Paper boats

Anyone has experience with laminated paper boats? They was a short rage in the 1890's.

 

Those guys from the WB forum should be able to help you - same thing, just theirs are pre-digestion-phase paper. ;-)
No real experience, though, I'm afraid. The nearest I got was the article in "Yaahting" (reading it, not writing it).
If I find anything, I'll let ya know.
Steve

 

A (previously well respected) boat builder here used glassed-over 'craftwood' (a compressed fibreboard sort of stuff) in some of the bulkheads and fuel / water tanks in a 53ft motorsailer some years back. He wasn't very popular with the owner when pulpy paper stuff started clogging his fuel filters.....

 

In WWII they even used the stuff for fuel tanks in airplanes. I was wondering if paper makes a light structure. The only way to find out may be to build something out of it. Will let you know what happens.

 

Just don't go too far offshore on your 1st trial!

 

I would bet that a lamination of kraft paper and epoxy would be pretty tough. Wish I had the right gear to make some tests of 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 thick laminations that have been vacuum bagged. I would also test sandwich contsruction with different cores and varying core thicknesses.

 

Gonzo,

I think you’re enough of an engineer to see the draw back from this. The two that come to mind are, tiny, short; little wood fibers aren’t very strong and look how much a ream of paper weights compared to a block of wood that size.

Gary

 

I know the drawback is weight. Paper has high tensile strength which would make it a good skin material. Durability may be short though. I am curious to know about skin on frame boats. I think it would be about the only aplication.

 

Tricell Marine makes a paper honeycomb product that is used in very lightweight interior bulkheads and furniture. They also have a product for exterior use, however the same need for eliminating water intrusion is needed. Has anyone used this material? I am interested in how far this concept has been pushed.

Marko

 

eh, you beat me to it marko! a magazine mentioned on interior applications the weight and modeling advances for paper. for skin i dont know but do remember reading -maybe here on the forums?- various waterproof treatments on the honeycomb paper.

 

Why?

God gave us trees, we made boats from them, right from Noahs time & the boats were good!!!

Then we used up all the big trees and wood was short supply so we started using inferior fast growing small trees to make plys and papers and craftswood etc etc etc, all man made products from reconstituted wood fibre of some sort.

The strongest papers are made from those trees with the longest grain structure. When pulped the long grain structure intermeshes with the other long grain fibres to make a strong paper - it's called cardboard - pulp to make cardboard sells for about $2 Aus a tonne...

Three with less colour (whiter) that are long grain make great glossy paper for printing photo's etc....the pulp from these trees sells at ~$20 Aus a tonnne!!

Again it makes good paper because of the long grain stricture of the fibre.

Back to all wood boats - often those are made from less long grained timbers - timbers thatare hard and shorter fibre actually work better with machines, they surface check and structural collapse less and so on..

All in all - nature gives us some rather unique timbers to work with - all of which have diufferent prioperties that suit them to certain uses - some are suited to boat building - huon Pine springs to Mind - carvel planked Jarrah boats are another ...(Saw a restored 100 year old one a them for sale in this mornings paper for 225K Aus!).

How much you reckon this carboard / paper vessel will be worth in 100 years?

I give it 2 years tops before it's white ant turds!!

My suggestion is track down ssome good wood and make the boat from that - paper is for paper aeroplanes IMHO not boats.

About the only paper on the boat these days should be on a roll affixed to the wall in the head!

Why not make it from alfoil?

Cheers!

 

Paper is a modified wood product. So is planking or any other wooden part of a boat. I build wooden boats with many different species. Papier mache', in the right conditions lasts a long time. For example, the Pharao's outer sarcophaguses were made of it. The only non-modified tree product you can float on is a log. As for white ants, is that a bet?: They only exist in enciclopedias in this part of the freezing world.

 

Gee, and I thought he meant the turds were white that the ants left.

We have mostly those darned fire ants around here!

 

egyptian papyrus also paper? Thor Heyerdal made a "boat" of it... http://www.grinda.navy.ru:8101/sailship/ship/papiruse.htm

 

The Chinese used paper machae for helmets,and paper machae was used for carriage doors,and was popular in decorative Arts into the 20th century. You can make a boat with layers of paper dipped in shelac. The stuff will be stronger,and lighter than fiberglass.
Steve Gray
Rain Forest Boats