Makin Memories new swim platform is nearing completion. We are on the schedule to haul-out later this month to attach our custom swim platform and perform other work in preparation for the Great Loop beginning in January. I thought I would write about the materials being used by Doug at Custom Boat Work co-located with Pitman’s Yacht Service in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

I thought I would write a little about the materials being used by Doug at Custom Boat Work which is co-located with Pitman’s Yacht Service in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Doug recommended using 1708 bi-axle glass as the multiple laying fabric on top of and on the bottom of the Kay-Cel core (more on Kay-cel in a moment). 1708 bi-axle glass is a heavy duty glass reinforcement common in marine construction. Used where high strength and fast build-up are necessary. It contains double bias(17oz) stitched at +/- 45 degrees to provide this superior strength. The mat in this fabric is stitched and fully compatible with polyester, vinyl ester, and epoxy resins.

The core of this swim platform is made by Kayco and is called Kay-cel. The Kay-cel core makes use of polyurethane rigid foam has been growing rapidly in many industries due to its excellent combination of energy conservation, good mechanical strength with lighter weight than other traditional materials. It is a rigid, closed-cell, high-density polyurethane foam core panel. Its advantages are:

Excellent Strength-to-Weight ratio

Foam Reinforced with fiberglass increases mechanical properties

Lightweight – 30% Lighter Than Marine Plywood

Closed Cell Cross-Linked Polymer Foam will not absorb water

Will Not Rot…Excellent Replacement for Wood

You may note a white bar in the pictures provided also. That is the material of the blow-out sections (four of them) in the event of taking swells from the stern that would otherwise exert excessive force on the transom. They will be held in place with #8 screws.