Carbon Fiber

[NitroVal]

So what is with all the carbon fiber sheets I see guys laying under the motor mounts and along the inside of the hull of a fiberglass boat? Do they really add strength?

[saleens7]

yes it does....carbon fiber is usually a lot more rigid than fiberglass, so its good to put it around stress points of the hull for added strength.....

[NitroVal]

Are they just sticky sheets of CF? That doesnt seem like it would help much unles it was integrated into the fiberglass. Where do you find the sheets at?

[saleens7]

My knowledge of carbon fiber is still limited, but from what ive seen, they either sell them in already cured sheets, or sheets that havent been cured (their still flexible)....usually ive seen people use the pre-hardened sheets to build things like radio box's or use them for a transom backing so you have a nice solid surface to mount your hardware on.....the flexible ones however, are what you would lay down under their motor mounts or on the bottom of the hull and then apply epoxy resin so it soaks it up and hardens (i think their also a baking process too...but im not too sure...like i said, my knowledge is limited)

this is what i know about carbon fiber so far....ill wait for a member with more experience with CF chime in and fill in the rest

[sailr]

The carbon fiber that requires baking is called pre-preg. It is already coated with a resin that activates with heat. YOU DO NOT WANT THAT! The heat required would melt your boat!

My knowledge of carbon fiber is still limited, but from what ive seen, they either sell them in already cured sheets, or sheets that havent been cured (their still flexible)....usually ive seen people use the pre-hardened sheets to build things like radio box's or use them for a transom backing so you have a nice solid surface to mount your hardware on.....the flexible ones however, are what you would lay down under their motor mounts or on the bottom of the hull and then apply epoxy resin so it soaks it up and hardens (i think their also a baking process too...but im not too sure...like i said, my knowledge is limited)

this is what i know about carbon fiber so far....ill wait for a member with more experience with CF chime in and fill in the rest

[sailr]

All I can say is the stuff is way too expensive! If anybody ever finds a reasonable source for it, let me know.

[Diegoboy]

Think of it as fiberglass cloth (colored black) and apply it in the same manner.

[sailr]

Like fiberglass cloth but made out of ground up $1000 bills.

[tylerm]

Like fiberglass cloth but made out of ground up $1000 bills.

Lol thats a bit dramatic.

[sailr]

ok, ok, $100 bills. Better?

[Jesse J]

I gotta post this somewhere, maybe in its own thread, but something happened yesterday that I haven't seen in the forums.

I ran my mono with carbon fiber floor and then threw it in the trunk with the batteries still in it (for the last time). they have 5.5 mm bullets and when I went to get it out of the trunk at home, I noticed that the stinkin leads were SHORTING across the CF --- CF is conductive!!! It was starting a FIRE inside my boat just sitting there.

Lesson learned: cap your bullets and NEVER leave batteries in a boat with CF hull unattended.

[domwilson]

I gotta post this somewhere, maybe in its own thread, but something happened yesterday that I haven't seen in the forums.

I ran my mono with carbon fiber floor and then threw it in the trunk with the batteries still in it (for the last time). they have 5.5 mm bullets and when I went to get it out of the trunk at home, I noticed that the stinkin leads were SHORTING across the CF --- CF is conductive!!! It was starting a FIRE inside my boat just sitting there.

Lesson learned: cap your bullets and NEVER leave batteries in a boat with CF hull unattended.

Yep. It's used as the core of stock spark plug wires.

[sailr]

I'm surprised with the epoxy coating. The fiber itself probably is conductive.

I gotta post this somewhere, maybe in its own thread, but something happened yesterday that I haven't seen in the forums.

I ran my mono with carbon fiber floor and then threw it in the trunk with the batteries still in it (for the last time). they have 5.5 mm bullets and when I went to get it out of the trunk at home, I noticed that the stinkin leads were SHORTING across the CF --- CF is conductive!!! It was starting a FIRE inside my boat just sitting there.

Lesson learned: cap your bullets and NEVER leave batteries in a boat with CF hull unattended.

[properchopper]

All I can say is the stuff is way too expensive! If anybody ever finds a reasonable source for it, let me know.

McMaster-Carr. Reasonable prices, beautiful glossy sheets, fast shipping.

[line6]

All I can say is the stuff is way too expensive! If anybody ever finds a reasonable source for it, let me know.

http://cgi.ebay.com/3K-PAN-Carbon-Fiber-Fabric-2x2-TWILL-or-PLAIN-50-Wx12-L_W0QQitemZ220452696535QQihZ012QQcategoryZ23895QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This is the stuff i have used, its not much fabric but if you just want to try it out for yourself this is more than enough. I am no pro at this but i'm happy with my results