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Hi,
My epoxy and glass fiber supplier, timeout.de, also sells basalt and flax fabrics for epoxy composites. Has anyone used either of these for wooden boat building? I'm looking for something opaque for the inside, and these two are cheaper options, than carbon and/or aramid. The flax is especially appealing because it is a natural material. Unfortunately, this also means, that it will rot.
Any kind of feedback is appreciated.
I haven't used either of…
I haven't used either of those, so can't comment.
If you want opaque on the inside of the boat, you can add pigment into the epoxy.
System Three pigments are very concentrated and work well. For black, you can even use black iron oxide (from pottery supply places).
White pigment is nice for the compartments as it makes them a bit brighter, so it's easier to see things which have slid into the ends of the boat (when kayak camping).
It won't rot
Since the flax will be completely enclosed in epoxy, it won't rot, anymore than the wood rots. Basalt has been described as the "poor man's carbon fibre" - it looks just like carbon fibre, but has the properties of glass fibre. Flax looks a bit like aramid, as far as I know, but I haven't used it