I have some 15 year old FCS AM-1 “glass flex” fins. I was wondering what kind of plastic is it exactly? Could I buy sheets of the material? The fins I have are kind of greenish. Who was the yacht designer who, when the first fiberglass boats were being made, described the material as “frozen snot?” Same color as g-10.
I could be wrong, but I think the green color is a subliminal ploy. They have that Volan look to them and I think it is intentional.
is this not G10 panels ? fiberglass resin panels made under pressure, common for fins, if so greenish come from sizing (volan?) of fiber and panel thickness. i have same greenish look with thicker industrial quality fiberglass i use.
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“It looks like frozen snot.”
-L. Francis Herreshoff, looking at a Herreshoff Bullseye built of fiberglass.
Pretty sure the fins are molded using a “fiberglass infused plastic” not sure what that means, but it’s molded. For FCS style fins, the 1/4" G10 you can get online works great. G10 is kind of heavy for thick single fin boxes.
So not someting you could buy in a panel and foil yourself?
ps. I’m not talking about g-10 althought the color is the same.
One more
You could probably find it but I don’t know where to look.
from this video, glass flex is molded polymer glass reinforced = thermoformable plastic (i bet family of polycarbonate) reinforced with glass powder. performance glass is g10 CNC cut same as glass on.
you probably can find panel of reinforced polycarbonate. you also probably can make one with filament of reinforced pc for 3D printer.
I’ve made fins from various plastics including clear lexan. I think the best material for the 1/4" thick fin box like FCS is G10. For 3/8" center boxes, layed up fiberglass or fiberglass and other materials like wood or foam help to keep the fin lighter. I gave Bernie a 7.5" long and half inch thick Brewer style fin I made from G10. First thing he said was that it was heavy. I use a 9" long half inch thick 4A style G10 fin, it’s also heavy. I hit a rock and it tore the box loose.
IIRC Tom Daum is/was using 50% glass filled Nylon-6,6, that (according to him) being a higher grade - and closer to fiberglass panel properties - than the plastics used in the FCS and Future programs.