The recyclable plastic catamaran

[redreuben]

Readers might be interested/bemused by this interesting piece of work!
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/plastiki-gallery/all/1

[bad dog]

Thanks mate, it is interesting. Time will come when polyester and epoxy just can't be had for love or money - this may be the future. I'd be interested in more info as time and experience go, on strength to weight ratios. See how we could use it in higher performance craft.

Thanks.

[apex1]

When all poly and epoxy is gone (the latter can be produced of pigs lard if we like), that crap is already history! marketing hype..

And then we have a pretty good material left. Perfect strength to weight ratio!

Wood........

[bad dog]

Ah perfect! Thankyou for reminding me of the obvious! :-)

[catsketcher]

Although biofuels are dubious in any green sense, they take almost as much fossil fuel to make as they replace through burning (corn in the US - sugar is better) we should always be able to make plastics through ethanol production. From ethanol you can make ethylene which is a feed stock for the plastics industry.

It is a question of cost. It will probably cost a heap more. Maybe we will stop burning ethanol and use it only in high value products like resin.

Wood has lots of problems. Most designers I know of still specify rainforest species that are clear felled like Okume (Gaboon here in Oz). I don't know why sailors who like to visit nice places would use Gaboon when they could use plantation grown Hoop pine or fir. A little heavier but nicer on the soul.

cheers

Phil

[bad dog]

...or Pawlonia? - needs high stress skins for hull work etc, but bio-resin would do that in the long term.

I agree wholeheartedly about Gaboon et al. The Australian Govt promised to legislated against the import of illegal timber, but vested interests appear to have got in their ear (Peter Garrett where are you?!) and watered it down considerably. An all too familiar story. Write a letter - this is in play right now.

[apex1]

Dad Bog,

Paulownia tomentosa cannot replace Gaboon, although it is a perfect, light wood and has it´s place in boatbuilding. (terrible expensive in Oz btw.)

Regards
Richard

[bad dog]

Why so expensive? - too few importers? I mean, it grows like bamboo almost, so its forestry costs can't be that high.

I like hoop too - arukaria cunninghamii etc - deep lustrous grain for a softwood, almost like Kauri. Straight grained, light and strong, very nice.

It has been suggested that we could genetically engineer trees to produce lighter stronger timber. Not sure I'm too keen on that! - but also giant greenhouses have been put forward as a way of maximising straightness and good grain.

btw - how do you gird yourself to tackle walls? ...or is my Latin off the track?

[DaveJ]

I'm still research which material to use to build a strip planking boat, going of the ATL web site, Western Red Cedar is nearly as good as ATL's durplank composite, kiri is suppose to be lighter but stronger. But haven't been able to find out the price of WRC yet. I would love light shown my way which is the better method to use here in Australia.

Dave,

[redreuben]

http://www.storerboatplans.com/Faq/paulownia.html
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&lr=&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENAU294&ei=HCILS46jL9iWkAWNsIGsAw&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CAYQBSgA&q=boat+building+paulownia+kiri&spell=1

[bad dog]

Thanks redreuben, that first link is really good. The google search had some good stuff too, but I wonder if you know where it can be obtained? The one supplier there looked like he was a wholesaler, maybe not into small orders.