Phil's Foils

[Alixander Beck]

Originally Posted by saildcat

They were placed on a level surface and supported every 12" using the foil shaped packing material Phil had cut.

In my opinion it would probably have been a better choice to hang an unlaminated foil vertical to minimize warping tendancies of the faces.

[Crooked Eye]

You conveniently forgot to mention for how long you stored the core laying on its side. 12" support span? And you still do not see a problem.
Please stop libeling Phil, it may bite you on the ass.

[Gary Van Tassel]

I am a graduate degreed Naval Architect / Marine engineer / Ocean Engineer. I make my living at this. I have performed engineering and design on everything from sailing dinghies to Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Tankers. My hair is gray, so I have been around for a bit and dealt with all sorts. I have also built more than a few multi million dollar yachts and have had my share of good and difficult customers (the overwhelming majority have been a pleasure to work with). In short, I speak from experience.

I echo both Bruce Marek's and Dudley Dix's thoughts so I will not repeat the technical discussion.

What I can say is that I personally know Phil and have known him for many years (over 15). We have sailed against each other in the Fireball class many, many times. I consider Phil to be a person of high integrity.

I have had rudder blades machined by Phil with great success. In one case I glued up the laminated blank and had Phil cut the foil to my design from ACAD/MultiSurf files I sent him. He returned the blank to me in perfect condition and precisely as designed. I have never heard of any complaints and in many classes Phil is the go to place for foils. I do not hesitate to reccommend Phil to anyone that asks. So if a reader of this forum is considering having Phil do some work for them, you need not hesitate. Chalk up the discussion on this thread to an anomaly and unfortunate situation, but don't let it sway your decision.

One technical point. I believe I read in this thread that the core used for the foils was a foam filled honeycomb. There are / were a number of manufacturers of this material. I don't know what the honeycomb material is in this case, but the foam is almost always a low density PUF. I have used this arrangement in the past and have always had stability problems (warping). The honeycomb will also print through the laminate, a not very desirable result for foils. When new materials are tried you must be prepared for unexpected and less than desirable results. I am not surprised at the result.

[D'ARTOIS]

To use this forum as a method to solve a dispute with a professional under a pseudonym is not a very honourable way of doing.
When solid names, like Dudley Dix, Marek, and many others come to his defense,
(Phil's Foils) than anyone should understand that an anonymous complaint is mostly an unjustified one, only meant to put a blame on somebody who cannot defend himself against anonymous and unproofed, unprofessionally issued complaints.

Foam cores can or may have unstable characteristics. Even using Airex with SP epoxies can cause or may cause a problem. Once, I received some samples from the importer of Airex and making he composite with SP epoxies and carbon layer, the Airex foam warped and melted more or less away.

This happened long time ago.

Working with high tech resins and the like material requires knowledge and understanding. Mr Saildcat, can you convince us that you have the knowledge and understanding that you are able to carry out such a job?

Apparently not.

[marshmat]

Current count: 14 say Phil is right, 1 says Saildcat is right (Saildcat himself). Face it Mr Saildcat, your anonymity and clear incompetence have brought your credibility here to near zero. If you are not willing to provide the much vaunted email trail and your full name, your argument is hereby dead in the water and any court of law will say as much.