bed liner instead of glass | SouthernPaddler.com

bed liner instead of glass

scoggins

Member
Feb 5, 2010
7
0
I am thinking about making a pi rogue and putting bed liner on it rather than fiberglassing it

Has an one done this before and will it work?
 

mike

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2009
694
9
TEXAS!
This is just a guess on my part, but I don't think bed liner will have the strength of glass. I also suspect it's a good deal heavier......

Mike
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
scoggins said:
I am thinking about making a pi rogue and putting bed liner on it rather than fiberglassing it

Has an one done this before and will it work?

Assuming you are saying about doing it like you would with glass , all the way around.
You will add a lot of weight , will not have the strength and if anything become very disgusted with the project. If you are talking about something like the RHINO Lining , that stuff is a 1/4 inch thick with a rough exterior finish , not smooth by any means.
Good Luck on your adventure. :D
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
As I said , It is your boat and you have to make it the way you want it.
The final choice is yours and yours alone. In this matter you are entering into uncharted waters.
So far No One has coated there's with Tar , Asphalt or a Composite Bed Liner or anything else along those lines so we would not be any help in making a suggestion which one of them is the best to use , if any at all.

Personally I like a light weight boat , one that has a smooth outer surface which slips threw the water. Preferably one that is glassed and epoxied with some varnish to complected the job. Painted ones are really nice and a lot of the guy's like to make theirs that way.
No One has done what you are thinking about doing.
 

Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
Kayak Jack said:
In the pictures, it looked to me as though they had the liner inside the boat, not outside?
On the canoe, they had it both inside and outside. A textured non-slip surface isn't what I would want on the outside, but let us know how it works if you use it.
 

a Bald Cypress

Well-Known Member
May 7, 2007
577
0
80
Northwest Louisiana
What they didn't show is the 50 hp outboard it will take to move that thing.


There is enough parisitic drag on the exterior of that boat to damn near keep it from moving.

And try to go over a log or stump with that thing.

Not my idea of how to re-furbish a canoe.

But whoever does it, PLEASE post a review.
 

Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
The primer is $58 a gallon plus at least $100 probably for the bed-liner stuff and UV coating. It is going to cost more than fiber-glassing and it would be interesting to know how many pounds it is going to add to the boat. It will not add the strength that fiberglass would.
 

WDfrmTN

Well-Known Member
scoggins said:
I am thinking about making a pi rogue and putting bed liner on it rather than fiberglassing it

Has an one done this before and will it work?
As far as strength, it'll be the same as or stronger than fibreglass.
And, with some of the DIY kits the grit is separate, so you could probably leave that out for the exterior.
Personally, I'd go interior only.
 
WDfrmTN said:
scoggins said:
I am thinking about making a pi rogue and putting bed liner on it rather than fiberglassing it

Has an one done this before and will it work?
As far as strength, it'll be the same as or stronger than fibreglass.
And, with some of the DIY kits the grit is separate, so you could probably leave that out for the exterior.
Personally, I'd go interior only.

I'm trying to wrap around my noggin how this could possibly add any strength to the boat at all, structurally speaking. As far as I can figure all it will do is coat the plywood just like paint. No added strength in paint. These bedliners are actually quite flexible coverings.
Fibreglass adds strength by bonding woven fibres to become "part" of the plywood, so to speak. This stuff simply sits on top doesn't it?

If it's about saving money just go with taped seams and paint. My boat is going strong after several years of abuse and hard use with simply that. It surely is going to add some serious weight to your boat though.
 

Jimmy W

Well-Known Member
May 1, 2006
611
1
north georgia, USA
WDfrmTN said:
As far as strength, it'll be the same as or stronger than fibreglass.
I'm with Bellybuster. I would like to know how you think that it will be as strong as fiberglass. As an experiment, paint some of that bed-liner on a piece of newspaper. On another piece of newspaper lay on fiberglass cloth and saturate it with epoxy. Let both cure then see which one you can push your finger through. My money would be on the fiberglass being stronger.
I can see maybe using the bed-liner on the inside of an aluminum boat to cut down the noise of things banging around and to insulate the floor, but outdoor carpet might work better for that. I won't be putting it on one of my wood boats.
As Bellybuster said, lots of wood boats are built without covering them with fiberglass.
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Ditto about bed liner or fiberglass being a requirement. You could always add either after the boat is built if you wanted.
"You have to go to know." Build one of each and then share with us how well they work. :roll: That will be three identical pirogues except one with glass, one with bed liner, and one all wood. :lol:

beekeeper
 

john the pom

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2007
345
1
Queensland
Sounds a bit like a "camper trailer" which was actually a small box trailer with a plywood box atop of it to sleep in that a guy built and posted on a fishing forum over here (Oz). To skin the ply over it he used old bedsheets and bondcrete, dunno what the Merican term is for bondcrete but it is a cement adhesive/additive. I will be doing a fishing comp next weekend that this bloke is also attending. Will take a looksee at it. A bit along the lines of Ron's camptrailer but much simpler. Dunno if'n you'll be able to view the piccies but try a poke at this.
http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=41005
Cheers John
 

WDfrmTN

Well-Known Member
Bellybuster said:
WDfrmTN said:
scoggins said:
I am thinking about making a pi rogue and putting bed liner on it rather than fiberglassing it

Has an one done this before and will it work?
As far as strength, it'll be the same as or stronger than fibreglass.
And, with some of the DIY kits the grit is separate, so you could probably leave that out for the exterior.
Personally, I'd go interior only.

I'm trying to wrap around my noggin how this could possibly add any strength to the boat at all, structurally speaking.
Rhino liner will hold a block wall intact when an uncoated wall crumbles from equal amounts of explosives. Blow up a truck up with Rhino liner installed and the bed stays virtually intact. Google the videos. Military considered it for low level "armour".
 

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
WD
I fish Bayou Dorcheat that flows next to the Louisiana Ammunition Plant.

Picture028.jpg


Do you think I should consider painting my pirogue with bed liner for bomb protection? :roll: I didn't think about paddling over explosives, or I would have at least glassed it. :lol:

beekeeper