Glass Cloth Weights for Glassing 4mm Ply

[heymacaulay]

Hi all,

Have been chasing up info for the new boat I’m about to commence, and after discussions with Phil Johnston, I discovered that I could have gone a lighter weight of cloth on my last build.

Previously used 135gsm woven cloth both inside and out. According to Phil, you must use at least 2oz cloth on one side to make it legal if using 4mm ply in the hull floor.

The drama was finding anyone (especially when I was in the west) that could tell me what the equivalent to 2oz was in the new metric cloths.

International Fiberglass in Springvale Victoria were finally able to assist with a conversion.

Old 2oz cloth is equivalent to the 86gsm

Hopefully the new boat will come out that much lighter.

[lamarstrehlow74]

Hi Peter
I have found that glassing both sides of the bottom panels with the 2oz. a good idea. It adds very little extra weight but has the big advantage of making the panels stiffer. Stiffer panels make for more boat speed.
One trick i found useful was to glass up the panels whilst flat up to the but strap. The foward section i glassed once the boat was pulled together.
If you glass the inside foward sections whilst the panels are flat the ply becomes very stiff and trickier to haul into shape.

Cheers
matt
1697
Zahir

[heymacaulay]

Hey Matt, I do pretty much the same as you, but I glass the inside of both panels, leaving the butt strap area unglassed. Join them, Bend and butstrap.

I found no problem in pulling the bow together like this, and it was easier than my first Sabre where I used 6mm in the floor. (Will never do that again though).

[Paul Matthews]

Hi,
has anyone used dynacloth, either on inside or outside?
any tips, advantages, disadvantges?

thanks
sue / slow learner

[heymacaulay]

Hi Slow Hand,

Sorry, I don’t know of dynacloth. I will have to check it out and get back to your with my thoughts on it.

Have been considering using a ‘Crows foot weave’ for some of the corner fillets joints though as it is far superior to standard weave in any area where you need the cloth to hold a bend while wet.

Saw a demo at the boat show in WA a couple of years ago.

Am trying to find a supplier with the lightest weight cloth it comes in (I’m told about 130gsm maybe lighter). I’ve only been able to find 200gsm + so far.

If you could get it in a 2oz equivalent, it would make a far stiffer hull than standard woven cloth, due to the way the crows foot is woven.

Regards . . .

[Paul Matthews]

Hi,

I misled everyone in my previous post.
Its called ‘DYNEL’ cloth.

Accoding to Whitworths product info it is 104gsm
Ig you google’denel cloth’ you get a norglass site that tells about its properties.

I would like any advice on the expected advantages/disadvantages of these features in the context of Sabre construction.

Thanks heaps,

Slow and Steady

[rochelledover74]

@A Trace of Blue – 1666 wrote:

Hi Slow Hand,

Sorry, I don’t know of dynacloth. I will have to check it out and get back to your with my thoughts on it.

Have been considering using a ‘Crows foot weave’ for some of the corner fillets joints though as it is far superior to standard weave in any area where you need the cloth to hold a bend while wet.

Saw a demo at the boat show in WA a couple of years ago.

Am trying to find a supplier with the lightest weight cloth it comes in (I’m told about 130gsm maybe lighter). I’ve only been able to find 200gsm + so far.

Did you ever try the crows foot weave?

If you could get it in a 2oz equivalent, it would make a far stiffer hull than standard woven cloth, due to the way the crows foot is woven.

Regards . . .

[Paul Matthews]

Hi,
I have not used the crows foot weave.
Not sure what ended up being used on my current boat!!
But she is a fast little baby
Sue

[rochelledover74]

@Slow Hand wrote:

Hi,
has anyone used dynacloth, either on inside or outside?
any tips, advantages, disadvantges?

thanks
sue / slow learner

Dynacloth soaks up to much resin I would recommend a close weave fibreglass cloth to reduce weight.

Jack
1877

[Author]

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