The building of Kelsall sail catamaran KSS-54 began in March 2008

Resin infusion done at our shop.The KSS build method uses the latest resin infusion technology. The materials are the ones that everyone now uses and clearly the best for catamarans. The wide range of sizes and types, all use the same materials, the same tooling and the same methods. Our boat builders quickly became skilled at resin infusion and find the workshop a more pleasant place to work.

For the last 40 years or so, hand and spray lay-up have been the predominant manufacturing processes for the production of GFRP boats. They are relatively easy to work, allow the use of female molds and, until recently, the regulations regarding emissions were fairly relaxed. In fact, until the advent of stricter emissions regulations, there was very little motivation for the vast majority of boat builders to change their working process.

Regarding mechanical properties, it is clear that laminates manufactured using the infusion process are considerably superior to those produced by hand lay-up. Four point bending tests to ASTM 790 Norm show that infusion laminates have 20 percent higher flexural strength than an equivalent hand lay-up laminate.