kurt | Multihullblog

On the spur of the moment I decided to go to White Salmon to pick up the carbon fiber tubes I had made for the little yellow trimaran. Innovative Composites Engineering.
I also got a tour of the place. Amazing. Stuck in the woods outside of White Salmon. Space X is their biggest customer. They have giant presses to compact the laminate even more than bagging. I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures inside the building. And also warned not to touch anything.
They consulted on Oracle. Hence in the boneyard.
When I ordered the carbon fiber cross tubes for my yellow 12′ trimaran, I assumed a modulus of about 16 million. And I speced the thickness accordingly.
I just got the spec sheet from the manufacturer.
8.5 x 10 to the 7th.
I checked with a scientist I know. That is 85 million.
That is more than 5 times the modulus. Wow.
They aren’t going anywhere.

I stumbled on this list that I made years ago. It still looks pretty good. I need to study it carefully for changes but again it looks pretty good.

SOURCES
DECEMBER 28, 2012 KURT LEAVE A COMMENT EDIT
A big mess of sources. I worked on a lot of these during the last few trips. I imagine this kind of being crowd sourced where people will add to this as it goes along. Some to be added anyway, but getting it out for what it is now. I see it doesn’t let me hot up the links. To get hot links, put sources in the search engine and load the one from years ago.

A sources list now is different than it was when I first did the Construction Manual. Presently the best way to locate boatbuilding products is to go to the manufacturers website, and from there find the vendors in your local area. This list is pretty much for North America. And it leans toward products that I have first or second-hand experience with. Builders elsewhere, get me your favorites and I will expand this.

Epoxy

Mas http://www.masepoxies.com/

Noahs www.noahsmarine.com

System 3 www.systemthree.com

SP http://www.gurit.com/

WEST System www.westsystem.com

Fiberlay www.fiberlay.com

Jamestown Dist. http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/main.do

Fiberglass Supply www.fiberglasssupply.com

Vinylester Resin

Ashland Chemical http://www.ashland.com/products/hetron-epoxy-vinyl-ester-resin

Interplastic Corp http://www.interplastic.com/

Composite Fabrics

Fiberglass Supply www.fiberglasssupply.com

Fisheries supply www.fisheriessupply.com

Fiberlay www.fiberlay.com

Composites One http://www.compositesone.com/

VectorPly http://www.vectorply.com/

Core

http://corecomposites.com/media/CoreComparisonChart.pdf

Airex http://www.corematerials.3acomposites.com/

Corecell http://www.atlcomposites.com/products/cores/end grain balsa/index.htm

Divinycell (crosslinked PVC) http://www.diabgroup.com/europe/products/e_prods_2.html

Urethane General Plastics http://www.generalplastics.com/products/index.php?PHPSESSID=6ac3fdb313fb070a2d6a8f4d0f5eb4a4

Balsa http://www.corematerials.3acomposites.com/

Paulownia http://www.paulowniawood.com/

Foamular http://www.foamular.com/foam/

Fiberlay www.fiberlay.com

Nidacore http://www.nida-core.com/

Polycore http://www.polycore.com.au/

Plascore http://www.plascore.com/index.htm

Tricel http://www.tricelcorp.com/

Core Craft FRP Honeycomb http://www.infracomp.com/index.html

Vacuum Bagging supplies and equipment

Fiberlay www.fiberlay.com

Airtech http://www.airtechonline.com/

Plywood/Lumber

Anchor Hardwoods www.AnchorHardwoods.com

Edensaw http://www.edensaw.com/MainSite/Store1/Content/SiteContent/1/Home/Main.aspx

Meridian Plywood 1-800-743-1126 Lynnwood, WA

Noahs www.noahsmarine.com

Boulter Plywood www.boulterplywood.com

Joubert Plywood www.wolstenholme.com

Paint

Farwest Paint www.farwestpaint.com

Awlgrip http://www.uspaint.com/

Stirling http://www.scomar.com.au/Products/Coatings/CoatingsSterling.aspx

Rigging and Masts

Hall Spar

LeFiel

Plastics

Hardware

Fisheries Supply http://www.fisheriessupply.com/

West Marine http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategories1_11151_10001_-1

