> Okay everybody, This might sound a little heretical, I have a theory that
> questions the very basis of our faith in wood/composite small boat
> construction but here goes:

> Is wood sandwiched between two layers of glass really the optimal method
> of construction for a mostly convex craft?

evening shawn, I see a question but no theory. I think what Pascoe was addressing was non-structural components to laminates especially foam used to occupy volume but not surrounded by enough glass . The photos of junky hulls with little glass and unidentifiable foam/filler are the culprits in those failed laminates. optimal:optimizing cost,strength,resilience, weight and ....oh yeah aethetics.

what are your thoughts for what could be a more "optimal" material? I was liking the polyester cloth except for it's soaking up resin,the wood has a great characteristic for resiliance and ridigity and it's not a foam core simply seperating two skins. I could imagine some kind of vacuum bagged polyester/s-glass exterior with a kevlar/glass interior with kevlar/wood stringers also vacuum bagged,epoxy being the goop holding it all together. trying to figure carbon into the mix but the stuff is too weird,