Carbon fiber Kevlar hull?

[Todd D]

Hi, I am thinking of building an all carbon fiber or carbon and kevlar flats boat and was wondering what everyone would suggest as the best resin for the job? I was also wondering if I could build the hull without gel coat and not have to worry about water intrusion. The hull will never be left in the water for more than 8 hours at a time. What other problems might I come across over time like uv light affecting the layup? Trying to build a 22' hull that weighs under 1000 lbs.

[Eric Sponberg]

Practically all carbon fiber and Kevlar is sized (coated) with a binder that is compatible with epoxy resin, not polyester or vinylester. So, you are stuck with epoxy. I am a long time fan of Gougeon Brothers products, and you can't go wrong with their Pro-Set resins which are the best for laminating fabrics.

Eric

[rasorinc]

Here is some testing info on epoxies
http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Epoxresl.htm

[PAR]

Yep, epoxy is the ticket as it has the elongation necessary for these types of fabrics. Of course to insure the resin doesn't break down from UV, it will have to be over coated (painted), so the pretty look will get hidden. You do realize the cost of this type of laminate is going to be very high, right? An example would be a 2x2 plane weave 3K carbon fiber (6 ounce) is about $55 a yard, where as the same weight and weave conventional 'glass fabric is about $6 per yard, making the carbon nearly 10 times more expensive.