G.r.p. A frame

[Sonar]

G.R.P. A FRAME

Any ideas the forum may have
thinking now on an A frame just to hold

Navigation lights

Anchor light

Ariel

Gps receiver

Radar reflector.

I would like to make it in glass fiber .I have seen a few on some overseas ribs.


any comments welcome.

[biffer]

Originally Posted by Sonar

G.R.P. A FRAME

Any ideas the forum may have
thinking now on an A frame just to hold

Navigation lights

Anchor light

Ariel

Gps receiver

Radar reflector.

I would like to make it in glass fiber .I have seen a few on some overseas ribs.


any comments welcome.

we haven't had much luck with grp a frames, you have to make them in 2 parts and bond them together, we did a mould and moulding for a large swan sailing boat and it was a right bugger, ocean did one in the early days, you will always get stress cracks on them

[Sonar]

Originally Posted by biffer

we haven't had much luck with grp a frames, you have to make them in 2 parts and bond them together, we did a mould and moulding for a large swan sailing boat and it was a right bugger, ocean did one in the early days, you will always get stress cracks on them

I thought that as well a two part mould but the joining of the two parts may be a problem so far as strength goes.

but where there's a will there's a way.
thinking on it now might have come up with an answer but its a long winded way of doing it.

[biffer]

Originally Posted by Sonar

I thought that as well a two part mould but the joining of the two parts may be a problem so far as strength goes.

but where there's a will there's a way.
thinking on it now might have come up with an answer but its a long winded way of doing it.

you could lay up a frame like a "c" shape and then a panel that fits into the inside, does that make sense?

[Sonar]

Originally Posted by biffer

you could lay up a frame like a "c" shape and then a panel that fits into the inside, does that make sense?

Then epoxy one into the other.
While leaving a hollow section for wiring sounds a good idea.

[Sharkbyte]

How weird is that? I was googling 'grp a frame' only last night. Nothing turned up, bar standard factory issue affairs.

Currently experimenting with a view to building something special for my 4.7 Futura SIB.

[Sonar]

Originally Posted by Sharkbyte

How weird is that? I was googling 'grp a frame' only last night. Nothing turned up, bar standard factory issue affairs.

Currently experimenting with a view to building something special for my 4.7 Futura SIB.

Sounds interesting .

[9D280]

Just going to chuck a thought in here......

Could you use a windsurfer mast or two as a basis, then you only need to design the corner fixings / crossbar which as it needs flat aea to mount your toys, would be a whole lot easier to mould a hollow section (vould do it like a laser dinghy, but in miniature) - Mould "pole inserts" into the ends, 'poxy the whole lot together, Job done!

If you fixed the verticals to the transom using U- bolts then you run the cables up through the bottom of thre pipe. (and if you make a screw fixing at the top, the thing could dismantlwe to make cable laying sooooo much easier......) Also would ship "flatpack"

[chewy]

East coast fibreglass do fibreglass tubes, only problem is moulding corner pieces.

[SPR]

as windsurfers masts but with some carbon fibre poles, might not crack as much! but that might be expensive....

S.

[andyxs]

to make corner peices get some foam pipe insulation and bend it (a little bit of shaping may be neccesary). poss put some bent wire in side it. lay up around it and then pour acetone over the foam and you have a rough corner peice. the other way is just to have a right angled corner by butting the tubes together and laying up over the join.

[Sonar]

There all great ideas and have given me a lot to think about and options on materials as well.

I am a way off from making one but the ideas are there thanks to the forum members.

Many thanks

Robert

[biffer]

i wasn't thinking of tube, more flat box like, have a look at the race boat, that arch is grp

[Sonar]

Originally Posted by biffer

i wasn't thinking of tube, more flat box like, have a look at the race boat, that arch is grp

I am sure I have seen some continental ribs with grp radar / a frames on them.

[Into The Blue]

http://brig.ua/e645.phtml

Have a look here, BRIG make ribs with arches, not sure how they overcome the stress cracking but they do look good

[Sonar]

Originally Posted by Into The Blue

http://brig.ua/e645.phtml

Have a look here, BRIG make ribs with arches, not sure how they overcome the stress cracking but they do look good

Yes they look o.k. i am thinking of a smaller frame than them in the link you posted but something like that..
Thanks for your information.
Robert