Living For Sail · video

What this video covers

Jon, restoring a Liberty 458 with a saturated teak deck screwed from the top, evaluates eight fiberglass sandwich core materials across nine mechanical properties to determine the best replacement for failed balsa and plywood cores.0:10 The nine criteria are shear strength, compression strength, shear-strength-to-weight ratio, density, water resistance, insulation value, workability, cost, and availability.3:08 Plywood (BS-1088 or BS-6566 marine grade) scores highest on workability and familiarity but rates poorly on water resistance and insulation (R1 per inch), with water migrating freely along its cross-oriented cells.9:40 End-grain balsa, at 6–9 lb/cu ft and roughly $7.50/sq ft, offers nearly twice plywood's shear strength and the second-best shear-to-weight ratio, but absorbs 600% of its weight in water at full saturation and is susceptible to rot.13:07 G10 compressed fiberglass-epoxy panel delivers the highest shear and compression numbers by a large margin at 112 lb/cu ft, resists water completely, and can be drilled and tapped to hold machine threads, but its weight makes full-deck use impractical, it dulls tools quickly, and its rigidity requires relief cuts on curved panels.15:24 Cost ranges from roughly $2 to over $100 per square foot across all eight materials; none are available at big-box hardware stores.6:42

Boats in this video

More from Living For Sail

Completing this repair BEFORE it’s TOO LATE!Oct 2026Can I Save This Bronze Cleat? Sailboat Bulwark RebuildSep 2026This Was Inside The Boat!? — Should I Put It Back?Sep 2026BACK to Work on ANTIDOTE! - How I Used 3D Printing to Fix My BoatAug 2026

From Living For Sail — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.