My reading of the manufacturer's description is that Texalium is "a fibreglass fabric with a coating of aluminum". Again, on no official basis, I believe that if such a material is used to form a hull, the result is not "glass fibre reinforced plastic".
Lester,
I am not sure I understand your point. Permit me to expound.
Aluminum is an allowed material, is it not? Paint is an allowed material, is it not?
If you apply paint to a fiberglass fabric, let it cure and then use the fabric on a hull laminate, would it not be "glass fibre reinforced plastic"? What I just described is a method of application of a permitted material, in this case paint, onto another permitted material, fiberglass fabric.
Now, what if that paint is a silver colored paint which contains finely ground aluminum powder, as many types/brands of silver automotive paints do, such as those used for hot rods and custom motorcycles.
Would a hull laminate using that type paint not be "glass fibre reinforced plastic"?
Please correct me if my recollection is poor, but IOM class rules D.2.1(b)(2) says an external paint coating is optional, but neither specifies nor prohibits any method of application or type of paint. In fact, I could use a paint with finely ground depleted Uranium mixed as pigment, on the bulb couldn't I? I suppose I could run afoul of E.3.1 -
Now let's look at Texalium. A 1/20,000 of millimeter coating of aluminum powder is applied to the
surface of the fiberglass fabric by some method along with a binding agent. The Texalium is then used in a laminate. If I sprayed silver paint (the kind with finely ground aluminum) on the fabric, I'd essentially be doing the same thing - applying a coat of aluminum powder along with a binder agent onto the fabric, and then use the fabric in a laminate.
IOM class rules D.2.1(a).1 says metal is permitted in the hull, and again, neither specifies nor prohibits any method of usage of metals or type of metals.
So, if paint is an allowed material without restrictions as to type or method of application, and aluminum is an allowed material, without restriction as to method of use, how can Texalium not be?
In my humble opinion, if:
1- both materials are allowed on the hull
2- the aluminum as used in Texalium is a coating on the surface of the fiberglass fabric, NOT weaved into or part of the fabric itself
3- the rules neither prescribe nor proscribe any methods by which paint or aluminum are applied to, or used in, the hull or fiberglass laminate or fiberglass fabric
4- the rules neither specify nor prohibit any type of GRP
Then I fail to see how a glass fiber fabric with an aluminum powder coating, similar to a coat of silver paint, can be seen as anything other than "glass fibre reinforced plastic" as per class rules.
Now, if someone produced a fiberglass fabric with a silver finish achieved via weaving fine aluminum strands into the weave of the fabric, then I would most certainly question whether that fabric qualifies as GRP.
Regards,
Rey Newman
PS: I am handling a piece of silver Texalium as I write this - I can see, touch, feel and dissect the material, so I am not writing this on a purely theoretical basis.