Starboard

[Terry B 71]

No, knot the right hand side starboard thing.............

 

This is "stuff" I keep seeing on (mainly) American websites. It sounds like it is very similar to that white "stuff" cutting boards in your kitchen are made off.

 

The yanks appear to use it for everything from wash boards to backing plates when bolting things thru the hull.

 

Apparently cuts/drills/shapes easily and obviously doesn't rot or need paint (always a bonus)............

 

Anyone know what this "stuff" is, what it's called in NZ? - and where to get it in Auckland??

 

Asking mainly out of curiosity really.................

[Guest]

yup, it sure is great stuff. also called starboard here but dunno where you buy it, try the orams store maybe?

[Guest]

I think you'll find it's one of the UHMWPE range of plastic like stuff, what's often generally called Umphy. But it is a big range of differing specifications, slipperiness, hardness, colours, rod, bar, sheet and stuff like that. Calling it Umphy is bit like saying 'car', there are more then one type.

 

You can buy it/them from places like DotMar (was Engineering Plastics) and the like, it's knot hard to find. Or you can go to the Warehouse and often they have breadboards real cheap made of a lower grade of the same stuff. We often tell people to do that for skid pads or redirecting chain into a locker, it does wear damn well. Some grades are slipperier than a politician in election year yet wear harder than a real hard thing.

 

It's can be an arse to use depending on what grade and what you are trying to do with it. But it/they can reasonably fall in to the zone often refered to as 'good sh*t'. We use it for a few things at work. One use being on marina floats that are on steel or concrete piles. It does rub on the steel pile 24/7 for many many years with minimal wastage, but that is one of the flasher more pricey grades.

 

If you look around you will see lots on boats in NZ as well, it is quite common. Most commonly seen one is white and many think or call it Nylon, which some of it probably is but knot all.

 

If you have a specific use it would probably be worth chatting to Dotmar or some specialist crowd as the options are many and some of those cost big bucks, but some doesn't. It all depends on what, where for why really.

 

As a FYI - Your Dyneema halyard is also a form of Umphy so it is a very versatile material.

 

UHMWPE = Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene

 

http://www.dotmar.co.nz/uhmwpe.html for some info. Note all the differing options.

[wheels 543]

Star Board is made in the US by King plastics. It is High Density Polyethylene.

http://www.kingplastic.com/

[Terry B 71]

Thanks guys.

 

I had seen it on various American forums - and when I saw it used as backing plates for thru deck fittings rather than ply or aluminium I thought it was worth a look.

Especially being so easy to cut/drill/shape etc.

 

I've got a few fittings leaking at the moment (on the boat that is, mine are fine) - I'll be popping down to Westhaven this morning - she could be 1/2 submerged after yesterdays downpours

[ScottiE 174]

go to Ludowici Plastics in Onehunga - they sell sheets, extrusions and other assorted bits of just about every kind of sophisticated plastic product you can think of. They're always very friendly on the front desk.

[ab1974 1]

Probably expensive per m2, but I purchased good old plastic chopping boards from the warehouse to do my backing plates. Cost me $20 for 2 boards to do about a dozen plates. Just cut it with the jigsaw. Saved loads of time not having to seal and paint ply backing plates.

[Terry B 71]

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking. I've got a few rejects 'er indoors has thrown out that reside in my workshop where they do come in very handy for cutting templates etc - I'm thinking of cleaning one of them up and using it for backing plates.

 

Worst think that can happen is I'll replace them at some stage.................

[wheels 543]

I can't see that Staboard stuff being cheap here. All plastic materials are a rediculous cost in NZ. The chopping boards are usually just plain ole Nylon.

[ScottiE 174]

really? - like I said Ludowici's are the go - pretty reasonable last time I was in there. If you tell them what you want they'll give you the choice of the rolls royce solution or the skoda solution - both work just as well!

[Atom Ant 0]

But Skoda is really a VW which is an Audi, which is a Porsche. So there's nothing wrong with a Skoda these days!

[ScottiE 174]

my point exactly!

[Guest]

I use Stainless steel plate offcuts.

[Mothership 6]

But Skoda is really a VW which is an Audi, which is a Porsche. So there's nothing wrong with a Skoda these days!

 

Pretty much. In fact, Skoda value for money is pretty darn good at the moment. Same engineering, chassis and build quality as the VW and Audi, which they share platforms with, just different panels and fitout. Certain VWs provide good value for money, too.

 

I'd have been driving a VW a while back if Giltraps hadn't been such useless, underhand ignoramuses: 'let's f**k up a sale not once, but twice!'

[Guest]

. Certain VWs provide good value for money, too.

 

 

 

Kaiser, my 67 beetle was a classic, fitted my entire mooring into it and left it on the okahu bay ramp , still did 100k's per hour with the mooring inside and never handled better, oil change generally required a putty knife and salt wet feet from surfing diving and all that good kiwi stuff we do for stuff all here periodicaly rusted up the brake pedal and the old Piha road was a challenge with flickering 6volt candles for headlights . 15 years abuse and the new owner motored away in it with a beeming smile on her face

[Guest]

I read a report on a survey done in Europe of new car owners satisfaction with their 1 year old cars.

VW/Audi came back with the lowest rating.