Looking for a book

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Thule, May 9, 2023.

  1. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
    Posts: 60
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

    Hello

    Does anyone know where I can buy the Ed Horstman book Foam Fiberglass Sandwich Construction?

    I tried the usual culprits and can't get anywhere. Went to the website of the author and it asks me to log in - created an account but it doesn't let me log in.

    Thanks
     
  2. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

  3. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

  4. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    fallguy Senior Member

    I can sell it to you, but be aware; it is basically a rounded out version of the building notes for the Tristar 37 and my copy says 1991 and a far cry from more modern methods due to 32 years of advancements.

    Let me know if you want it still after my review and a price and I can sell it via ebay.

    I have another one by Andre Bilodeau..
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2023
  5. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

    Thanks fallguy, sent a message to you.

    On a side note, 1991 was 32 years ago!
    You just killed me.
     
  6. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    fallguy Senior Member

    Neither of these texts are superb. They are probably going out of print. Both authors wrote decent texts for the time, but there is limited details and you can get thrown off on better methods if you don't realize it.

    I also have an excellent book by @Russell Brown . His book is widely available and a fast read as well for a newbie.

    But what exactly are you trying to accomplish? I read these books in a day each and they are missing some modern details..
     
  7. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

    I am hoping to get in to a long term hobby of building small, light weight dinghies to sail in the east coast and if all goes well, may even design and build a multi hull at some point in the future. At this point, I am just starting experimenting with various designs, materials etc for learning. I know many old designs are there and I want to build one or two of them with foam core if I can. I understand that the characteristics of the boat will change when the hull material gets changed. That is why, I am reading up on the design of the hull itself slowly.

    Main reasons for going for the foam core is curiosity, weight advantages and cost. I would have expected that the foam core will cost more but it seems the marine ply is a lot more expensive at present.

    What is the title of Russell Brown book?
    Is it this one? EPOXY BASICS http://ptwatercraft.com/ptwatercraft/EPOXY_BASICS.html
     
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  8. rberrey
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: AL gulf coast

    rberrey Senior Member

    For an amateur Ed Horstmans book is still very relevant when it comes to hand layup , methods , and material . If your going to infuse then as fallguy say,s there are better books . There is enough info in Ed,s book to do some simple conversions of materials if you want to get rid of mat or convert wood to foam . You will not find any weight advantages with foam core on most smaller designs , rule of thumb with foam is 25' and over . I would think a small design would have to be infused , not a hand layup , and mat would not be your friend when looking to save weight .
     
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  9. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    Foam core will use somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-5 times the amount of epoxy and glass for the same hull strength and foam core is generally going to be doubled in thickness. The only way to reduce the epoxy use is via infusion because wetout still needs to be fast for vac work.

    The comparisons are not 1:1. Another professional builder may pin the ratio closer, but I'd use 4x for a simple ratio as even tabbing is heavier, mixing losses occur to the bucker more, etc. Maybe 3x for infusion.

    That is the book by Brown..
     
  10. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    I have an amazing ultralight foam core dinghy plan. It was gifted to me, and the plans were never released, so not sure about sharing them... I can ask some questions.
     
  11. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

    @fallbuy
    @rberry

    Sounds like I only looked at a small part of the overall cost. I think I will stick to plywood at least in the beginning. So far I have not built even a belt buckle with resin. So, following a known plan and an established method will be hard enough. So, once I get some taste of what it is like to build with plywood, I will revisit the foam core :)

    @fallguy - your message about foam core plan came through as I was typing :). Any images of it?

    Thanks for talking sense in to me.
     
  12. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

    Absolutely. I meant to ask for pictures of a built one - you know, boat ****.
    I bought the Epoxy Basics from the link as an ebook. I will go over that. Even if I only ever build with ply, looks like it still is a good info.
     
  13. rberrey
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    rberrey Senior Member

    Thule, any of those books are still good reads and will give you good insights into building a boat
     
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  14. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    No boats have been built with the plan. The designer died and we need to determine copyright matters before it can be distributed or sold.
     

  15. Thule
    Joined: Apr 2023
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    Location: Florida, US

    Thule Junior Member

    Thanks rberry - going to read the Russell book first.
     
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