Alternative to Fiberglass and Epoxy?

Hello, I have been trying to think of other materials I can use to fortify the bottom of small rowboat projects. I have the epoxy, but I do not want to spend the money to "glass" the entire hull. Are there any other materials I can use with epoxy on the hull? I have heard bed sheets might work. I also have a large supply of Dacron left over from a Geodesic project. Will that work? I basically just need something that will bond with the epoxy as the boats will be painted anyway. Any ideas or comments? Thanks.

Biff

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "fortify" the bottom, but a light 'glass sheathing will not make it stronger, but will improve waterproofing and especially abrasion resistance.

You can use most anything as a sheathing, but the trick is to match the elasticity of the resin with the fabric you use. "Glass works very well for this and frankly isn't particularly costly. I'm getting 8 ounce fabric at about 5 bucks a yard. You'll pay that down at the local fabric store (where your wife gets material) for cotton.

What is your goal for this boat?

 

Dacron is totally out of the question. We use Dacron as a release material (peel-ply) because no resin will adhere to it. It is good as a release ply, though.

Jimbo

 

You need you bumps feeling mate . why are you wasting you time doing a slap dash crap job and possible having to do it again sometime in the future at double the cost . You are a nut case !!
Do it properly, do it once and forget it ! simple !!

 

I love the nut case comment.

Not everyone wants to do things the way "everyone else" does. Let the man work.

I don't have any comments - I build plywood and polyester resin/cloth boats.

 

sorry i spend my life recently travelling to differant countries teaching people to do fibreglassing and ironing out problems that are really not probelms just people these days ask questions with out thinking and never use there brains first because if they did i wouldnt need to deal with sillyness on such a grand scale !!

 

6 or 8 ounce fabric isn't very expensive and you wouldn't need much for a small row boat. Dynel is another option, which is about the same cost with 3 times the abrasion protection as regular cloth.

 

Tunnels,

I bet that you have forgotten more than I'll ever learn. It's fun to do things differently than others and succeed - it takes a lot more work and trial & error tho'.

Is it okay if I send you a private message?

R

 

Hi any time ! stuartwrcom@gmail.com

 

Using an old sheet will cost more in epoxy than 8oz would. Also, it will do a poor job and much heavier too.