Heart of Glass

[ebb]

Sweet water intrusion into a balsa core would have to be constant and for a long time for rot to occur. The water has to move sideways thru the wood. The end grain is filled and penetrated pretty well with polyester. That was my observation of a piece of the cabin composite that was partly still in good shape at the mast on 338. Incredibly tough stuff.

I wonder if Baltec can be made with a thin absorbant border of glass mat between all the endgrain squares. In laminating, the plastic could then isolate each square of the core eliminating water migration. Balsa is still a cost effective way to make a strong deck. Patented foams are very expensive.

[Sprite]

I think it was Everett Pearson that mentioned Baltec

and how he was cutting balsa into squares so the endgrain
was cut so that the would not meet. The Pearson's did
a test in the eighties with squares and a skim coat of
epoxy in Bristol RI they chained it to their dock and
left it for two years in the water in Narragansett Bay.
They only had 1 percent penetration of water with the
balsa squares and epoxy. He also mentioned they could
of had this as early as 1963 for racing. He mentioned
something about early Ariels and how they had delamination
of decks in 1962 and how it was a problem.

Just thought it was interesting.

John