Tideman Marine, for a feasibility on, welding heavy HDPE plastic, could you use leaser welding, as it use controlled intense light for heat???. just a thought, what do you think? is it feasible, thanks Allan
Leister is the go-to brand for plastic welding. All the laser plastic welding I've seen are in cabinets for smaller parts, mainly for the automotive space. Do you know of a laser welder that can weld at the scale to build a boat? Imagine the cost too. When Leister welders are so great, I don't see there being any way to get a return on investment if a laser welder that size even existed.
@@Monty_FPV it was just an idea, but thank for replying, maybe the Chinese will look into it, but as you said they will be very expensive and not feasible, all the best to you all, Allan
And at what temperature does this stuff melt at? You guys need to add narration with info on boat specs etc.. its not the era of Charlie Chaplin, silent movies ended nearly 100 years ago. Cool looking boat though!
when welding it it seems at one point to gradually get softer and more formable then all of a sudden it droops. small welds can be done with the soldering iron type and the hot air welders are best for long continuous welds. it gives off a almost glowws look as it gets to the right temp.
@@FrankensteinDIYkayak Thanks for the info. It's very interesting 🤔 both as a material and how they bond the peices together. I always worry about heat though with plastic hulls. Can electrical shorts melt through it or how about engines and the heat associated with them. The flip side is the cold as well. Plastic based Materials behave differently at varying Temps. I am curious what the stats are for this material. Still very cool. Thanks again for the info.
@@lazerathhome It's just HDPE, you can look up the material properties. The lid of your soda bottle is made out of the same stuff as this boat or your buddy's kayak. It is oddly similar to welding metal. Check out Leister Extrusion welders to see what handheld systems they use. When done properly the weld is stronger than the surrounding material, just like in normal metal welding. Melting point is around 275F, so yeah, don't start a bonfire in your boat.
Thickness and easy repairs with a heat gun/welder is the answer. If you're constantly cheese grating your HDPE boat enough to go through several inches of High-Density Poly Plastic, you won't fare much better with fiberglass or alum boats.
@Monty_FPV but it isn't several inches, think I read somewhere that hull sheet material is 15mm which is slightly over half an inch and that would be the thickest part on the boat.
@@samsonacc8081 You're right 100%. I still recommend to not cheese grate your boat. Most fiberglass boats have 10-13mm hulls, tough alum boats are 6.2mm. HDPE will flex on hard impacts or even riding the waves like a built-in shock absorber. It's so much more comfortable a ride. Some folks put Kydex sheets on areas of high wear. On my Polycraft, I just keep spare same color HDPE welding rods to fill in any scratches or areas that bother me or to fill holes when I remove an accessory. Heat area, Melt, Fill, Sand and re-heat to glaze the area and the repair just disappears. Can't do that with fiberglass or alum.
VERY, it is one of its key selling points. HDPE is considered a low surface energy plastic. Even adhesives you'd use for metal or normal plastics won't stick. Marine growth doesn't stand a chance, so it dramatically reduces maintenance required for boats. If it ever gets sun faded or scratched, you just heat the area, and it returns back to new and glassy smooth.
Thicker material and more flex in the design might have to be accounted for. Would be interested to see the flex loads in something like SolidWorks simulation. I thought rotomolded was the only way to make HDPE boats, seeing this method is eye opening.
Nice work guys!
Tideman Marine, for a feasibility on, welding heavy HDPE plastic, could you use leaser welding, as it use controlled intense light for heat???. just a thought, what do you think? is it feasible, thanks Allan
Leister is the go-to brand for plastic welding. All the laser plastic welding I've seen are in cabinets for smaller parts, mainly for the automotive space. Do you know of a laser welder that can weld at the scale to build a boat? Imagine the cost too. When Leister welders are so great, I don't see there being any way to get a return on investment if a laser welder that size even existed.
@@Monty_FPV it was just an idea, but thank for replying, maybe the Chinese will look into it, but as you said they will be very expensive and not feasible, all the best to you all, Allan
And at what temperature does this stuff melt at? You guys need to add narration with info on boat specs etc.. its not the era of Charlie Chaplin, silent movies ended nearly 100 years ago. Cool looking boat though!
when welding it it seems at one point to gradually get softer and more formable then all of a sudden it droops. small welds can be done with the soldering iron type and the hot air welders are best for long continuous welds. it gives off a almost glowws look as it gets to the right temp.
@@FrankensteinDIYkayak Thanks for the info. It's very interesting 🤔 both as a material and how they bond the peices together. I always worry about heat though with plastic hulls. Can electrical shorts melt through it or how about engines and the heat associated with them. The flip side is the cold as well. Plastic based Materials behave differently at varying Temps. I am curious what the stats are for this material. Still very cool. Thanks again for the info.
@@lazerathhome It's just HDPE, you can look up the material properties. The lid of your soda bottle is made out of the same stuff as this boat or your buddy's kayak. It is oddly similar to welding metal. Check out Leister Extrusion welders to see what handheld systems they use. When done properly the weld is stronger than the surrounding material, just like in normal metal welding. Melting point is around 275F, so yeah, don't start a bonfire in your boat.
what is the tensile strength on the weld section
Strong as fuck its a bastard to get off too
What do you do for abrasion resistance? HDPE is very soft.
Thickness and easy repairs with a heat gun/welder is the answer. If you're constantly cheese grating your HDPE boat enough to go through several inches of High-Density Poly Plastic, you won't fare much better with fiberglass or alum boats.
@Monty_FPV but it isn't several inches, think I read somewhere that hull sheet material is 15mm which is slightly over half an inch and that would be the thickest part on the boat.
@@samsonacc8081 You're right 100%. I still recommend to not cheese grate your boat. Most fiberglass boats have 10-13mm hulls, tough alum boats are 6.2mm. HDPE will flex on hard impacts or even riding the waves like a built-in shock absorber. It's so much more comfortable a ride.
Some folks put Kydex sheets on areas of high wear. On my Polycraft, I just keep spare same color HDPE welding rods to fill in any scratches or areas that bother me or to fill holes when I remove an accessory. Heat area, Melt, Fill, Sand and re-heat to glaze the area and the repair just disappears. Can't do that with fiberglass or alum.
How resistant is the hull to marine growth?
Get yourself a dictionary, they are very helpful.
2:00 will give you the answer.
VERY, it is one of its key selling points. HDPE is considered a low surface energy plastic. Even adhesives you'd use for metal or normal plastics won't stick. Marine growth doesn't stand a chance, so it dramatically reduces maintenance required for boats. If it ever gets sun faded or scratched, you just heat the area, and it returns back to new and glassy smooth.
Can you take aluminum boat plans and make it in HDPE instead?
Probably if you take the added material thiknes in mind
Thicker material and more flex in the design might have to be accounted for. Would be interested to see the flex loads in something like SolidWorks simulation. I thought rotomolded was the only way to make HDPE boats, seeing this method is eye opening.
How much price