weight

A boatbuilding friend set me on the right lines when
he came to repair a glass fibre dinghy. Apparently
the resin reinforced glass is porous and only the gellcoat
is impervious, so if the gellcoat is cracked or damaged
it will absorb moisture. He recommended thorough drying
before refinishing. When I refinished my ASW20 in 2
pack I put a small fan heater in the trailer for 8
weeks to dry the airframe ( de-humidifier would work
even better) Result, on reweighing after refinishing
the glider lost 18 kg, now weighs just 5 kg more than
new 22 years ago. I dont believe in 'Dark Matter',
H20 is a much more plausable cause. Anybody else got
any thoughts on the subject?


David Smith