Making Your Boat Structures Lighter, Stiffer, Stronger

Stronger and Lighter
In simple terms, the core increases the flexural stiffness of a sandwich panel used in hulls, decks and bulkheads by effectively increasing the distance between the two stress skins, much like an I beam. Marine honeycomb cores also effectively provide shear resistance, a key component to overall flexural stiffness.

Stiffer and Lighter than Single Sheet Laminate
The stiffness of honeycomb laminations and Plascore Board™ allows boat builders to use less material, reducing weight while increasing speed and cargo capacity. Stiffness increases exponentially compared to single sheet material. The use of honeycomb core(s) creates a dramatic increase in stiffness with very little weight gain.

Save Weight and Money
The best of both worlds: Plascore PP Honeycomb and Aluminum Honeycomb are not only lightweight cores, they are more cost-effective than balsa and foam and do not absorb water, while Nomex^® and Kevlar^®, typically used in racing boats for their aerospace qualities, are extremely light, with high temperature stability for prepreg applications. The value of each core must be weighed in a ‘go-to-market’ strategy: which core delivers the best performance, is most compatible and is readily available at a competitive cost for the specific application?

Continued Performance after Failure
Most marine core materials respond similarly to stress under normal operating loads. As loading increases the core begins to flex to accommodate the increase in shear stress on the core. Unlike other core materials that reach an ultimate yield stress and fail catastrophically, honeycomb, and in particular Plascore PP Honeycomb, continues to respond and perform. This continued response indicates the ability of the honeycomb to absorb energy even after ultimate yield strength failure.