Laminate Structure In all of my layups I use a composite laminate of high density foam core sandwiched between two layers of fabric. The fabric can either be fiberglass, carbon or Kevlar. Polyester or epoxy resin is used to complete the structural system, and the entire layup is placed into the mold. A vacuum bag is applied, squeezing the material together and removing any excess resin, creating the ideal resin to cloth ratio. The result is a high strength, extremely light structural system. I use foam core rather than just the fabric because the thickness of the composite geometrically adds strength to the materials. It creates a greater "moment of inertia" the same way the core of cardboard (corrugated paper) strengthens the paper on either side. Well my laminate structure should in no way be compared to cardboard. In fact, similar laminate schedules are used in building today's high performance aircraft. When shopping for boats an important factor to look for and is often times overlooked is how stiff the boat is. This is where foam core structures shine. I have two test laminates, one with two layers of carbon and the other with two layers of fiberglass sandwiched around a foam core. Because of the geometry, the foam core fiberglass structure is actually stiffer than the carbon without the core. Now put a core in-between two layers of carbon and there's no comparison. The reason stiffness is so important is that if you look at the canoe from a physics standpoint in terms of energy its quite clear. You the paddler put energy into the system causing you to move forward. Obvious factors like wind and surface drag along the hull of the canoe take energy away from the system. But every time you go over the top of a wave or hit piece of chop your canoe flexes and dicepates energy, causing you to slow down. The more your boat flexes the more energy is lost and the slower you go. One way to visualize this is to compare a spear and a rope. If you throw these into water which will go farther? The spear because it is stiff and doesn't bend when it hits the water, where as the rope conforms to the water and stops immediately. This is an extreme example but I think you get my point. Stiffer boats are faster boats. Well I hope this helped you to understand how composite structures work. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line or email me, I love to talk shop. Or stop by when I'm at the races, I'll show you those test layups. Aloha Cullen