Article: Composites take hold: builders of fiberglass boats are using stiffeners that are lighter than wood and figure to last longer.(Boatbuilding)

Maybe it was the transition from wooden lobster boats to fiberglass; maybe it was because the early builders of fiberglass lobster boats couldn't figure a better way to provide hull stiffening, construct a bulkhead or support a deck other than using solid wood timbers or plywood. Whatever the reason, wood, used for support and stiffening, has always been an important pan of building fiberglass boats.

Early on in fiberglass boatbuilding, there were alternatives to wood, mostly core materials such as balsa and Airex foam. But these materials, especially balsa, gained a bad reputation among fishermen because of poor construction techniques in early boats. Plus, when ...

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