Materials

Composite Materials for Boats

Life is never straightforward and choosing materials for boats is no different. Here's some simple materials science to help get you through the confusion.

	Glass Fibre	Aramid/Kevlar	Carbon Fibre
Density	2.56	1.44	1.6-1.7

Modulus of standard fibre	70 GPa	140 GPa	210 GPa

Okay, so glass is heavy and Kevlar is the lightest. Let's make our boats out of Kevlar then. Not so fast. Kevlar is hygroscopic - it absorbs water. It's also susceptible to degradation by ultraviolet light.

Carbon Fibre is much stronger than either Glass Fibre or Kevlar. Kevlar is tough but high modulus Carbon Fibre offer offers a modulus of greater than 350 GPa

Okay, so why use glass fibre at all? Simple it's CHEAP! Building a boat out of glass makes little sense unless you're trying to build a cheap boat. It's heavier than either Kevlar or Carbon Fibre so less can be used to make a boat of the same weight as one made of Carbon Fibre or Kevlar. So you use less of it and it's weaker than either of the others. Guess how stiff that boat is?

Kevlar is slightly lighter than Carbon Fibre but nowhere near as strong. Great for bullet proof vests, but no real advantages for boats. BUT it is cheaper than Carbon Fibre!

All in all, Carbon Fibre is Vespoli's preferred choice for boat construction. Life is never perfect but at Vespoli we try to get as close as we can. So next time you're buying a boat take a look at the materials, and take a look at the price.

DON'T CONFUSE PRICE WITH QUALITY!

Whether it's the top of the range V1, the M2, Ultralite, or Racer range, Vespoli boats give you better materials at every price point.

Check out the Ultralite range from Vespoli - An all Carbon Fibre boat at the same price as competitors Carbon Fibre reinforced Glass Fibre Boats - NO PROBLEM!