I been thinking about this for a very very long time, and i wont ever do it, but i gotta ask...say besides carpet, balsa, flow coat...i wanted to lay up carbon fiber over the stringers, and floor in my one of my boats...it would give some structual integrity, and look really bitchen, as long as it was done right...i know they have a couple types of carbon fiber, but i would probably use the 2 12 stuff that is flexible, and easier to work with, more expensive, but what i am getting at is how would this be done, and what type of hardner would work, and type of resin...urethane clear resin....you wouldnt want to do this with home cheapo stuff especially spending the coin on the carbon fiber you would really want the depth to show, but what does everyone think....just another interesting discussion here....who knows i might do it! talk me out of it....talk me into it....what does everyone think?

Dunno, texted my brother on it, maybe he does.

More importantly, how to lay up the carbon fiber undershorts you might need in that thing! 

Ray

The problem with carbon fiber is trying to get the weaving square , as you start pulling on it and trying to lay it out it tends to move around and not look squared up any more. Hopes that makes sense , if not it will when you start to try it out.

i know exactly what you are talking about! it's a pain in the ass!!! gonna half to have lots of work time, and make sure to be very gentle...if you get the waves you might as well rip it all out!

good idea really the whole idea would be cosmetic the floor is already there ya know i did the idea, but you would actually half to lay it in there perfect....i love hearing these ideas 

Texted my brother, plastics, nylon and machinist extraodinaire, "any knowledge on laying up Carbon Fiber"

He texts back "What's she look like and where does she live?"

Some help HE is!! 

And you thought that I was a smartass.....

Ray

If you want ...I'll try to find the literature and link to a place that sells......well let's put it this way it looks like carbon fiber but it applys like glass cloth. I wanna say it's "aluminized" glass cloth. Outlaw put some in his bilge area. The one he did is a lighter gray than acual carbon fiber. Some day I'd like to do the outer sides of my sponsons with it.
I found it  www.fibreglast.com.  this print out I'm looking is black and white, I don't know if they have a carbon fiber look-a-like or not.

I am actually in the middle of laying out some carbon fiber sheets over a center console that i made for my truck. I have a few yards here that i am working with. I will post some pictures when i am done. I am using 3m 90 high strength spray adhesive and tap plastics marine grade resin with medium hardener for clarity. going to sand this and then clear coat it.

If it is just for the looks of the CF, you should use surfboard resin, we did some bucket seats and laminated a PVC boat name laminated into the resin, came out cool, surfboard resin is almost optically clear and very easy to work with.

The trick to keeping the pattern true is to squeegee in one direction, you have to use some forethought to do it right, the cloth will travel about an inch for every linear foot of length....

GT

I will look into the surfboard resin also, thanks 

John that is really awesome....makes me want to go ahead with it

For god's sake don'use a torch on resin to get out bubbles! You could burn down your boat, garage, house, you, etc. Carbon for asthetic value is great but if you realy want more strength you need multi plys preferably in different directions.  Assuming you boat was layed up with standard laminating resin any type of resin will work but keep in mind that since the boat is fully cured the strength of the carbon will only be as good as the adhiesion of the resin to the original surface. Your best resin when thinking of adhiesive capability is epoxy. Spray adhiesives to fix the corbon in place before adding resin is fine just make sure it's compatable with the resin / epoxy.  Prep is very important.  Sand the  surface to recieve the epoxy and vacume then clean with acetone. Flow coat resins don't work well over epoxy. Epoxy as a flow coat will probably sag. Thin coats of epoxy are ok but to get a great looking finish wet sand the final coat and spray a hardened urithane clear over it.  It's a pain in the A.. but it does look great. Don't exspect wonders structurally and take your time.