Matt fiberglass

[Franklin]

Glenn:

I've noticed that the toe rail on the 1996 H396 first two layers is Woven Roven and the rest is Matt. Why the Matt? I am about to rebuild my toe rail and was thinking of using Woven Roven for 4 layers and the rest with cloth. Thoughts?


Also, did you design the 1996 H376? If so, I want to compliment you on a job well done. I am constantly finding things I love about it like the fully inclosed rudder shaft, the well backed cleats, the sunken hatches, the B&R rig to name a few. My only real complaint is it's hard to find a good place to mount a generator (PO put it in the starboard lazorette just about the head of sleeping crew in aft cabin).

Franklin

 

[ghen]

Franklin,

I did not design the 376. I did the 38. Mat must be used to bond woven roving layers together. Mat must go down on the gelcoat or it would break off on roving. Roving on roving has poor bonding against one another. Cloth behaves the same way. You may try a lineal cloth on a biax 45/45 degrees. These are flat non woven materials and are stitched together. Usually they have a mat backing for the same reason. It goes around corners better and it is smoother requiring less fairing. It also yeilds higher glass/resin ratios.

 

[Franklin]

So you are saying put Mat between the Woven Roving, right?

Did I also understand that gelcoat doesn't bond well to cloth?

 

[ghen]

Correct on both accounts. Without a mat backing gelcoat would flake off. Fiber contact area is what increases bonding and roving only hits on the high spots of the weave. Roving on roving provides you less odds than a Las Vegas slot machine.