Sven Yrvindvideo
5 July 2025 Using polyester fiber to build a modest deep water boat
July 4, 2025 · 10 min · 2K views
What this video covers
Sven Yrvind utilizes polyester fiber and Divinycell foam core to construct a small, deep-water vessel designed for high-latitude sailing. He prioritizes this composite sandwich construction for its impact resistance, insulation properties, and flotation, noting that polyester fiber offers significantly higher elongation before breaking compared to glass fiber, carbon, or Kevlar.▶ 6:25 Yrvind cites testing conducted at the Swedish naval yard in Karlskrona, where Divinycell samples submerged in saltwater for two years showed no water absorption.▶ 4:38 He contrasts this with wood, which he deems insufficiently strong, and aluminum, which presents corrosion challenges.▶ 2:07 To verify the durability of his chosen materials, Yrvind performed impact tests by dropping weights onto 20-millimeter-thick samples, finding that his polyester-fiber-reinforced composite withstood 57 strikes without failure, whereas plywood of similar thickness failed after a single impact.▶ 7:51 This construction method mirrors the techniques used in the Swedish minesweeper Venerysel.▶ 4:03 The current project continues the design philosophy established during his 1985 experiments.▶ 8:41
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