* Free Forming in Fiberglass

Fiberglass is a very good material for boats. The main problem with building a fiberglass boat is getting a smooth surface. With conventional molds derived from male plugs, the smooth surface is achieved by hundreds of hours of fairing, filling and sanding on the plug. For a one-off fiberglass hull, this process is even harder because the relatively soft, easily faired materials used for plug construction cannot be used for an actual hull. One very interesting technique to get around this problem is fiberglass freeforming or direct female molding. Free-formed fiberglass gets most of the hull mold surface smooth without sanding, but at a cost -- you must use developable shapes for the easily faired surfaces. Here is how it works.

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