Balsa cored decks

E

Ehoyles

Member
exMember
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
RO Number
19707
Messages
217
Does any know what "Tooled fiberglass deck" means? Also, what is the general opinion of a 1 inch balsa core on horizontal decks?
 
dont' know what that is... balsa cored deck is fine as long as nobody drills holes without sealing the core inside. many boats, including Hatts, have balsa cored decks, makes for a stiffer and lighter laminate.
 
I've owned 2 boats with balsa cored decks. Both gave me no problems and we solid.

One inch of balsa is very thick.

Like Pascal said, make sure you have no water intruding into the balsa. There are moisture barriers built into some balsa coring brands to prevent the spread of the moisture throughout the entire deck.

Viking Yachts are balsa cored if that gives you any indication about how well it holds up.

Jonathan
 
I am on my third boat with cored decks- never had a issue and 1 was a searay:D
The boat I have now has a cored Hull and no issues at all after 7 years
It's how the boat is made & maitained not just what its made of.
I don't know what "Tooled fiberglass deck" realy means
 
I dont see how you can avoid balsa in decks.
 
quote:
Originally posted by pdecat

I dont see how you can avoid balsa in decks.

Click to expand...
Buy a Nauticat with 1" solid fiberglass decks . . . but then you have to deal with a solid teak overlay and those pesky sticks and rags. :D
 
Ugh, I thought i disliked balsa cores a lot then you had to go and remind me about teak decks. :(
 
quote:
Originally posted by pdecat

I dont see how you can avoid balsa in decks.

Click to expand...


My Ocean has Divinycell coring instead of wood balsa.

Many boats use/used plywood for the coring as well.

Jonathan
 
Divinycell is the ultimate coring - lightweight, strong and rot-free.
 
Plywood is no better but that Divinycell is the type stuff all boats should be made from
 
There are several new replacements for balsa core, both are sealed cell material. I don't see any connection between solid deck and teak, you can have one without the other.
 
Yes, that's correct Jim - just pointing out that my boat has both. As an aside point though, solid glass is the best substrate for teak decks - no leaks. You'll have a hard time finding them though. Nauticat's the only builder in the world with solid glass decks, standard on all models. Their current line up does include several models without a teak overlay.
 
Divinycell coring in the decks of my Silverton also. They've used it since the early 90s that I know of. Pretty neat stuff. Light wt and stiff. When I took a piece out with a hole saw, I tried to wet it by soaking it for several days. No luck.
 
i'm using Divinycell for my tenders, it's really amazing stuff. despite looking like it woudl break easily when in sheets, it's actaully very strong and you really have to bend it way past reasonable before it snaps.

on the downside, it costs 2 to 3 times more than balsa...
 
I am using Baltek balsa cored panels on my restoration. All screw holes are drilled well oversize, filled with epoxy, then drilled to size.
 
i'v gotten a couple of requests for tenders like the one i built for myself last year out of a pair of old hobie hulls... i figured using recycled hulls wasn't ideal if i was going to sell them so i'm going to make them from scratch using divinycell core. first one, 13' with remote steering, should be finished by next week. don't know how far that will go but it's a fun project...
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gregory Saracco

Divinycell coring in the decks of my Silverton also. They've used it since the early 90s that I know of. Pretty neat stuff. Light wt and stiff. When I took a piece out with a hole saw, I tried to wet it by soaking it for several days. No luck.

Click to expand...


My old boat, a 41' 1997 Silverton Convertible had balsa coring for the entire boat except for the hull and hull sides. All decks were balsa and so we parts of the head.

My older boater 37' 1986 Silverton Convert had foam coring but it was not Divinycell, not sure which brand it was but it didn't look anything like the coring on my present boat.

Jonathan
 
Just a thought, but could tooled deck be referring to the type of non-skid surface. For example, some manufacturers advertise molded non-skid surfaces as opposed to spray on non-skid.
 
quote:
Divinycell is the ultimate coring - lightweight, strong and rot-free.
Click to expand...

Not so fast. End grain balsa has much better bond strength with resin than any foam does, because the ends of the grain are ideal to entrap some resin providing terrific grip with the glass/resin matrix.
This results in a stronger part (the deck laminate assembly).
Of course, you have to put up with balsa's tendency to rot if you allow it to get wet, so balsa's not perfect either, but most builders of high end boats choose balsa for the bond strength.

quote:
Just a thought, but could tooled deck be referring to the type of non-skid surface. For example, some manufacturers advertise molded non-skid surfaces as opposed to spray on non-skid.
Click to expand...


Yes, that's what "tooled deck" means. It's usually some form of diamond pattern.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top