# Budget composites?



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Haven't been around to much lately for about 2 years or so I've been tied up, but I'm wondering what the current market is like?

What companies are Making 4x8 sheets of composites for decking, bulkheads and transom use, and what is the average cost per sheet these days? A few years back a sheet could run upwards of $300, I'm hoping as time had marched on and these products become more mainstream the price drops a bit.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Man 3 days and not a single response? What is going on with this site lately?


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

Few builds and lots of talk about Hells Bay, Chittum and Beavertail....


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Lol, yep, that's what I'm seeing. Man how things have changed over the last decade. It's really sad to see the lack of activity.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Budget composites? Heck, I just need some marine ply for a bolt-on hunt deck/motor mount to add some support for my motor, but I can't get okoume or merianti with in two to three hours drive of Aiken and I can't justify the shipping for one or two sheets. I am going to be forced to use marine fir and glass it inside and out. For the purposes, it will be fine, but I liked working with okoume.

I am also bored by all the "look at the cool new boat I'm buying" threads. I much prefer seeing a guy create something in his garage, but don't get too nostalgic for the good 'ol days before the neighborhood went down the drain. There are three or four active from scratch builds in the Bragging Section. I do miss the Gheenoe Mafia though. The only excitement around here seems to come from trashing Hell's Bay skiffs anymore.

Nate


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Nate you, and all the old guard, need to get your old names back so I know who is who, lol. 
There are a few cool builds here and there, but like you said most are guys bragging about buys, or paying someone else to do work. Man I miss the old days! It seems ever since the hells bay crowd showed up, no offense to hells bay boats they are nice, this site has taken a major dive in activity and interesting posts.

Hate to ask cause I know it's bad form, but is there another site the guys are migrating to?


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

Iv'e been working on a wrecked Gheenoe. Building it into a NMZ....I'll have to start a thread.... I was going to build an SC16 until I found this basically for free...I wish I would have built the SC16 though. It would be a much better boat.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Though about a swift canoe back when I had my gheenoe, I agree it would be better. I'm toying with either building a FS17, or modified OB15/18, but might just rebuild an old boat first.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

firecat1981 said:


> Nate you, and all the old guard, need to get your old names back so I know who is who, lol.
> There are a few cool builds here and there, but like you said most are guys bragging about buys, or paying someone else to do work. Man I miss the old days! It seems ever since the hells bay crowd showed up, no offense to hells bay boats they are nice, this site has taken a major dive in activity and interesting posts.
> 
> Hate to ask cause I know it's bad form, but is there another site the guys are migrating to?


This is the third member name I've had since I joined the site. The WhiteDog70810 has always been my user ID, but the site prompted me to have a member name that was different than my user ID at one point. With the most recent change, I was able to resume my original handle.

I stalk a few boat sites. This is still the best place I've found for light, simple, practical, home-built boats for inshore use. I sometimes wish microskiff.com had a 25 hp limit, but I am in the minority in that regard. Most of the other sites are for wood boat purists or strip canoes or have an excessively limited geographic focus or they are just rude. The Bateau.com forum can't hold my attention because there are not enough fishermen. Duckboat.net is cool when the threads are about resurrecting rotten boats that someone found in a barn's rafters, but many of those boys are really quick to scab things together with dimensional lumber and treated ply. That ain't my gig.

Nate


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Composites like Diviynal and other closed cell foam materials have not gone down. still ~300$ for a 4x8 3/4" sheet. I agree with the above about HB, BT and Chittum. Its like logging on to yelp to read reviews about Applebees, Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday. There are a few builds to follow in the bragging section.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

tomahawk said:


> Iv'e been working on a wrecked Gheenoe. Building it into a NMZ....I'll have to start a thread.... I was going to build an SC16 until I found this basically for free...I wish I would have built the SC16 though. It would be a much better boat.


Dang it man! I really, really want to see someone here build the SC16. I like that hull and am curious if it actually performs as advertised with a 6 HP outboard. If it did, I think it would be more logical for most guys than an Ambush or Solo-style hull. Unfortunately, I don't need one. There are a few build threads on Bateau, but the builders were not fishermen and often just use trolling motors to putz around, so the feedback isn't very useful for me. Hobbyists are too easy to satisfy IMO; if they finish it and it doesn't sink, they are happy.

Nate


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## Pole Position (Apr 3, 2016)

CurtisWright said:


> Composites like Diviynal and other closed cell foam materials have not gone down. still ~300$ for a 4x8 3/4" sheet. I agree with the above about HB, BT and Chittum. Its like logging on to yelp to read reviews about Applebees, Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday. There are a few builds to follow in the bragging section.



Curtis,
I don't want to derail this thread, but wanted to find out if you are still running that Soloskiff clone and if so, what your thoughts are on it after having used it a while. I also bought the plans for that SK14 but am having a bit of remorse.

Re: Composites....would you really save much weight by using them on a small skiff? It seems the price / labor would more than offset any advantages of using them ( ?? )


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## taco29403 (Jun 16, 2015)

I bought some coosa board or Baltec Airex 3/4" 4'x4' sheet for $170 from Jamestown Distributors. I had them cut it in half so I could ship at a reasonable cost. S/H ended up being $40 instead of $110 as a whole sheet.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

25hp would be to limiting, but I would fully support a 50hp limit, we got guys here running 115hp outboards and still calling their boats microskiffs. Yelp reviews, lol.
As far as composites go I'm not worried about the weight much, more about resale and availability.
I still hit up bateau.com from time to time, thinking about some of their designs, but none are exactly what I want.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Pole Position said:


> Curtis,
> I don't want to derail this thread, but wanted to find out if you are still running that Soloskiff clone and if so, what your thoughts are on it after having used it a while. I also bought the plans for that SK14 but am having a bit of remorse.
> 
> Re: Composites....would you really save much weight by using them on a small skiff? It seems the price / labor would more than offset any advantages of using them ( ?? )


I love the solo skiff. I fish it 3 times for every time I take my 16 out. This is going to sound weird, but It's a much more intimate and peaceful experience with the water. Not to mention super easy to fish by yourself. I'm past loading the cooler up with fish. To me it's just a closer and more awesome encounter with the fish.

