Some copyright craziness, an interesting lesson, and you really should get "Ready to Get Wet?" by Mike from ZTC...
One of the really nice things about living in 2012 is the fact that there are a lot of materials that make boat building and the rehabbing of old boats both easier and cheaper...
For instance, carbon fiber used intelligently can increase the strength of your boat and even save you some money while you're doing it. The same goes for other "exotic" fabrics such as Kevlar and suchlike.
Sure carbon is more expensive than glass but it is a lot stronger so you use less. If you use less reinforcing material whether it's glass, carbon, or Kevlar you also use less epoxy... Savings on epoxy in projects add up to really significantly more money in your pocket real fast. Throw in the fact that using carbon/etc also tends to result in some labor savings as well, it's sort of a win/win situation. Which is not to say that carbon or other exotic material is always the best choice as good old E and S glass have their place as well (Kurt Hughes has a good example you might want to check out).
There are some fabrics coming into more common use that are a lot less expensive than carbon but still a lot stronger than glass. Basalt-derived fabrics readily come to mind in this sphere that you might want to check out.
But, as the man said, there is no free lunch so you do have to do your homework because matching the right reinforcing fabric to the project at hand usually takes some knowledge of the fabrics in question as well as what the actual project demands. Not exactly rocket science but it will create some serious exercise for most folks second favorite organ...
One project I have been planning for awhile for "So It Goes" is some reinforcement to the bow and bottom back to the front of the keel. The hardest part of the project is the simple act of exposing the areas that needs to be reinforced. The second hardest part of the project has been figuring out how and what fabrics to use. My current thinking is some carbon grid (tape) followed by some Kevlar cloth covered with a layer of glass. The cost of the exercise looks to be considerably south of $500 which to my thinking is cheap insurance for things that go bump on the night passage. That said, I'm currently in the process of reworking the mix to see if a basalt fabric might improve the cost or utility.
For those with an interest I buy nearly all my epoxy and fabrics from RAKA as their prices are very hard to beat and materials/epoxy are excellent. As it happens, so is their service. Another company I also deal with from time to time is Soller Composites who sells basalt fabrics and some oddments (like carbon tow) in carbon/Kevlar/etc that come in handy on a regular basis. Soller, like RAKA, have provided excellent service, pricing, and technical advice.
While getting just a little long in the tooth "The Gougeon Brothers On Boat Construction" is still a great place to start when beginning to navigate the whole wood epoxy composite universe so you might want to keep it around as a much needed resource. I use mine all the time...
Listening to John Lennon
So it goes...
