What are most sailing boats made out of ?
Jan 16, 2009 in
SailBoat Charters
bellaRCKS asked:
I sail el tora, lasers, and 420, does anyone have an idea of what these boats are made of, other that wood ?
catamaran sailing charter
I sail el tora, lasers, and 420, does anyone have an idea of what these boats are made of, other that wood ?
catamaran sailing charter
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6 comments
steplift20 on January 19, 2009 at 12:12 pm
fiber glass
formersalt on January 22, 2009 at 3:37 pm
FRP. Fiberglass reinforced plastic. The reinforcement is generally resin but more and more epoxy compounds are being used to build boats.
tedwards2787 on January 26, 2009 at 3:38 pm
hey there. most sailing boats are made of fibreglass, wood, sometime they have foam in them to.
Dave M on January 29, 2009 at 5:56 am
“Frozen snot” according to the legendary L. Francis Herreshoff.
Yes, your boats are all Fibreglass….technically GRP or Glass Reinforced Plastic. FRP, I suppose is the more modern Buzz term. I’m old school. There are two or more elements to the strength. The first and foremost element is the glass and it’s orientation…whether it is woven or matt or biaxial or linear and it’s weight or thickness. This is the MAIN reinforcement in the GRP matrix. Secondly there may be other elements such as foam or end-grain balsa…often used in decks or stringers or Kevlar or Carbon fiber. The second Main element of the GRP matrix is the nature of the Plastic…whether it is Polyester(Most old boats) or Vinylester or Epoxy. Essentially these plastics are binders for the glass and enable us to mold it and have it retain our intended shapes when cured. Each have there benefits. Polyester is cheap. Vinylester has great water exclusion and anti-osmotic properties…Epoxy has them all beat but is more expensive and more toxic.
It is worth noting that traditional Gelcoat…the shiny or once-shiny exterior is pigmented Polyester gel. Newer gelcoats may be vinylester and epoxy is always painted or coated as it degrades with UV exposure.
And that my friend, is the real deal.
truenorth675 on January 31, 2009 at 2:32 pm
The Lasers and the 420’s are fiberglass.
looardislander on January 31, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Fiberglass is the most popular but there are boats made of steel, aluminum, concrete and wood, too.