fabrics at any price, the ones i have used seemed to not be as workable and the tows looked to be spaced far apart plus theres not as much of a savings for me to justify the extra work. I think the Chinese fabrics run 0-90 as well rather then 45-45, 0-90's not very good for boat building. They also didnt seem as drapeable and somewhat stiffer. For core i have been using primarily Diab products but just picked up a line from I-Core that has a pretty cool infused scrim that works well. I am getting 1708 at $2.45/lb and white get at $2.62/lb (volume pricing).

I'm still a big fan of marine ply transoms. For an outboard boat you just cant beat three layers of half inch with the proper knee bracing.

My personal thought is carbon fiber is sometimes over sold in this industry. It really is just not necessary on most applications. If you are looking for a nice high performance layup a quality VE with S or even E glass is the way to go.

Was just thinkin about giving you a call


http://www.interplastic.com/corezyn_TR.html

http://www.diabgroup.com/americas/u_opening/u_home.html

this is who i am using, could not be happier with pricing and the have a truck route that drops off right at my shop

http://www.nacomposites.com/

I would say over 60% of the composites sold to the marine industries are from China, Glass items. As for core, depends if you want a foam or balsa core. Balsa stiffer, foam is a bit better for thin laminates, wate wont rott it. Gelcoat, epends on what grade you want. High end good weatherbility is $$$ but worth the extra cost. Transom materials, transom board is a fiberglass/urathene composite product. Resins, like the gelcoat, VE resins are the best but expensive and hard to get unless you buy drums.
VE resins, dx's 450 pounds $2.50/# plus
Gelcoats 5's, CCP armourcoat depends on color, around $5ish a pound.
I wouldnt use woven rovings but around $1.30's pound
I would use a kniited product
Cores, depends on thickness. atleast 1/2" core $1.50sqftish.
Good Luck