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Marlago Construction
 Perhaps what contributes most to the Marlago's performance and handling is its lightweight construction. Fiberglass skins are knitted biaxial laminates that are vacuum-bagged to a Nida-Core polypropylene honeycomb core in the hull, deck and to the stringer system. Nida-Core has several interesting attributes. Because of its sound-dampening qualities, this honeycomb is frequently sandwiched between interior joiner work.
 Yet even in the open cockpit of the Marlago, it had an effect on sound levels; they never exceeded 86 dB-A But it's the structural performance that commanded my attention, beyond the now not-uncommon fiberglassed hull-to-deck joint. Honeycomb cores, whether treated paper, aluminum or polypropylene, have one drawback: The bonding is done only to the ends of the cells. This means you might get bonding only on the periphery of each cell, not on its open interior.
 Nida-Core tackles that problem by covering both sides of the material with a non-woven polyester scrim that is thermofused to the core with a polyethylene barrier film. The manufacturer reports that the scrim is compatible with virtually any boatbuilding resin or adhesive. And this barrier film is permeable so it doesn't need to be perforated for the next step, which is vacuum-bagging for light weight and maximum bonding strength.
 Since Nida-Core is plastic it can't rot. In fact, there's not a lick of wood anywhere aboard the Marlago. And the material is easily kerfed to create the compound curves that give the boat its sexy look. The light weight translates into efficiency and the ability to pull good performance from smaller motors. It also broadens your tow-vehicle options.
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