composites

composites:

these are definatley the best choice when replacing wood coring - the composites will last indefinatley,will not rot.
problem is,they will not hold a screw,nida core is the absolute worst - it's a honeycomb material
this is an example of the incorrect technique for mounting equipment to a composite cored surface.this "t" top was mounted on the deck,using "toggle" style bolts - my experience has been,these fail - seen these fail numerous times.there's one true way to mount equipment onto a composite cored surface - thru bolting and sleeving.in certain applications,this isn't possible - t top mounting is an example-these applications require the core surface be removed and the area where the fasteners be filled with epoxy mixed with the appropriate thickener.this will hold a screw,also holds threaded machine screws,when the holes are the correct size.
remember this,when you're mounting grab bars,seats and consoles,on a composite cored deck...

 

that's imperative for nida core - water will intrude it - nida core is a honeycomb,as you're well aware of,it's hollow,uses plastic as a stiffener - terrible stuff,i do not use nida core for anything....

penske board,coosa,these will not absorb water...

 

there's a big reason nidacore is much cheaper than a dense foam composite,such as divinycell - it's called "quality"

this is nida core - it's basically a hollow honey comb composite,made from recycled milk jugs,with a light scrim backing



this is what it looks like with the scrim backing removed



this is a side view of the same product



not much there - it's hollow between the honey combs,these areas,they can and will become filled with water,from improper sealing,and improper fiberglassing techniques used.this design does have a pretty good compression rating.think this would hold a screw ? this type of core relies on a fiberglass skin,to provide rigidity - kind of like an "I" beam...

this is a structual composite - penske board,a dense foam composite,with a glass fiber in it.has excellent compression resistance,and it's dense,not hollow,it will absorb no water,half the weight of plywood,weighs slightly more than nidacore.this is a product i use and endorse.



side view



this is an excellent choice for stringers,bulkheads,decks and transoms


big difference huh ?

 

no fued here - just discussing products...

water intusion - a dense composite foam,like coosa board,penske board - these products will not absorb water,these products have no voids to allow water to collect - think about the hollow honeycomb pattern of that nida core,think of water migrating in the hollow voids - now throw freezing temps,in the mix...sounds like a recipe for trouble...

the lightest,strongest,easiest composite to work with,in my opinion is either penske board,or coosa board.

 

no composites hold screws well - thru bolting and sleeving -
perhaps you missed this "problem is,they will not hold a screw,nida core is the absolute worst - it's a honeycomb material
this is an example of the incorrect technique for mounting equipment to a composite cored surface.this "t" top was mounted on the deck,using "toggle" style bolts - my experience has been,these fail - seen these fail numerous times.there's one true way to mount equipment onto a composite cored surface - thru bolting and sleeving.in certain applications,this isn't possible - t top mounting is an example-these applications require the core surface be removed and the area where the fasteners be filled with epoxy mixed with the appropriate thickener.this will hold a screw,also holds threaded machine screws,when the holes are the correct size.
remember this,when you're mounting grab bars,seats and consoles,on a composite cored deck..."

i typed that,in the original post i made...

divinycell is another excellent structual product - there's a few grades of it,depending on application...

 

trimming a house ?

never used that stuff,never would either...

 

price alone,will not provide a true comparison of value - remember that...


when drilling out and filling the hole,to provide a mounting area for fasteners,it's best to use an epxoy based product - polyester based products are brittle,and will break apart - epoxy based resins are a much stronger product,along with being waterproof,unlike pourous polyester based resins...

people use alot of different products on their boats - i often see examples of this - doesn't make it right or wrong - i stick with products i know are suitable for the application...

 

weight difference:

when working with a core material like nida core,you're gonna use more glass and resin - it's how it is...adding these adds weight - every gallon of polyester resin,or vinylester resin is 10lbs,plus the weight of the cloth/matt...

the weight difference between all composites is minimal - not really a factor...

people will have differing opinions,but,experience tells me what's a better product for differing applications...

 

nothing wrong with wood coring - the problem with wood coring is,failure to seal the wood - using a polyester based resin on wood,that's not the best choice,due to polyester being pourous...
the biggest problem with wood is installing equipment and not properly sealing the holes - properly sealed,it's not a factor

yep,there's alot of old wooden boats out there - but,let's be serious,technology evolves - if it didn't,we'd still have wooden boats - products evolve and technology changes - composites - i've stopped using any kind of wood on repairs - i use strictly composites - mostly penske board and coosa,in core repalcement applications...

bottom line is,there's allways more than one way to skin a cat...