Marine Fabricators Launch New Composite Boats Despite Down Market
By Staff | June 01, 2003
A recent report entitled Marine Industry 2003: Global Market Outlook, published by E-Composites Inc. (Grandville, Mich., U.S.A.) indicates that the marine market in the U.S. dropped by 7.4 percent in 2002, compared to 2001. Hardest hit was the sailboat category, suffering a 15 percent decline, but the number of boats sold in all categories, including inboard, outboard and stern drive boats, jet boats, personal watercraft and even canoes, was down. Consumption of composite materials by boatbuilders was reportedly 5.6 percent lower. For a detailed table of contents and price for the 410-page report, E-mail: MarineReport@e-composites.com; Tel.: (616) 532-4076.
Despite such news, several boatbuilders have indicated confidence in the near-term marine market: Velocity Powerboats (Initial Marine Corp., Sanford, Fla., U.S.A.) has introduced two new speedboats -- a 29-ft VR1 290 and a 39-ft VR1 390 -- the first built entirely with VeTron High Performance Roving from Advanced Glassfiber Yarns LLC (Aiken, S.C., U.S.A., select 293). Launched at the 2003 Miami Boat Show, the boats were layed up with a VeTron roving-based biaxial fabric (style VDBA 2408) wetout with vinyl ester resin at the Velocity plant in Sanford.
Velocity president Steve Stepp reports that initial sample testing with VeTron fabrics demonstrated performance comparable to more expensive S-glass and Kevlar products previously used at the plant. "We build two to three racing boats per year," comments Stepp. "So we are always interested in new technology to build them lighter and stronger -- then we turn around and use them in the pleasure boats to give the customer the best value of his money."
Genmar (Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A.) reports a 22 percent increase in sales (totaling $535 million from July through December 2002) and has announced that it will unveil a new 18-ft Four Winns family boat, built using the company's closed-mold VEC (Virtual Engineered Composite) Technology, at the National Plastics Exposition in Chicago, June 23-27. The boat will feature a finish called VEC Shield, the result of three years of research by Genmar, G.E. Plastics, Spartech and Kinro Composites. The first non-marine commercial application for VEC Technology is Drew Industries Inc.'s (White Plains, N.Y., U.S.A.) one-piece tub/shower module, which will be sold into the manufactured housing market.
The VEC process employs an automated closed-molding system supported by fluid pressure. Production is four times faster than open molding and reduces styrene emissions during lamination by more than 90 percent. According to the company, computers monitor more than 500 process variables to produce decks and hulls consistent in weight, density and thickness, with a glossy finish, inside and out, directly from the mold.
