My week of composites training

May 6, 2025

I learned about ACT, the Advanced Composite Training program through Ray Bilsky at Rayplex, who is one of our advertisers. He explained that there are few ways for a technician to get training in composites, yet there is significant demand for those skills. I looked into the courses on the ACT website and decided that I wanted to take the introductory course myself.

I spent all of last week at their facilities in London, Ontario. In addition to receiving a useful training manual, there were several hands-on exercises and opportunities to actually use the materials. Our small group of five students including myself, cut pieces of foam core, measured out cloth of several different types and then we mixed resin to do test layups and vacuum bagging procedures.

In a course of this type, I’ve often found that it is the skill and experience of the instructors that make it both memorable and effective. Wilson Boynton and Shaun Daltrey were effective and memorable presenters with real hands-on skills backed up by a wealth of personal experience. They shared many personal anecdotes to emphasize the importance of the subjects.

The ACT facilities are quite impressive with a wide range of equipment and hands-on lab facilities. Owner Wilson Boynton has collected a vast array of examples, including failed components to provide a hands-on learning experience and to stimulate discussion.

The course I signed up for was one of 17 different courses the facility offers and for my needs, it effectively covered the basics. There is also a specific week-long Marine course, but the timing for that didn’t work for me this time. The experience was so positive though, I’m already thinking about signing up for that course a little later.

Every industry seems to need skilled technicians these days, and there are limited ways to gain knowledge and experience in working with composites, especially the smart and effective ways to do the types of structural and cosmetic repairs that a marina is likely to need.

The session I attended had two people from BC, two from Quebec and me as the lone Ontario resident. It seems to me that the knowledge and skills I gained in that one-week course would have value to a technician at almost any marina in Ontario. Here is their website to learn more: www.advancedcompositestraining.ca

Andy Adams, Editor