Sorry Chris!

Pretty realistic answers though.  The son of a client of mine is making CF
racing kayaks.
Featherweight and wickedly fast, and priced to match.  The materials are
laid up and then bonded in a centrifuge.

Notice there are no prices on the website.  :)

http://www.lokikayak.com/

On 9/7/07, Chris S. <mrpolak@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Live it to the list to tear any idea to shreds.
>
> Your pricing MIGHT be a little off.  You can get carbon fiber hoods for
> about $800.
>
> Max Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET> wrote: $500?  The last time I checked,
> graphite cloth in a 6 oz, weight was
> selling for about $75/yd.  I don't remember if that was 38"wide cloth
> or 60", but the fact of the mater is that you're looking at maybe 3
> layers minimum to make that top stiff enough unless you took some
> sort of foam core stiffener and that carbon top would likely not
> survive much of a hail storm either.  The foam core stuff ain't cheap
> either. d.  Something with that many convolutions would almost have
> to be vacuum-bagged and I'd want a couple of layers of kevlar under
> the foam core just for strength. The kevlar is a bargain at like
> $15-18 a yard if you get it from www.sweetcomposites.com  Then
> there's the cost of making the mold for the top after you make the
> male plug to make the mold from.  The Westy top wouldn't be rigid
> enough to mold.
>
> Let's see, that first carbon top would cost about $12,000, and the
> next one maybe only $2,000 if you di all the work yourself.
>
> DM&FS
>
> At 10:34 PM 9/6/2007, Don Hanson wrote:
>
> >a Van top from carbon fiber, while it would be very trick, from a
> practical
> >standpoint makes little sense.  Unless you're Bill Gates or Jay Leno or
> >someone with lots of money to spend on a questionable project.  The
> amount
> >of material you'd use to make the part...fiberglass or carbon fiber.. is
> a
> >lot.  Glass fabric is a little heavier and not quite so stiff, but it is
> >about 1/100th the cost of carbon fabric..In a piece as large as a Westie
> >style roof, you might save oh, say 20-30 lbs, by using carbon fiber
> rather
> >than the normal glass,  but you'd probably spend $500 doing it...You
> could
> >save almost that much weight just by vacuum-bagging a fiberglass lay up
> and
> >being very careful with the fabrication..
> >   Now, in a racecar or a bicycle or an America's cup yacht or an
> >airplane...that kinda dollar per lb. may be worth it..but for the top of
> a
> >Vanagon?  Prolly not to normal humans...
> >   Don Hanson
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell.
>

--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
www.crescentbeachguitar.com