For what is is worth I just built a kayak using 60/40 kevlar carbon with 200gr csm either side and vinyal ester resin , this thing is bullet proof having taken it were kayaks don't really belong. There is no weight gain and no gel coat If it is reliability that you want at least try a lay up for your self.
: Don, I was just thinking for Brandons expected tripping in Baja that a flat
: black hull might be one heck of a solar collector laying upside down in
: the sun. Kevlar is very abrasion resistant but fuzzes up a whole bunch
: thereby making repairs a bit unsightly. From a structural standpoint its
: better to have a material with a higher compressive strength (like glass)
: on the outside. S-glass has better abrasion than e-glass but comes close
: to Kevlar in cost. With all the other materials out there it usually comes
: out to be cheaper and lighter to just add another layer of glass while
: being frugal with the epoxy. I put polyester cloth on top of a layer of
: 4oz for the hull covering of a kayak but the 5oz polyester soaked up about
: as much resin as 7-9oz glass. I think it makes more sense to put it
: (whatever) where it's needed than to just put on some fancy materials
: everywhere.