What is Starboard?

  • Can you guys give me the gist about this material, what application it's best suited for?


    I have a black starboard sheet which I'm thinking of using to construct a small box to hold my sounder/GPS because I can't find an appropriate mounting bracket. The sides of the box will be held together with screws but I also want to glue it. Which glue is best for this application?

  • Can you guys give me the gist about this material, what application it's best suited for?


    I have a black starboard sheet which I'm thinking of using to construct a small box to hold my sounder/GPS because I can't find an appropriate mounting bracket. The sides of the box will be held together with screws but I also want to glue it. Which glue is best for this application?


    Does not glue well but you can melt it together with PVC cement. Even 5200 won't bond it forever.
    Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • As Griswold said, it is High Density Polyethylene. It can’t be glued. You can weld it using a plastic extruder as this one (better job, for large surfaces):


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwtiJrsJXYE


    Or you can just use a hot air gun for small applications, as probably is yours:


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2pQKPxZMd0


    I insist, DON’T TRY TO GLUE IT. HDPE inherent properties make it very “slippery” and won’t hold any glue for long periods of time.


    How much do you need? I might be able to find a non-expensive source, but must be large quantities (directly from an American manufacturer).

    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.

  • What type of sounder you using?
    Are you mounting it in the console or on the console?

    Garmin 540S.



    Available are the bracket you see in the pic and a flush mount bracket. I can't use the flush mount because there's no room for it under the top of the console. There's also no room for the bracket in the pic as it's intended to be used. It occurred to me just now to tilt it at 90 degrees to the unit, and run a bar between the base of the bracket and the frame around the console.

  • Marco, for the second vid with the heat gun.. I have a heat gun, can I get nozzles for it that will do the same job? Can this method be used to glue the PVC tubes of the zodiac? Is it risky, can I damage the tubes if I apply the heat too long? From what I've seen glue is used to put patches on the PVC tubes. Just trying to figure out if this is a tool that I can use in a few ways. Not worth buying for a one time use welding starboard.


    Can this method of welding be used to weld a kayak?

  • Marco, for the second vid with the heat gun.. I have a heat gun, can I get nozzles for it that will do the same job? Can this method be used to glue the PVC tubes of the zodiac? Is it risky, can I damage the tubes if I apply the heat too long? From what I've seen glue is used to put patches on the PVC tubes. Just trying to figure out if this is a tool that I can use in a few ways. Not worth buying for a one time use welding starboard.


    Can this method of welding be used to weld a kayak?


    I don't think so. If you have a standard heat gun, you might be not able to adjust the temperature. Every plastic has its own melting temperature. The heat gun of the video has the option of changing the resistance depending on which material you want to weld. You might be able to do it, but won’t come off “clean”. Maybe you can give a try to a small piece. Just buy the right welding rods and try… HDPE melting temperature is close to 250°F


    You can also search the web or the yellow pages for “Plastic fabricators” and ask them to weld whatever you need to weld.


    For repairing your rib tubes, just buy the appropriate patches and glue. I have seen them at West marine.
    “Ordinary” people tend to call “PVC” every plastic, but there are many and very different one to the other PVC is a vinyl and HDPE is a Polyolefin. PVC can be glued and will not weld very well (but you can do it).


    You can repair a Kayak. They are made out of HDPE as well. ;)

    Marco Melis

    A bad day fishing is ALWAYS better than a good day at work.

  • Dan that Leister Hot air gun is around $300.00 US add on top of that the skill to use it. If you have good TIG
    or gas welding skills you can take a shot. By the time you cut the starboard, fab and fit it you can have a shop
    do it for far less. '' Do what you do best...pay a guy to do the rest''.
    I'm all for learning new skills, but when you have to buy big buck tools it may not be cost effective.
    I would look around your area for a salvage marine supply yard. You can buy great boat stuff for penny's on the dollar.
    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

  • Dan, I have had limited success melting starboard with my heatgun, it has variable temperature controls and I would def let you borrow it...I would recommend you just by a sheet of 1/2" starboard and use screws and silicon...the silicon will NOT hold the starboard, but will hold to itself an d the screws so it will seal the box, the screws hold it together.


    I would also add that you should look online at the "dashboards" and equipment bars that kayakers have made..you could use RAm mounts and just add a bar that runs across the wheel house, they have some cool rigs out there that might give you some ideas....
    the simplest one I have ever seem was a piece of tubular aluminum that the guy clamped th ends flat and then screwed them down into some plastic washers and then positioned his instruments on the bar...RAM mounts are your friends, just scuff up the ball a little first and they will hold forever :)

    i like to spear fish

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