Building a swim platform

[dirtwheelsfl]

i would use some 2" nidacore and glass 2 layers of 1708 on each side. it would be stiffer to add a skin of ply to each side of 1 1/2, but im not sure its needed on something that narrow. then rip some foam down to 2"x2" and glue that to the exposed edge of the nidacore, radius it and wrap it with glass. with the struts, youre gonna have to sleeve the mounting points with crush sleeves. i drill out one side of glass and the core, leaving the other side of glass skin still on, then fill that with pvc pipe of whatever size you need and epoxy/sawdust. just my thought...

[Johnshan]

I just spent the last couple hours researching platforms and I am not convinced I need the foam in this project. My whole reason for it was to add thickness, why not just wrap the perimeter of the platform in 1/4" ply as was recommended earlier to achieve this?

Here is a photo I found of someone using 3/4", any thoughts as to why this is not a good model?

[wegcagle]

If you use plywood. DON'T leave those screws in They are just asking for water to get into the plywood and rot it out. epoxy glue all of the plywood layers together and fiberglass both sides (and any other plywood exposed areas). The tough part is not necessarily making the platform strong enough, but making the connection between the transom and the platform strong enough for people to jump up and down, etc on it. Maybe a couple of good triangular shaped wedges would help in that area, like the thread I showed earlier did. Just guessing though

Will

[tech_support]

there are a few types of epoxy that will melt EPS foam, I know this because I have made EPS surfboards with epoxy and only one type of epoxy (T88 glue) ever melted the foam. Polyester will melt PU flotation foam.

Neither will melt structural foams, which is whats important

[tech_support]

Yes, an all wood version will work fine. Using framing, like the one in the picture, you can save some weight. use screw to hold it all together while the epoxy cures. make is from as few pieces as possible. You could make it from 3 layers of 1/2", first layer is the top, with slats for drainage, then next two layers are the same, basically the outline of the top layer with a few stiffener sections in between. If you cut the layers from one piece, you can put radius in all the holes, so no sharp edges.

[Johnshan]

I plan to build with 3/4" ply and use 1.5" x 1.5" as support beams to stiffen from underneath.- similar to the photo I posted above.

What cloth will I need to use on this structure? Can I use anything or should I use biax or?

Also, is there any disadvantage to using polyester resin vs epoxy for this?

Thanks!

[gstanfield]

Epoxy may cost a tad more but it is superior to polyester resin in every way, especially in terms of strength.

As to cloth, I'm not sure what you need on that so I'll let someone else alswer.

[tech_support]

The 1.5" stock will need to be glassed or it will move/check causing cracks. Use epoxy.

I would use multiple layers of plywood, its more stable.

Cover it with glass, its not an easy glass job. I would use a woven cloth.

[Johnshan]

Thanks for the input.