Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

Its expensive but would look cool...
what do you guys think?

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

Go for it!

Post pics of the installation and finished product here!

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

mxcobra said:

Its expensive but would look cool...
what do you guys think?

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Way the he** overkill, but if you got the bucks to throw away(and that is what you're doing), but you'll have one heck of a boat.

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

what the heck for?????....

to get the look you want......you will have to carbon fiber the deck before you install it.....and vac bag it at that......even then.....you will have to install it in sections.......so the cool look you want will have joints in it .....and be as slippery as heck.....

not a good material for the deck IMHO.

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

mxcobra said:

Its expensive but would look cool...
what do you guys think?

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Expensive may be an understatement... IMO absolutely wrong stuff to use. keep in mind the deck needs to have texture for footing/traction which = safety. If it's a show piece that will NEVER be used that's one thing, but for a functional boat totally wrong.. No offense

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

I'm a little lost here on the "looks", if you use polyester resin and fiberglass, or epoxy resin and carbon fiber the end results are about the same "look wise", (other than the color). The only real difference is carbon fiber is made from carbon fibers instead of glass fibers so it is way, way stronger per weight than fiberglass. But polyester resin and fiberglass are really stronger than needed for a boat as it is.

Take a carbon fiber hood for a car.....if you paint then it looks the same as any other hood, buy weight is much lighter..and stronger.

I've never used carbon fiber for a boat..so correct me if I'm wrong....

CW

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

Cadwelder said:

Take a carbon fiber hood for a car.....if you paint then it looks the same as any other hood, buy weight is much lighter..and stronger.

I've never used carbon fiber for a boat..so correct me if I'm wrong....

CW

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Yup, that is about it.

I paddled a carbon fiber sea kayak for a while. You couldn't tell a bit a difference looking at it, even up close. Pick it up and you would instantly know the difference. The weight was like 35 lbs. compared to all my others made of glass at 80 lbs. give or take. Huge difference especially when pulling it through the water, oh so nice.

Oh yah, and it was expensive (still single man at the time)

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

Its obvious from most of the responses they have never seen, rode in, or know what a Contender boat is. Keep in mind 99% of the people on this forum run around in lakes on an eggshell with plywood stringers with a foot chop on a bad day. They don't know what a beating a FL salt water boat takes on a normal day. We came in to make weigh-in for a tournament in 28 Contender with 6 ft following sea running 40plus knts into Clearwater pass. And no they aint rollers. This is no back Gulf crap. And never once even thought about a problem. We did break a trim tab.

I think that would be a great idea. Don't tell anyone that we can add texture to our paint.

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

kahuna123 said:

Its obvious from most of the responses they have never seen, rode in, or know what a Contender boat is. Keep in mind 99% of the people on this forum run around in lakes on an eggshell with plywood stringers with a foot chop on a bad day. They don't know what a beating a FL salt water boat takes on a normal day. .

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Seriously? I don't know if you know this but many of the people on this forum work in the trade for a living and have done so for many, many years (and regularly face weather that you have described). There aren't many things that come across this forum that many of us haven't done so many times we can do it blind folded. I can only speak for myself and my opinion on the CF use; yes if it's painted there is no difference cosmetically, and yes non-skid particles can be added to give traction (I think everyone knows this). However for this boat (i.e. NOT being a competition racer or anything even close) I don't see the point. The cost would be many times more than using poly and glass (same construction that the boat was built with) and for what? Just to shave off a few pounds (and probably not enough to make much, if any noticeable difference). I was assuming that if the owner were going to be using CF for the deck that he was also going to leave it raw (unpainted) to have that appearance (which does look cool, don't get me wrong). The reason I thought this was the comment made "that it would look cool". Well, if you're just going to cover it up with paint, it wouldn't look any cooler than glass.

There's nothing wrong with doing this, if the owner wants to spend the money for the sake of being able to say "I my decks are CF", then go for it. It's just not something that I would consider. Personally I would use poly and glass, and use the difference in money for other upgrades.

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

kahuna123 said:

Its obvious from most of the responses they have never seen, rode in, or know what a Contender boat is. Keep in mind 99% of the people on this forum run around in lakes on an eggshell with plywood stringers with a foot chop on a bad day. They don't know what a beating a FL salt water boat takes on a normal day. We came in to make weigh-in for a tournament in 28 Contender with 6 ft following sea running 40plus knts into Clearwater pass. And no they aint rollers. This is no back Gulf crap. And never once even thought about a problem. We did break a trim tab.

I think that would be a great idea. Don't tell anyone that we can add texture to our paint.

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I'm not sure what a Contender and carbon fiber have in common. I've been to their manufacturing facility in Miami, located next to the old Bertram plant, one of my fav boats. Is this something new?

May look cool.......but to hot for my feet!

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

the OP wants the "look" of carbon fiber.....so painting it is out.
weight is one thing.....but we are only talking about 5-6 lbs different total weight in the boat.

to get the benefits of carbon fiber....you will use epoxy....and you need to vac bag it to get "the look"....this will leave you with that ultra smooth "glass mirror" type finish......just try to walk on that when its wet.

you wont get "the look" using polyester resin......it cures amber or darker towards brown so "the look" is gone....

these are the facts

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

to...add......

why dont you build the instrument cluster out of carbon fiber?......you get the look.....and it is in a much better place than the deck?

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

I think I will do a little Carbon Fiber.
like near the exhast, and somthing on the bow for the anchor winch to hold on too.
I like my dash!
Just not on the deck.....
Sounds like the look i want - would be tough to get, and not functional

oops! said:

to...add......

why dont you build the instrument cluster out of carbon fiber?......you get the look.....and it is in a much better place than the deck?

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Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

I really didn't want to come across as an a**, and I hope no offense was taken. I think that the above idea is a good one. Please post some pics of the finished areas when you're done; after all, CF does look cool Good luck!

Re: Thinking of using carbon fiber for the deck???

carbon fiber is a totally different material.......and its used for totally different things....like the blades on a windmill, where weight and stregnth are ah huge issue.

some car builders are using it forspeaker boxes....hoods, a pillar covers.....just cause it looks cool and,,,,small parts are inexpencive to make one offs from