In a wet layup, a laminant is the reinforcement material, a laminate is a single laminant layer saturated with resin, a composite laminate is multiple combined layers of laminants and resin (known as a laminate stack), and resin is the "glue" that holds it all together.

The type of reinforcement material to use for a wet layup project depends on the project. Deciding from the multitude of reinforcement materials available is a bit easier if you focus on three things: strength, flexibility, and weight. An effective laminant needs to:

• Be strong and flexible (or stiff) enough to do what you need it to do based on where the stresses (loads) are Weigh no more than it needs to
• To maximize strength, it’s important to position the fibers in the reinforcement material so they run parallel with expected loads on your boat, surfboard, kiteboard, canoe, or whatever you’re laminating.

This means also paying attention to the orientation of the fibers in the consecutive plies (layers) of fabric in a laminate stack and placing them so the loads are balanced across all the fibers in the stack.

Return to Wet Layup Guide