Instrumented DropWeight Testing of Wood/Epoxy/Fiber Reinforced Composites Sam X. McFadden [E-Mail]

[Drop Tower] [Plywood Lay-ups] [Strip Lay-ups] [Vacuum infusion project]

The topic of "strength" is often dicussed by builders of wood-strip and stitch-and-glue kayaks.  While discussions of lay-up performance are filled with speculation, partial understanding, personal preference, and sound arguments, there is a general lack of experimental results.  To provide some useful data, a drop tower was assembled to allow instrumented drop weight testing of kayak lay-ups.  This web page contains a brief description of the drop tower and results from drop weight testing of wood/epoxy/glass lay-ups that are of interest to those who build kayaks and canoes with these materials. This data is not presented as an argument for what the best lay-up is, or to endorse any particular philosophy of construction.  The results presented here are simply experimental data that quantify the relative resistance to impact damage of possible lay-ups.  The decisions each builder must make regarding construction should be based on a prioritized list of desired results weighed against the individual builder's objectives, experience, and acceptable level of risk that the desired result not be achieved.

[Drop Tower] [Plywood Lay-ups] [Strip Lay-ups] [Vacuum infusion project] [E-Mail]

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