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Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
By:Jay Babina
Date: 9/23/2014, 8:45 am
In Response To: Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights (Robert W)

Some interesting testing and thanks to the author.

When I first started building, 6 oz cloth was the standard and was used in most books on building. Then it seemed to switch to 4 oz with a double-up on abrasion areas. Then people started using 3+ weights to save weight, of course knowing that the trade was abrasion.

I never heard of a stripper coming apart from use. I have seen punctures and deep scrapes into the wood. I don't think the punctures I have seen would be stopped with heavier cloth. And the deep scrapes ... maybe. I think people have to weigh their intended use and the type of paddling you do. I'm always happy I have two layers of 4 on my bottoms because I do hit rocks and the most I get is a white mark (sometimes deep) but not into the wood. If the ultimate desire is light weight then build it that way because there's no secret fabric that is going to take less epoxy and still be as resistant as layers of glass and epoxy.

One last thing. Don't discount the abrasion resistance of epoxy. And don't confuse puncture resistance with abrasion resistance. Glass cloth is the binding fabric of the boat but sanding through glass cloth is easier than sanding through hardened epoxy. I once had some scrap cloth I put on some scrap pine boards. On one board I put several sealing coats. You could easily sand into the unfilled cloth board. But the sander struggled on the board with several fill coats.

Messages In This Thread

Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/22/2014, 7:44 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
scottbaxter -- 9/22/2014, 10:05 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/23/2014, 1:58 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Robert W -- 9/23/2014, 7:04 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/23/2014, 8:45 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Jay Babina -- 9/23/2014, 8:45 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/24/2014, 12:42 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Robert Horstmann -- 9/23/2014, 9:46 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/23/2014, 12:34 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
wanderfalk -- 9/23/2014, 1:55 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/23/2014, 3:26 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
scottbaxter -- 9/23/2014, 10:05 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/23/2014, 11:33 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/24/2014, 12:46 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights *PIC*
Mike Hanks -- 9/24/2014, 1:39 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Mike Hanks -- 9/24/2014, 2:02 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/24/2014, 8:48 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Robert McMurray -- 9/24/2014, 12:51 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Robert Horstmann -- 9/24/2014, 9:59 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/24/2014, 10:31 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Mike Hanks -- 9/24/2014, 3:30 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights *PIC*
Allan -- 9/24/2014, 6:20 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights *PIC*
Mike Hanks -- 9/24/2014, 8:58 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/24/2014, 9:50 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/25/2014, 10:21 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/25/2014, 5:54 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Nick R. -- 9/24/2014, 6:17 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Robert Horstmann -- 9/24/2014, 10:07 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/24/2014, 9:55 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Mike Bielski -- 9/25/2014, 10:33 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/25/2014, 12:18 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Mike Bielski -- 9/25/2014, 5:20 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
george jung -- 9/26/2014, 9:42 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Mike Bielski -- 9/26/2014, 9:52 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Bill Hamm -- 9/27/2014, 6:28 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
ddaniels -- 9/27/2014, 7:09 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights *PIC*
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 9/26/2014, 11:58 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights *PIC*
Sean Dawe -- 9/24/2014, 10:07 am
Re: Material: fiberglass cloth weights
Nick Riccardi -- 9/25/2014, 9:44 am