: ..
: I don't have any answers for you but I have been looking for info on the
: use of those carbon/kevlar weave fabrics too. US Composites has some 5.5oz
: carbon / kevlar fabric in blue/black that I am thinking about using for
: the seat back and coaming on my next boat.

: where did you see the fabric that you will be using ?
: maybe the supplier can give you some info...

: addison

I'm looking at U. S. Composites as well. I did talk to them and they said kevlar is extremely hard to cut and it does not machine well. Sanding is out of the question. I emailed Vaclav about carbon/kevlar as well and he says pretty much the same thing.

Vaclav says to do the layup as follows: glass, carbon, 2 layers glass, carbon, glass. I think what I may do is complete the first four layers of the layup while on the mold, then remove and trim the coaming to final shape and finish the layup, replacing the last layer of carbon with carbon/kevlar. This will allow me to trim the carbon/kevlar pieces to exact shape and size before wetting out. I can then do the last layer of glass and finish shaping without having to deal with shaping the carbon/kevlar.

Does anybody see any problems with this? Will I have to deal with carbon/kevlar fabric threads pulling away from the edge of the main piece of fabric (as often occurs with fiberglass)?