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From time to time, a good portion of my work is devoted towards doing custom composite work.

A most interesting project was in 1995, when I was contracted by Jim Kor of Kor Product Design, to consult on and fabricate the chassis and body of a lightweight Personal Rapid Transit vehicle (PRT). Jim is an enthusiast of energy efficient vehicles, and human powered vehicles in particular. His initial concept for a maximum efficiency bicycle evolved into a two seat, four wheel, hybrid human-electric, enclosed mini-car on rails. One or two people would supply power to one large linear tracking pedal. Electric power would be supplied for starting the car, or for people unable to supply adequate power on their own (i.e.: elderly passengers). Light gauge rail tracks would minimize rolling resistance, and enclosing the tracks would eliminate adverse wind resistance.

I built a balsa-core cassis. Upon my suggestion, a foam body core was built up around this and shaped to its final dimensions. Over this foam core, I applied fibreglass to build up the structure. finally, it was prepared and painted by a auto-body shop, just as any car would be. Constructed this way, the body is very strong, lightweight, and easy to fabricate, especially for a one-off construction.


I have also been doing custom fabrication of prototype tractor parts. For this tractor roof, I was subcontracted by Kor Product Design. I made three pieces.

Currently, I am working on a number of pieces for the R&D department of Buhler-Versatile, making prototype pieces.


A quick design study for the new Genesis tractor styling. Versatile cut down an existing fender from one of their large tractors and brought it to me for "amalgamation", that is, bonding all the bolted together parts into one piece. This fender is only needed to go onto the field test tractor. Future pieces will be used to refine the shapes prior to production.


Fan shroud extension. A simple mould of cardboard, backed by Styrofoam, and using packing tape as a mould release is all that it takes to build up this shroud by an extra 4".


On the left is the male mould for the new nose-piece for the Phase D tractor. Step one was to make the light pots. These are removed, then the main portion of the nose is fabricated over the mould. The light pots are then installed. Prototype fabrication does not allow for the use of highly refined moulds, thus there is a good deal of "grab" from the laminate to the mould. Its far easier, and less destructive, to fabricate complicated pieces in sections rather than as one large laminate.


Small scale Tahitian outrigger that they could use in their promotions. The outrigger and the beams are designed to be quickly disassembled and reassembled. Built for Canada 3000 airlines in the mid '90's.


Hard-shell paddle case for the transport, especially by airline, of valuable Freestyle paddles.


A lot of my work, probably more than I'd like, is taken up with the repair of composite canoes. Here, a canoe is receiving a new bottom, as it was easier than patching the extensively beat up laminate. This particular canoe, a Kevlar canoe, is only one season old. Somehow, the owners misunderstood Kevlar to mean "indestructible". It is not.

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