Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

Has anyone heard of "Hydroply"? A distributor here in FL sells it; www.worldpanel.com. A 4x8 4mm sheet goes for $37.20. It is (according to their website) BS1088, WBP glued, marine grade and rated for structural use. They state it is made from meranti or gurjan. It doesn't look as nice as Okoume (at least in their pics) and it is a little heavier, but if one was to paint the hull...? Does anybody have any experience with this? 

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RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

I haven't used it myself but have seen it used successfully for power boats. Looking at the manufacturer's specs, it's definitely heavier and stiffer than the Okoume sold here. I think that it would work for a few of the boats sold here, but not for others. Definitely wouldn't use it for any of the Schades' designs, but I could see it working with a Jimmy Skiff or even the Pocketship.

Laszlo

 

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

what do you think for the chesapeake 16 hull?

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

After college my first paid vacation was a 7 day canoe trip through Algonquin Park in Ontario Canada. We saved some money by renting an aluminum canoe rather than fiberglass, rotomold or kevlar. Worst money I ever saved. Paid for it with every portage.

I would check the weight if you could.

Also, read through some of the questions on this site. The trend I see is that builders are cheerfully helped by other builders who had been through the same experience and sometimes ran into the same issue(s). If you stray to far from the path the rest of us are paddling you reduce the groups ability to help you out a bit.

John 

PS I am great at saving money. I bought the Skerry plans rather than kit. Second worst money I have saved since it will end up costing me more than the kit and take waaay more time. Seriously considering getting the kit for Skerry II and using the accumulated wood/epoxy for Skerry I for other projects.

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

Steven,

It probably would. I just took a look at the physical properties list again and except for the weight it seems very similar to sapele (except that it's 15% heavier). The most troublesome place for bending on the CH16 is the front deck, which has a compound curve. The WD12 also has a similar compound curve on its foredeck, but it bent just fine with sapele, so my guess is that you'd be OK on the CH16.

Before you run out and spend your money, please remember that this is just my guess based on the manufacturer's data sheet and having built a CH16LT and WD12 with okoume and sapele. In other words, this is free advice, worth double what you paid for it and you use it at your own risk. The safest thing to do would be to use okoume.

Good luck however you go,

Laszlo

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

Keep in mind that you are going to be spending somewhere between $800 and $1200 for materials and supplies on this boat, so saving a few dollars on wood might be a regretted decision every time you pick up a boat that weighs a few pounds more than it might have. -Wes

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

Yep. I guess CLC would go with Hydrocore or some other less expensive ply if it worked. But it doesn't hurt to get extra info. I also read an older post from CLC that hydro core ( or hydrotek, but I believe they are similar) was very inconsistent in quality, and some of it crumbled. I also ran across a graph yesterday- Hydrocore isn't just a little heavier, it's a LOT heavier. Thanks.

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

Are you sure there is a plywood called Hydrocore?  I couldn't find their web page, so it is possible that you are confusing the name with Hydrotek.

Hydrotek is about 20% denser than okoume according to dealer pages, and confirmed by other web posts. It is BS1088 rated (very strict rules about both inner and outer ply quality) and made from 100% meranti logs (meranti has good mechanical properties), so I think whoever said it crumbled may be confusing it with some other product.

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

I've found there are both hydrocore and htdrotek, although they sound like the same thing. www.worldpanel.com

RE: Anybody heard of "hydrocore"?

Thanks, Steven, good site for a supplier of HydroCore. 

Has anyone found the name or website for the manufacturer?

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