People are quick to call it “composite,” but what does it really mean?

One hears more and more in the boating world about“composite construction,” an expression frequently used by boatyards and insiders to describe how a boat is built. Sometimes to the untrained ear the word composite might sound like something very technological or complex, in fact all modern boats, including cruising boats, are built of composite.

Composite construction – what it means

A composite means a laminate, usually it is organized in several layers, composed within it of different materials. The way it can be composed varies, what does not change is that in every composite there is a structural reinforcing material, such as glass or other fibers, carbon and the like, held together by a binder, namely resins. The common cruising boat built of fiberglass is therefore composite. This is not something that deviates from the boats in common use in the sailing world.

Composite construction – the high-tech implications

The development of lamination technologies, such as vacuum, and the evolution of resins used in composite construction have meant that the possibilities offered by this processing today are very varied. From simple fiberglass there has been a shift to carbon composite constructions, the lightest and most rigid, to make racing boats or superyachts. Especially in the latter case, carbon composite, with the use of epoxy resin, which has the best mechanical capabilities, becomes crucial. In megayachts, given their tonnage, carbon is important to keep the final weight down.

Composite construction – green trends

Thanks to the various possibilities offered by composite construction, so-called eco-composites are also being developed, i.e., laminates where, in addition to resin, naturally derived fibers such as flax and the like are added. Examples include the Baltic Cafe Race and the EcoRacer from Northern Light Composites.

Mauro Giuffrè

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