Carbon Fiber

[JohnZ]

Does anyone know where I can get a piece of CF cloth for use on a 21" ABS hull? I plan to add some stiffness to it by epoxying CF cloth to the inside bottom of the hull.
I found some sample swatches at CST but wonder of there are any outlets to just buy a small piece.
I've tried fiberglass in the past and while it adds strength it does not add much in the way of stiffness.

[Mxkid261]

I get my carbon cloth from amazon.

[kfxguy]

I get mine from elite motoring on eBay. Good luck getting it to stick to abs for any amount of time. Unfortunately it's going to flake off. You might look into some specialized epoxies just for plastic to bond the carbon to it. It would be better to use a thin coat of epoxy to cut down on the chance of it cracking when the plastic flexes.

[RandyatBBY]

I have had good luck adhering CF and FG to ABS and Polystyrene with Flex Seal.

[kfxguy]

I have had good luck adhering CF and FG to ABS and Polystyrene with Flex Seal.

Good to know Randy!thx

[dmitry100]

Would it work to sand down the ABS with 80 sandpaper?

[RandyatBBY]

Would it work to sand down the ABS with 80 sandpaper?

not necessary. It works well on it own. I found it is necessary to squeegee the cloth after placing in abs to remove excess flex seal.

[JohnZ]

Thanks Randy, I plan to use it on the Oval Master Offshore 21" . Now I gotta look up Flex Seal.
After searching the product, it appears that only the company distributes it.
One question: this is a rubberized coating; would that affect the ability of the CF cloth to stiffen the hull?

[HTVboats]

http://www.shopmaninc.com/carbonpage.html

US Composites has a 1 yd. minimum and also a great source for small amounts of fiberglass and epoxies.
Mic

[JohnZ]

Those prices are as high as everybody else including CST ( Composite Structures Technology) however they do offer a packet of CF samples for $15.00 so I just may order it.

[RandyatBBY]

Thanks Randy, I plan to use it on the Oval Master Offshore 21" . Now I gotta look up Flex Seal.
After searching the product, it appears that only the company distributes it.
One question: this is a rubberized coating; would that affect the ability of the CF cloth to stiffen the hull?

It is not as stiff as a epoxy layup but close with that small of hull. if you want it stiffer use the CA method I have out lined many times before. I can not handle the fumes from the CA and stopped doing it.

[JohnZ]

It is not as stiff as a epoxy layup but close with that small of hull. if you want it stiffer use the CA method I have out lined many times before. I can not handle the fumes from the CA and stopped doing it.

I know what you mean about the fumes from CA, If I have to do any amount of gluing I use a small fan clamped to the bench to blow away any fumes.
As far as using CA, I found that CF does not stick too well with it at least over foam, maybe a little different with ABS.
But I looked up Flex Seal and found it a Lowes and Menards.

[RandyatBBY]

there is also RustOleum leak seal, this stuff that works too.

https://www.doitbest.com/products/770541?sku=770541&utm_source=shoppingfeeds&utm_medium=googlebase&utm_term=770541&utm_campaign=BROI&gdffi=46857429cc1343fcae2c0324cc87e14a&gdfms=897EE022DFDD4912ADC72612DE335C63&gclid=CjwKEAjw7svABRCi_KPzoPr53QoSJAABSvxfj_v1X3BZWLWnQavEEf1Ju8M8_EZrD9OseWNUS8ec5hoCdsjw_wcB

[JohnZ]

there is also RustOleum leak seal, this stuff that works too.
https://www.doitbest.com/products/77...ec5hoCdsjw_wcB

Yes, I saw that too. .

[JohnZ]

At this point unless I can locate a source for a small piece of CF cloth, I will have to consider using fiberglass. I cannot justify spending $45.00- $50.00 or more just to get reinforce the hull.