Ply-foam-ply Streaker?

   I know that Gosling has made Solos with some sort of ply/foam/ply sandwich. Would this material work for a Streaker? Building a Streaker down to weight (48 Kgs) might be easier with this stuff compared to using traditional ply sheets, maybe? Would this material be stiff enough to do away with a double floor, thus giving more cockpit depth? What about the cost, compared to all-ply, or all-FRP? Just looking for ways to make it easy quick and cheap to build a new down-to-weight Streaker. 

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Solo4652 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Groupie Joined: 08 Apr 15 Location: Stockport Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote Solo4652 Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Ply-foam-ply Streaker? Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 4:20pm
	I know that Gosling has made Solos with some sort of ply/foam/ply sandwich. Would this material work for a Streaker? Building a Streaker down to weight (48 Kgs) might be easier with this stuff compared to using traditional ply sheets, maybe? Would this material be stiff enough to do away with a double floor, thus giving more cockpit depth? What about the cost, compared to all-ply, or all-FRP? Just looking for ways to make it easy quick and cheap to build a new down-to-weight Streaker.

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6660	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 5:08pm
	I suspect that its not a particularly light form of construction, because the ply skins each side need to be strong enough to put up with whatever bad treatment they'll get, which means at least 3mm and probably 4mm. Be Barking stiff though.

Solo4652 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Groupie Joined: 08 Apr 15 Location: Stockport Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote Solo4652 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 7:00pm
	OK - apart from really exotic carbon/nomex and similar, is there some other composite material that might work? What's the stuff that caravans are made from, for instance?

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6660	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 7:46pm
	If you're building a foam sandwich boat you can use any combination of fibres you like (rules permitting). Bi-axial glass is a reasonable combination of weight and cost for something that's not too challenging on weight like the Streaker. To a good extent the issue with all foam dinghies isn't so much stiffness and strength, but having enough meat in the skin to put up with ham handed handling without denting too much (henceforth to be known as the shingly issue).

Paramedic Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 27 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 929	Post Options Post Reply Quote Paramedic Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 8:25pm
	The ply skin used to build solos is 1.5mm (Probably just a veneer in actual fact) and is decorative, not especially structural. I would think that the mock wood Phantoms and Scorps are the same. Beauty is only skin deep! I suppose it may add very slightly to panel stiffness, but what happens if it gets damaged?

Solo4652 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Groupie Joined: 08 Apr 15 Location: Stockport Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote Solo4652 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 8:28pm
	How about a modern version of heat-shrink skin, maybe impregnated with epoxy? http://www.gaboats.com/graphics/blivit13_400.jpg

Solo4652 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Groupie Joined: 08 Apr 15 Location: Stockport Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote Solo4652 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 9:30pm
	Aircraft-grade alloy tube frame, covered in heat-shrunk skin, epoxied for strength? Not a Streaker, obviously - not allowed by class rules! https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=alloy+frame+skin+dinghy&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI45KE_JLwyAIVhXsPCh2oiQ3f&biw=1093&bih=538#imgrc=z19s_A5xmWE1sM%3A

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6660	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 9:51pm
	The alloy space frame bit was favoured by some in the 80s. Heavy. Heat shrunk skin would be very slow due to lack of panel stiffness, plus back to the shingly issue.

Solo4652 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Groupie Joined: 08 Apr 15 Location: Stockport Online Status: Offline Posts: 71	Post Options Post Reply Quote Solo4652 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 10:15pm
	Fibreglass tubing? Carbon tubing?? Surely there must be some sort of lightweight, stiff skin covering? Epoxy-infused cardboard!? Modern glider wings... I dunno. I'm going to bed.

craiggo Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 01 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1810	Post Options Post Reply Quote craiggo Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Nov 15 at 10:18pm
	There are some very successful ply-foam-ply OKs which are down to weight and seem pretty robust. The ply skins are way thinner than Jim suggests.
	OK 2129 RS200 411