we could have this argumet

But why get our noses all bent. Ive been using pvc board and vinylester. I want to try using nidaboard and cant figure out how to put a door in it and found these guys. coosa vs nidacore boatdesign.net

My searching turned up this too.A lot of information, CW getting to the core of composite laminates

[Helmar]

My searching turned up this too.A lot of information, CW getting to the core of composite laminates

It always amazed me how you could work with that stuff. I forget the process. Glass both sides, use cloth as well ?

[TheBronze]

I'm pretty happy with my results. Cabinet grade birch, painted with resin on both sides and all edges, and glassed in fully on top, foam on the bottom. I've had gallons of standing water in there from wash downs prior to launching. I love seeing that vs the water slowly draining.... somewhere...

Pretty sure it will last a few decades.

Composites are pretty neat, but not for the price tag.

[Helmar]

Those composites have there place for sure. I like it as you can make a super tight radius with it.

[Bflaherty]

I have been looking into using the PVC type decking material to redo the floor in our Chris Craft. I used some stuff on our deck railing (for the house) that looks sweet against our bright red interior. It is a fake teak/mahogany look. Big benefit is that I would never have to worry about rot again cause the floor is the only wood in the boat (other than seats)!! Just have to figure out how to support it as be decking stuff is designed to span only 12" joist spacing...

One or more mat and roving depending on the strength needed.The cost has gone up the 6# pvc foam was about $100 a sheet The nida-board price looks like its $250.Ill have to justify it by comparing the price to a new boat. The foam and glass would make a great replacement for plywood stringers. I think they bullyed that guy into epoxying in his new fiberglass stringers.Once epoxy is in fiberglass and gelcoat wont stick to it for further repair.I only used two wood structures in the Uniflite the bunk, it has mat and roving all the way around. It got heavy I would have chucked it sept for low$, and the transom fir and mahogany marine epoxyed in,two layers of mat over the whole thing roving around the edge,a fiberglass drain tube recessed in the deck so it drains completely and clear gelcoat. Its eleven years old,I can see the wood darkening with age other than that, I cant see any deterioation.Id like to use more coring in the hull of the Bell boy I cant see ripping out good stringers for another experiment.

The Bell boy has fiberglass stringers like the Skagits. The Uniflite had 2x4s without enough glass to seal them up so they were compost.Id seen boats with stress fractures where plywood was glassed in from point loading.The impact aeras needed strengthing too.These areas were jointly covered with 1/2" core and 2"x3/8 where the bulkhead meets the side, Edges faired so the overlay laped the hull.Two layers of mat and roving over the core material.Something like half round fiberglass tube was glassed onto the transom and bottom to provide draining and a sealing surface for glassing in stringers.I made narrow triangle shapes with flat tops out of core material and glassed the inside two mat and roving for stringers.The stringers were fit and glassed in the hull, three mat and roving.Making stringers this shape out of coring material was really lame becouse it was labor intensive and without the inside edge glassed to anything,not much if any strength was gained from the core! I should had made a couple of forums one for the center and one for the sides,and long enough for a 20 footer so even if I didnt lay up the whole thing I could pass it along to the next guy.

The bulkhead is 1/2" foam with one mat and roving on each side top and inside. Its fit to the bottom, around the stringers and side 1/16" gap, glassed in one mat one roving both sides around.The cabin floor is beveled to fit in the hull. It has an inspection hole also beveled to the top side one mat and roving to forum a flange for screw in plastic port hole.Stuck in with two layers of wet mat, two mat and one roving on top.The back deck sits on the chine and stringers two layers wet mat. IT has two ports either side of center in back and a recess for the drain hole, two mat one roving and three coats of gellcoat surface seal in final.