Stewart,
I agree when talking about uni for pre preg.
From memeory 200gm plain weave pre preg was aound $70 per m2 while uni was around $24 per m2 at 200gm. However the lighter the fabric he more costly. From my calculatrion at the time hulls built from pre preg uni are quite cost effective but as soon as you introduce plain weave the cost goes thru the roof.
In addition to this you have to buy a full roll of pre preg uni and this has to be factured into the overall cost.
On the other hand plain weave can be bought around here at a min of 5 m2.

As indicated in my last post there are other considerations. As this subject interests me so much I'd be happy to call you to discuss.
The real problem is hulls are usually built of glass not carbon. The diff between the cost of pre preg glass and wet layup is huge.
It really gets to me when the Tornado class say you can not use cabon in the hulls but it is OK to use pre preg plain weave glass. This blows me away.

Actually infusion is more within the realms of the home builder than pre preg. With Infusion you need a good vacuum pump however in pre preg you need the vacuum pump and an oven.
There are different infusion methods that also need an oven but really this is moving more towards the pre preg methodology.
As I said before, happy to call you some time to discuss,
I find this advancement in production techniques facinating and I'm very happy that NACRA are moving into the 21st centuray with a number of other manufacturers. All we need now is Hobie to come up to speed and we could start to get some hulls that have realistic weights.

How are things going with your F16.
I'm very interested!
Fancy a chat some time. I still want to come over to sail around Rotnest. It's been over 20 years since I was on Rotnest and kicking myself I didn't bring my cat , a Mossie at the time.
I will never forget the waves with the really long faces and the following breese as we travelled back to the mainland.
What a ride on an F16 one up with a kite!!!!
I have a list of things I want to do and sailing from Rotnest to Fremantle is right up there.

Regards,
Phill


I know that the voices in my head aint real,
but they have some pretty good ideas.
There is no such thing as a quick fix and I've never had free lunch!