I have commented on a few peoples FS13 builds in the bragging section, but no one has yet to take my advice, nor have any of them finished and posted a running video. We will see if anyone finishes with success. The split tail is a MUST because you can't stand in the back with the motor. It just dosent float and steering with a 4' tiller extension sucks. You also have to enclose the entire front deck and as much of the gunnels as possible. 

Basically, just shamelessly modify your plans to copy the solo. I am managing mine without the enclosed front half, but just barely. It's really sketchy when you have 200lbs of water on the deck trying to run out the back. I plan to make another with a cap like the solo.

I don't think I needed the cored floors in my hull. I did it mainly because I wanted to practice vacuum bagging on a small part. A 3/8" thick solid glass hull with two stringers would have been half the cost, and maybe 20lbs heavier.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

* also, I weight 130lbs and my solo hull is the same width and a foot longer than the FS13. If I couldn't crank my transom mount motor, i don't think anyone on this forum can.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

3/8" solid glass? That would be like 3x thicker then a gheenoe highsider.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

The problem is several of those guys are first time builders and aren't confident enough to alter the plans. I'd think nothing of it now, but I'd have been hesitant to make such a drastic change to the plans in the beginning. The only issue is that it is much easier to split the tail the first time on the FS13 because the design makes it harder revisit than your design.

Nate


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

FC
Check out the company Polyumac - they Have a supplier in Lakeland.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks DN, I remember looking up their aircell products a few years ago. I just did again and sent away for a sample. From the looks of it it will work great and it's pretty darn cheap compared to the rest.
A quick search says I can buy a box of 18 sheets 48x48x5/8" for around $1100. So basically around $120 or so a full sheet, that's about what Okoume ply costs.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

firecat1981 said:


> 3/8" solid glass? That would be like 3x thicker then a gheenoe highsider.



I am an overkill kind of guy. My solo cost $1500 (700 was core and bagging materials) in materials to build and a gheenoe retails for $1100. (they both weigh the same) The floor flex in a gheenoe really bothers me. I could lay you up a blank hull in my mold in the same construction as a gheenoe for ~$300 in materials.

With out core I would probably go 1.5oz matt, 1.5oz matt,1708,1708 which would be about 1/4-3/8" thick. I guess you could go kevlar and do a 1.5oz matt, 3/4oz matt/5oz kevlar, 3/4matt/5oz kevlar and save a few lbs.

A glass hull with the layup above in my mold would be about 75lbs and cost ~$500. Add a cap and some flotation brings it to about 140lbs and $900 which is inline with the solo and ambush in weight and materials x3-4 in retail cost.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

WhiteDog70810 said:


> This is the third member name I've had since I joined the site. The WhiteDog70810 has always been my user ID, but the site prompted me to have a member name that was different than my user ID at one point. With the most recent change, I was able to resume my original handle.
> 
> I stalk a few boat sites. This is still the best place I've found for light, simple, practical, home-built boats for inshore use. I sometimes wish microskiff.com had a 25 hp limit, but I am in the minority in that regard. Most of the other sites are for wood boat purists or strip canoes or have an excessively limited geographic focus or they are just rude. The Bateau.com forum can't hold my attention because there are not enough fishermen. Duckboat.net is cool when the threads are about resurrecting rotten boats that someone found in a barn's rafters, but many of those boys are really quick to scab things together with dimensional lumber and treated ply. That ain't my gig.
> 
> Nate


I second the 25hp limit. I'd gladly have to build a smaller boat though to get rid of my 40hp


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## Outta Line (Nov 23, 2015)

I've been using 3/4" Nida-Core for a slow moving rebuild of a 80s model Malibu. I bought from a local company (www.fgci.com) for about $75 for 4x7 sheets.

It was my first time using a composite and I won't use anything else in the future. I was attracted to the composite because lack of rot but there are far more advantages than a thought including weight and ability to embed a small hose as a chase for recessed light locations.

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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Outta line, you gotta change the settings on your album so everyone can see them. 

I deal with fgci a lot on my builds, I prefer their epoxy resins. A few years back they told me they were moving away from carrying nidacore, not sure why. I'd use it but not for th he bulkheads or transom, which is why I think the polyumac might be the best answer. I'm waiting on a sample of their t-80.


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## Outta Line (Nov 23, 2015)

firecat1981 said:


> Outta line, you gotta change the settings on your album so everyone can see them.
> 
> I deal with fgci a lot on my builds, I prefer their epoxy resins. A few years back they told me they were moving away from carrying nidacore, not sure why. I'd use it but not for th he bulkheads or transom, which is why I think the polyumac might be the best answer. I'm waiting on a sample of their t-80.


Thanks on the album help. Yeah I wouldn't use nida for a transom. We have a center deck box and a back deck I was adding.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Looking good bud, I'd consider nidacore if I could get it locally, but I think the polyumac stuff I can literally get down the street. I got lots of things to consider and plenty of time to do it. Might do a folding skiff first before a major build.


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## ceejkay (May 7, 2016)

pollyumac is great. there is one down in hieleah that i get my nidacore and a new product called corelite. the corelite is some pretty cool stuff and not bad priced. i picked up a 4x8 sheet of 1.5" for the transom of a larger boat for about 300$. last time i was in there their nidacore was 56$ for a 4x8 sheet


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