Tartan Yachts Technology

printer friendly

BPA Epoxy Hulls

The Epoxy Revolution

hull_1

Just as the introduction of polyester fiberglass laminates replaced wood yacht construction in the early 1960's, Tartan's new infused BPA epoxy laminate now makes those earlier lamination techniques obsolete. We use BPAepoxy resin in our laminating process. The other builders use polyester resins, which simply cannot achieve the strength, stiffness and osmotic resistance our hulls. That's why the world's leading grand prix and custom yachts are built with epoxy resins. While our resin is more expensive than polyester resin, there is simply no other sensible choice in hull laminate construction.

In constructing our hull laminates, we begin by using the most advanced materials available in the marine industry today. The combination of uni-directional E-glass, synthetic structural foam
coring and BPA epoxy resin produces the strongest and most impact resistant laminate in the marine industry. Our hulls are resin Infused under vacuum to ensure an optimal low-resin, high fiber content. This process consolidates the laminate into a void free matrix and produces the optimum strength to weight ratio in a composite laminate.

Additionally, the vacuum infused hull laminate is done in a single process with all components in place rather than bonding each layer separately like other builders. This produces a singular primary bond
among the laminate components rather than the weaker multiple secondary bonds between cured laminate layers produced by traditional polyester construction. Our process creates a laminate of far greater strength and stiffness. That also maintains its physical properties through cyclic loading far beyond the abilities of conventional polyester laminate construction.

Our process optimizes the strength and longevity of the composite laminate. Hulls built with this proprietary process are the strongest in the industry and of a quality that was previously available only for custom built cruisers or grand prix racers. We are so confident in the strength and durability of our laminate process that we are the only builder to offer a 15-year, transferable, structural, no-blister
warranty.

Our Superior Hull Construction

Superior impact resistance

No other hull in the industry can match the strength and impact resistance of a Tartan yacht.

Superior cosmetic appearance

Tartan hulls are built to be cosmetically superior and remain that way throughout their lifetime.

Polyester hulls are not post-cured in production. Once polyester hulls are exposed to sunlight and temperature, they experience an uncontrolled post-curing process resulting in 7-8% resin shrinkage volumetrically. This creates roving and core print-through that is apparent in most polyester hulls. Tartan's hulls do not experience this post-cure shrinkage and remain better looking for a longer period of time.

Superior structural longevity

The adhesive properties of our resins are far superior to those of polyester resins. This characteristic substantially limits micro-cracking within the laminate. Micro-cracking leads to fatigue and a weakening of the hull structure over time. The superior ability of our epoxy based laminate to withstand the negative effects of cyclic loading is an essential advantage of Tartan hulls versus other manufacturers' polyester hulls.

Superior retention of shear strength

Interlaminar shear strength is significantly weakened by water absorption in the laminate. Simply stated, decks and hulls that get “soft” from water absorption are much weaker than ones that don't. Polyester laminates lose 35% of their shear strength after one year in the water due to water absorption. In contrast, epoxy based laminates retain nearly 100% of their shear strength during the same period of time in the water. Why? Because epoxy is water resistant; polyester isn't.

Superior blister resistance

Superior resistance to water absorption of our epoxy based laminate eliminates osmotic gelcoat blistering in Tartan hulls.