XCR build progress

Build progress (as of 26th May 2008) on a GRP version of Chris Ostlind's XCR expedition trimaran

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• XCR
• sailing
• canoe
• trimaran
• expedition

[victorthevector]

Hello Charles .

Nice build.

What is the total GRP layup of the hullskin ?

Thanks.

[CharlesJenkinson]

@victorthevector Sorry for very delayed reply, but the cloth weight figures disappeared out of my head, and I still can't remember the woven roving weight. The lay-up is gelcoat, tissue, 6oz. CSM, woven roving (i.e. 90 degree woven cloth of similar weight to the CSM), another 6oz CSM and then a tissue on the inside to neaten it off. Total thickness coming out at about 3.5mm.

[CharlesJenkinson]

The polyurethane foam is typically used as a cheap composite core foam for making thicker section structures but the loads, and geometries have to be in proportion the designer of this boat did advise that we should glass a full sheet of it in the bottom of the hull and that would have been a better method of manufacture, bringing a greater global level of stiffness to the hull bottom, rather than localised rib stiffeners as the video shows.

[CharlesJenkinson]

There's two types of foam used for the stiffeners the pipe foam and also some flat 1 thick polyurethane foam (white), thinned down to 15mm. This particular hull was made from a female plug and is made from polyester resin. The foam pieces are glassed over. I dont know how well the resin adhered to the foam or vice versa. In the specific way I was using it I wasnt relying on the adhesion of the resin to the foam I was just using the foam as a geometric former.

[porpoisefathom]

did you glass over the stiffeners? i.e. the pipe foam or is it just impregnated with epoxy?

how did you get the white colour to it? and the bottom stiffeners - did the polystyrene adhere well to the laminate

?

thanks