Uhmw Polymer Boat

[COLD-EH']

Jetboat and airboat guys screw, bolt or glue Polymer on the bottom of thier boats for abraision resistance and to reduce friction when running over ground etc. I was wondering if it would be viable, to build a steel frame and apply UHMW Polymer to it with countersunk bolts, glue, sealant, and I understand the stuff can also be welded. I was just thinking if I am going to cover the hull with the stuff, could I forgoe the traditional hull?

[marshmat]

I don't see why you couldn't build a hull of the stuff. Your main issue would be rigidity- almost all plastics are very flexible materials when compared to fibreglass or aluminum, and so have to be very thick and have closely spaced ribs in the backing structure. That said, roto-molded plastics are already becoming very popular in smaller hulls, so this could be an interesting new way to build with synthetic (and recyclable!) materials. I'll reserve comment on the exact process described until I've had time to think it over a bit...

[COLD-EH']

I agree it would be better to blow or injection mold. I did a search and found a thread that talked about it however don't really want to go to that scale at this time. But that's what I'm thinking also. Ribs spaced close and light diagonal pieces between ribs. I'll have to draw up a plan and figure out weight. Thanks for the support so far!

[lewisboats]

I use sheets of this stuff at work, 3/4" x 8' x4' weighs well over 100 lbs but is about as stiff as a sheet of ply of the same thickness. It works fairly well with woodworking tools but can chip sometimes. We use it as cutting boards for trimming meat (I work in a meat packing plant... slaughter to box beef). These boards take a beating: 16 hour days of slashing from kinves sharp enough to lop your arm off without you knowing...almost. When they get too bad we run them through a planer to get to new stuff. I have often wondered if this stuff could be used in the major components of building a boat. I'll keep an eye on this thread

Steve

[Enelson]

There is a UHMW manufacturer in Maine. You can either Google "Garland Manufacturing" or try this:

http://www.garlandmfg.com/plastics/products.html

[PAR]

As a planking material it's a poor choice, given the alternatives. It's weight is quite high, it's non-structural so a full frame work would be needed, meaning more weight, it's difficult to attach things to, doesn't hold fasteners very well, can't be glued effectively without welding. In short, a poor choice for planking, though cutting boards are a nice use.

[Enelson]

Definitely not for planking -- it's really slippery.

I have seen it used as a rib...

[alan white]

Used for cutting boards in restaurants... the stuff is very tough but lacks rigidity and shape memory. Heat and UV distort it and it has no shape memory so the distortion is permanent.
Though I had access to tons of it while rebuilding a boat in a used restaurant equipment warehouse, not once did I see a way to use it anywhere on deck or otherwise.
Abrasion resistance can be arranged by sheathing with fiberglass and making sure that sheathing is kept up. It's not as if the boat is running rapids (and if it is, there are poly kayaks that work well).
Some variant of plastic will probably be used one day to sheathe boats, but so far I see nothing in the offing.

Alan