After searching for foam core, honeycomb and other methods of producing light weight boards for floor and other fab part boards for about three months I finally came accross Nidacore structual Honeycomb Material.  www.nida-core.com . I talked with them on the phone and they were VERY helpful. They sent me a sample box of material and the contact for the local distributor.

This product is not nearly as expensive as the others I have been looking at and is almost as light as the lightest high tech material. I am covering mine in fiber glass. If it is covered in carbon it would even lighter. I did one piece with vacuum layup. The results are fantastic. The cost of the vacuum supplies is pretty steep so I reverted to laying up flat panels on a waxed smooth surface, covering with heavy poly and putting a cover board and weight on it. The results are a bit heavier then the vacuum product but as little of this as I am using it is well worth it. The board on the boat I am replacing, paper honey comb, probably weight 2 or 3 times what Nidacore does and the Nidacore does not absorb water or rot.

I also met some great folks at the local Nidacore supplier, Eastern Burlap in Norfolk Va.  These guys are fantastic and great to work with.  They really know their stuff.

757-622-5914

Tags: composit core, eastern burlap, fiber glass, honeycomb core, nidacore, renovation, sailboat