Plywood substitutes Nida core or similar

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by Murky Deep, Mar 8, 2023.

  1. Murky Deep
    Joined: Jun 2020
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    Location: Massachusetts

    Murky Deep Junior Member

    So I have seen Nidacore and Plascore honeycomb panels made into designs for plywood. At this point I’ve built eight wood boats including a successful design of an outboard skiff.

    I am not familiar with composite building at all but I want to try replacement for plywood on an Argie 15. This boat is normally made with 6mm marine plywood, stitch and glue. Would 12mm honeycomb panels be a suitable substitute when covered with 6 oz glass?
     
  2. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Barbados

    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    Here is a link to Dudley Dix's Argie 15 design for general reference by other readers - like all of his designs, she does look very nice and well thought out.
    Argie 15 sailing dinghy https://www.dixdesign.com/argie15.htm

    It might be worthwhile sending Dudley an email (in addition to asking on here) and asking him for his thoughts re conversion to Nidacore sandwich, or even foam sandwich construction? instead of plywood?
     
  3. Rumars
    Joined: Mar 2013
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    Location: Germany

    Rumars Senior Member

    No.

    Just pay Dix to redraw the thing for honeycomb if that's yor fancy. Working with honeycomb is extremely difficult, foam is a lot easier.
     
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  4. comfisherman
    Joined: Apr 2009
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    Location: Alaska

    comfisherman Senior Member

    I've used coosa 3/8 in place of marine ply recently, it's fairly easy to source in the 20lbd weight. I personally hate plascore, even at its relatively cheaper price it didn't win me over.
     
  5. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    fallguy Senior Member

    The main issue I had with plascore I purchased it blindly and did not know it was available with or without a resin barrier. And, of course, I gor the one without because they asked me if I was bagging the work and my table was too small to bag without xtra seams so I did not. And the resin usage was sickening.

    Barring that, it is nice for soles, or perhaps a flat bottom, but hullsides, no. It is lower cost for each unit thickness, so if you want a full inch sole or bottom; it is a good choice.

    The stuff is used for flat bottom drift boats and can certainly be used where rigidity is less important. A drift boat is relatively narrow bottom and the stuff makes a walkable sole laid up well.

    But for hullsides, it will need a layer of glass to go on the jig or in the jig, too flimsy alone. And the question then is how much glass. And why? If you build hullsides at a full inch, it would not be a 15' boat. So, alternative core for the 15'er is foam. But, I hate to break it to you, foam will take quite a bit longer to build because each piece needs to be glassed before it goes into the jig. So, unlike ply, you cutout each piece and glass it and then stitch versus ply where you cut it all, stitch it all, glass the whole thing. After preglassing the foam; you stitch it all and then glass the other side and tab or glass the opposing side more. I have the plans for a stitch n glue foam dinghy and am hoping to use 6 oz on the inside per panel, glass the outside in 12 oz and then flip it and tab the inside. Harder than ply no matter the tack.

    And a lot of people think foam is cheaper, but it generally uses more resin and cloth and thus is not.

    For small custom builds, plywood is still the magic.
     
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  6. Murky Deep
    Joined: Jun 2020
    Posts: 29
    Likes: 3, Points: 3
    Location: Massachusetts

    Murky Deep Junior Member

    Thanks for the input. I've decided to stick with ply and go with my original plan which is a plank on frame skiff.
     
    fallguy likes this.
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