Foamex
Outdoor cushions that do not absorb water. Dry-fast open cell polyurethane foam ideal for outdoor furniture and boat cushions. Five Year warranty.
www.foamex.com
I have bought some light samples from HollySolar http://www.hollysolar.com/

The watermaker store (http://www.watermakerstore.com In san diego has a watermaker (up to 1500gpd) with a 130A alternator on it, all based on the Kubota 6hp diesel which purportedly uses 1/8 gallon per hour.

Masts

Masts, Battens www.c-tech.co.nz

www.southernspars.com former omohundro 775-782-6788

http://ballengerspars.com/, often called the best mast builder

Sailing equipment www.layline.com

Synthetic rigging parts seen

at http://www.allspars.co.uk/precourt.html

Carbon tubes http://www.cstsales.com/

racing software and electronics

Marine computing international http://www.marinecomputing.com/

make a black box that allos wind and radar to be fitted on a rotating mast (Mike Golding on his open 60 has one)

Composite props www.kiwiprops.co.nz/home

electric outboards http://www.fischerpanda.de/cgi-bin/start.pl?task=content&folder=03_Whisperprop_Marine_Propulsion&sfolder=NULL&file=08_DE-Outboard.html&lang=eng

A Steerable diesel electric outboard: http://www.fischerpanda.de/cgi-bin/start.pl?task=content&folder=03_Whisperprop_Marine_Propulsion&sfolder=NULL&file=06_ADE-Saildrive.html&lang=eng

Steerable raisable electric drive: http://www.fischerpanda.de/cgi-bin/start.pl?task=content&folder=03_Whisperprop_Marine_Propulsion&sfolder=NULL&file=10_RA-DE_Thruster.html&lang=eng

The Azimuting Podded Prop: http://www.fischerpanda.de/cgi-bin/start.pl?task=content&folder=03_Whisperprop_Marine_Propulsion&sfolder=NULL&file=07_AZIPROP.html&lang=eng

Or these amazing drives http://www.fischerpanda.de/cgi-bin/start.pl?task=content&folder=03_Whisperprop_Marine_Propulsion&sfolder=NULL&file=12_General_AZIPROP.html&lang=eng

Plastic Mirror TAP Plastics Inc. www.tapplastics.com

Go to www.solomomtechnologies.com electric power

For nets

http://www.multihullnets.com/

http://www.nets-n-tramps.com/

http://www.net-sys.com/

http://sailrite.com/

window bedding techniques

http://www.sikasolutions.com/Marine/295.htm

Tools

Northern Tool And Equipment www.northern-online.com

Fax: 1-612-882-6927 Air tools, Auto, Engines, Generators, Gloves, Hydraulics ect…..

For info on LED lights www.Hollysolar.com

http://www.diyplastics.com/safetyglazing.htm

comparison table for plastics and other materials

http://www.machinist-materials.com/comparison_table_for_plastics.htm

Composite materials

http://www.uscomposites.com/

Noah’s Marine www.noahsmarine.com

A local Vancouver company, Kraft Industrial Supplies.

www.kraftindustrial.com Lots of other nifty pultruded shapes (I

confess I was surprised how cheap these things are).

I just had a meeting with a rep from TriStar Plastics Corp. This is the

plastics equivalent of a steel service center. They stock plastic, machine

plastic and will provide technical advice on what is best for a particular

application. Interestingly they make a wide variety of bearings which would

seem ideal for rudders etc. www.tstar.com

plastic boat sheds www.ClearSpan.com

Carbon tubes, start with these guys:

http://www.forterts.com/

http://www.csi-composites.com/

http://www.cstcomposites.com/

http://www.marstrom.com/

http://www.carbonfibertubeshop.com//index2.html

Engines

Yanmar

Styer

Caterpillar

Yamaha

Tanks

Haul-out

Builders