WE THINK GLOBAL
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Coosa Panel?
Coosa panels are high-density, polyurethane panels impregnated with fiberglass fibers to provide additional strength and stiffness.
What is the difference between a Bluewater and Nautical panel?
Bluewater panels contain both continuous-strand fiberglass and woven roving fiberglass. Nautical panels contain only continuous strand fiberglass. For any equivalent density, a Bluewater panel will generally be stiffer than a Nautical panel.
Why are Coosa panels better than plywood?
Coosa's panels are approximately 40-60% lighter than plywood, depending upon density ordered. Coosa panels do not absorb water to any significant degree; therefore, there is no significant weight gain when exposed to water. Coosa's panels are made of high-density foam and fiberglass and will not rot. Moreover, our panels are more mold and mildew resistant than plywood along with being resistant to insect infestations.
When replacing plywood, what panel should be used?
Bluewater 26 is the strongest and stiffest panel we make and most like plywood. While we cannot engineer a repair or replacement for you, we suggest you first consider using the same thickness in Bluewater 26 as the plywood being replaced. If spanning 14+ inches, Bluewater 26 will always be our suggestion; however, if spanning 12 or less inches, Bluewater 20 might be sufficient depending upon your particular circumstances. Other applications might lend themselves to the Nautical series. Each customer should thoroughly test and independently determine satisfactory performance for their particular project before commercialization or use. Third-party test data is available on our web site for most panels.
What factors should I consider in choosing and installing Coosa panels?
What is the current span width between supports? How is the material installed? (If glassed over, the fiberglass is adding additional rigidity). Is the load spread over a panel or a point load? How is the panel supported at the edges? Is there a 1/2", 1"...6" overlap? Does the panel need to support an impact load? How is the board installed? Rigid bonded at the edges or free floating? All of these factors and more need to be taken into consideration before a decision can be made on thickness, glass loading and density. For instance, boat builders pay a team of engineers to take all of these complex factors into consideration. We, therefore, suggest leveraging their decision and using the same thickness installed in the same fashion whenever possible. If you are set on changing the thickness and installation method, please keep in mind, if you make changes that decrease the structural integrity of your installation, you will need to make this up somehow (i.e. if you choose not to fiberglass both sides of the floor, even though your original plywood was, perhaps you need to add additional braces as a stiffener to your span width).
How do I install Coosa panel?
Typically, we cannot engineer your installation but suggest you consider not changing the lamination structure and method used by the original equipment manufacturer on your particular project when replacing plywood with a Coosa panel. One does not need to change lamination methods to incorporate Coosa Boards into their application. One simply can simply consider installing the panel as you would plywood or the material being replaced using the same methods and tools.
Do I have to encapsulate the Coosa panel in fiberglass and resin?
You do not have to encapsulate a Coosa panel in fiber-glass and resin, as would typically be the case with plywood, to prevent water absorption; however, glassing the panel adds stiffness and strength. Therefore, if the original equipment manufacturer encapsulated their plywood panel for structural reasons, you will want to do the same or find another method to use to compensate for the loss of external strength derived from the resin and fiberglass skins.
How do I cut Coosa panels?
The same tools used for cutting plywood can be used for cutting a Coosa panel. Carbide-tipped cutting tools are suggested for larger projects.
What types of resins are compatible with Coosa panels?
Most typical marine resins work well with Coosa panels, including epoxy, vinyl-ester and polyester resins.
Can I laminate or paint a Coosa panel? UV Protection?
Yes, Coosa panels can be painted with polyurethane and epoxy paints or laminated with most types of laminates using an appropriate adhesive for bonding that laminate and Coosa. Since Coosa's panels are polyurethane-based, the panel should have a UV protection layer applied if exposed to UV to protect the core. Chalking and discoloration will occur with UV exposure.
What thickness and sizes are available?
Thicknesses range from ¼ inch up to 2 inches, with sheet sizes ranging from 4'x8' up to 5'x12'. Not all thicknesses are available in all panel sizes or densities.
How are Coosa panels shipped?
Panels are typically shipped in pallet-load quantities direct to OEMs via an LTL carrier or dedicated truck. Panels cannot be shipped by UPS Ground, Next Day, etc.
What if I am not an OEM manufacturer needing multiple pallet-loads of panels?
Individuals wishing to purchase smaller quantities for personal projects or OEMs wishing a small number of panels should contact one of the distributors listed on our web page.
What is the lead-time for orders?
All panels are manufactured to order. No inventory is maintained from which to immediately ship an order. Most orders are shipped within 10-13 business days, while orders containing custom cut items are generally shipped within 15-18 business days. Extremely large orders can have lead times up to 4-6 weeks. All lead-times can be influenced by prior order commitments.
How do I determine what panel I actually received?
All panels are color-coded on opposite corners of the panel with spray paint: Bluewater 26 (blue), Bluewater 20 (black), Nautical 24 (red), Nautical 20 (green) and Nautical 15 (white).