Duflex (Balsa cored panel construction) Questions.

[44'cruisingcat]

AFAIK, DuFlex is only manufactured in Australia. The company that makes it is called ATL Composites. Your best bet would be to e-mail them.

website: ATL COMPOSITES

[LeeV]

Thanks; I'm familiar with them but hoped to avoid having stuff shipped to the east coast of the U.S.!

[Sand crab]

Not duflex but end grain balsa with different skins.
Core Materials

[LeeV]

Thanks, I'll run it by the designer.

[Sand crab]

It's on eBay too.
end grain balsa | eBay

Just curious. Why not foam core or strip plank?

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

It's on eBay too.
end grain balsa | eBay

Just curious. Why not foam core or strip plank?

The boat is a Schionning design that calls for specific duflex panels.

[Sand crab]

Baltek is an international company with a strong presence in the US. They are probably the biggest supplier of balsa core in the world. Their website says that they can supply different configurations of these panels. Maybe they have a Duflex alternative.

[LeeV]

Yep, I've been researching; ATL is the primary contact now, and their US link is Revchem Composites. I'm waiting for a return phone call at this time.

[Southern Star]

I am not aware of any equivalent to duflex panels in North America and would be interested in hearing the outcome of your search. You can make your own panels by glassing over both sides of a core material, but it would be difficult to obtain completely consistent thickness and finish and it would add considerable labour to your project.

Brad

[estarzinger]

^^

If you are essentially talking about someone who fabs flat cored panels, there were a bunch of suppliers in the USA when we built Hawk (her whole interior is pre-fab cored panel) . . . Balsa, foam and honeycomb cores, all sorts of skins (glass, carbon, wood, Formica, metal, even stone) in all sorts of thicknesses. I believe they were/are made in big heated presses. I bought them in 4 x 8 sheets, but there were other sizes available.

[estarzinger]

By the way . . . Here is one if the core panel suppliers I used Panels: Core Composites, Inc.core composites

These were sort of a mid-range supplier . . . . You could also get cheaper, and you could get aerospace grade.

[downunder]

Can you find a USA based operator experienced in flat panel Infusion and have all your panels infused on flat table to schonnings laminate specs. Will give you same result as using duflex and may be slightly lighter.

Its then the same method of construction with your own infused panels rather than duflex panels.

Essentially similar to Kelsall's method using Schonning's plans.

http://www.kelsall.com/TechnicalArticles/WhatIsKSS.pdf

Attached is the construction of another Australian design using flat panels infused on a table. The hull shoe was infused in a mould.

Picture Gallery - FreeFlow 46 Construction

Worthwhile working through the link. This system of flat panel construction is similar to both schonning and Spirited catamarans just not using duflex.

Consider building your own infusion table.

Another link flat panel construction of a harryproa.

Trimaran Projects and Multihull News: Rob Denney's Solitarry proa design

[Sand crab]

Doesn't Duflex make really large panels so that you have one side of a hull in one piece more or less? Can you imagine shipping costs from OZ to the east coast of the US? Wow!

[Doe818]

Foam core would require a much heavier laminate schedule and a thicker core to reach the same overall strength, so the foam boat would most likely up heavier than than the balsa boat even though the core material itself is lighter. Both leopard and lagoon know this too, even though they use inferior resins. End grain balsa done right and in epoxy makes for a far stiffer and, pound for pound, an overall superior laminate.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

Doesn't Duflex make really large panels so that you have one side of a hull in one piece more or less? Can you imagine shipping costs from OZ to the east coast of the US? Wow!

No, DuFlex comes in 8x4 sheets, like plywood. The long ends are scarfed to allow them to be joined without compromising their strength.