The lightweight composite hardtop for the Sunseeker 90 Ocean yacht is made from a combination of HexPly XF and Hexcel’s HexPly SuperFIT semi-preg. According to the company, the hardtop is lighter in weight than versions made using resin-infusion processes, and it de-molds with a pinhole-free surface that needs less preparation to be ready for paint.
Working with Sunseeker, Hexcel developed a material format, a laminate ply sequence, and a production process that satisfied the structural requirements for the hardtop and enabled the yacht builder’s production team to lay up and cure the part in a single shot.
“With the HexPly XF surface technology now well established, XF will soon be used in other large moldings where minimizing weight is critical, as well as additional hardtops across the Sunseeker model range,” said Garth Thomas, account manager at Hexcel.
