Anonymous wrote:

[...] LVL uses many thin laminations, and resorcinol glue, so should be very reliable.

Thanks for the response. This was my thought when I looked at the LVL in person at the lumberyard. If two layers strengthen natural wood weaknesses then very many layers must be even more consistently strong. I will be keeping LVL in the back on my mind when it comes time to make spars.

Looking back it might have been a good idea to design the rig around the 12 foot AL tube that is available. The next size up is 24 foot. I imagine for a 3700mm batten line on a sail plan I will really need about 14 feet (4267 mm) long battens.

But I already made those paper patterns at 3700mm.

Any advice for a first timer. Should I start over from scratch and make new patterns so I can use 12 foot stock AL tube? Should I add some wood to the 12 foot tubes like what was done on Footprints? LVL Spars?

I think I have finally come to a decision after looking at a lot of fabric. Weathermax 65 seems like to way to go. It is more expensive than Odyssey but it certainly appears to have more actual fabric content at the same weight. I attached 'Weathermax65_Odyssey_Blue.jpg' which tells the story pretty clearly.

I have been wondering if anyone has experience or opinions on using LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) beams in making battens. I am considering using this as stock for wood battens to reduce the labor and make it easy to cut straight battens. Since the beams are already square, long enough and thick enough it should be just a few long rip cuts against the fence of a table saw to make battens.

Anonymous wrote:

Now, are you going to reveal which cloths these are? I'm going to take a punt on the blue being Odyssey.

Thank you for taking the time to look. I was not trying to keep the fabrics a big secret. I named the files with something descriptive for each fabric. Now that I look at the posting I see that the file names are not really obvious unless you download the photos.

I have updated the photos with the some descriptive text in the image itself. I also replaced the one that you said was too bright with a clearer version. On top of that I got two more small samples in the mail today. I took more photos of those two. The whole mess is now in my member photo album. I will add descriptive links below.

Your kick (gamble?) was good. The blue stuff is Odyssey.

1.6_HyperD_PU4000

(ripstopbytheroll.com)

1.9_Ounce_IMPORTED_Polyurethane_Coated_Ripstop

(www.seattlefabrics.com)

2.2_Hex70_PU3000

(ripstopbytheroll.com)

Odyssey_01

Odyssey_02

POLYESTER_RIPSTOP_(DWR)-2.6_OZ 

(www.fabricwholesaledirect.com)

Red_210_Denier_Coated_Nylon

(www.onlinefabricstore.net)

Red_600_300_Denier_PVC_Coated

(www.onlinefabricstore.net)

Scott

Anonymous wrote:It's not a lack of coating that should cause you to avoid this cloth. Try holding it up to a strong light - can you see pinhole-size leakage of light through it? If not, it's tightly woven enough. If it can be used for kites and tents, as the supplier claims, then it's airtight enough for a lightweight sail. It's similar to the cloth I used for my windvane, which is still strong (but faded, as it's red) after two full seasons of exposure to UV. [ ... ]

David,

I have been trying to decide if I see pinhole-sized leakage of light through these fabrics or not. If anything the one that clearly shows points of light is the Odyssey sample. But I expect this might be because the Odyssey is more or less opaque in normal room light and all the other fabrics are at least somewhat translucent.

Capturing these differences in a photo is even more difficult but I gave it a try anyway. Its not cold enough for skiing and not warm enough for sailing so why not waste some time on this?

I used a portable shop lamp with a 60 Watt equivalent LED bulb for the photos. I also cut a hole in some cardboard and wrapped in it aluminium foil. With the bulb pointed straight up and the cardboard and fabric on top I took a few photos.

Do you see anything interesting in the pictures attached?

Scott.

Scott wrote:

I am seriously thinking about using spruce for the yard, the boom and the battens. I am sure that this will make for a heavier rig, and more weight aloft.

Is there any other reason why I should not use epoxy laminated spars made from the stuff that is labeled 'Pine / Spruce / Fir' at the home improvement store?

If you select stock with only small knots, and laminate battens from two pieces such that the run of the grain in each piece is a mirror image of the other (if you see what I mean), then you can get very stiff strong spars. Sure, a tube is the best for strength /weight ratio, putting all the material in exactly the right place, but apart from that, wooden battens will work fine for you. The same with the yard, but laminated from three or more pieces of small stock, so that any inadequacies in each piece are compensated by sounder material in the others. Given that, you needn't pay extra for prime, clear, straight grained boatbuilding timber.