Justin wrote: > I dont feel that plywood is a good choice. I know it is proven for many > years but why not make it stronger and most likley lighter using fiberglass > to get a perfect smooth finsh? It's not as if im changing the airframe to > accept the fiberglass, it is still a stock KR2S airframe unlike the other > fiberglass boats which make complex shapes.
So, there have been something like 1500 of these built, and not ONE of them has ever had the plywood mysteriously sheer off and create a crash, but you don't think it's good enough? The plywood isn't there just to keep the wind out. It's an integral part of the structure. If nothing else, it acts as a gusset. > It's actually not much work to use this fiberglass skinning. I draw on > the foam and cut it out, it will take me about an hour to do the whole > fuselage and then applying the glass (2 people) will be about another hour > X 2 (inside and out). Sanding the foam will take a few hours. I think you're seriously mistaken here. It can't get any easier to finish something than plywood is. You start with a smooth, flat surface, that really only requires a little sealer and fine sanding and it's ready for primer and paint. You must not have had much experience with fiberglass, but the surface will be far from straight, and the pinholes will eat your lunch trying to fill them all. My guess is it'd take at least three times more effort to skin it with fiberglass then with plywood., and the strength is still in serious doubt... Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL N56ML "at" hiwaay.net see KR2S project at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford
