Veneer - core foam - veneer hull

[sieagel]

I'm doing for my diploma a wooden sail boat. Plans anyway.
After reeding Gerr's book several times, an idea crroses my mind.
I wonnderd if a Veneer - core foam - veneer hull is posible.

Sailboat should be 37 feet long in a monohull / Lindsay Lord's ultralight way off construction metod.

In have in mind 6 to 10 mm of veneer on inside, 28 mm of PU foam (300 -400 kg/m3) for core and 6 to 10 mm of veneer for outer layer. Under WL could be a thick layer of fiberglass and above WL veneer should be visible, and on all others visible surfeses.

I'll like to know if this is posible and how can I calculate strainth.

Any help is more then welcome

[Eric Sponberg]

Sieagel,

The most notable recent example of a wood-foam core-wood hull construction is Bruce Schwab's open 60 Ocean Planet, built by Steve Radner at Schooner Creek Boatworks in Portland, Oregon.

http://www.schoonercreek.com/

Steve did a lot of study and testing with the Gougeon Brothers in Michigan to determine the right size of laminate for that boat.

Also, you can buy ready-made panels of plywood glued to polyurethane core (made in Europe, and which is much weaker than PVC or SAN cores) from any number of timber sources. Two that I am familiar with are Boulter Plywood and Maine Coast lumber.

I would suggest you contact Schooner Creek Boatworks for an update on their research with this style of construction. Also contact the Gougeon Brothers.

Been done, and it works.

Eric