collapsible curved folding 10mm coroplast boat tail
 

I had an idea for a curved folding 10mm coroplast boat tail.

The flutes on the sheets would go across the boattail. The inside panel/strip between every other flute would be trimmed out. That would make the sheets very bendable over the length of the boattail so they could form the proper curve but stiff/flat across.

If the top and side sheets had the same curves and the cuts on top were between the even flutes and the sides between the odd flutes then the edges of those sheets should mesh together like 10mm interlocking teeth. That would keep the sheet from bending or sliding inward past each other. Magnets in some of those teeth would keep the sheets from swinging out.

The bottom and back sheet would be stiff and flat with only a cut at the vehicle end and between those two pieces to make hinges. The bottom would hang from two cables like a tailgate.

To fold the tail this tail up, the top sheet would be rolled up and tossed over the vehicle. The back would fold down and and then the bottom fold up vertical. The sides would then fold inward. Lastly the top would be pushed back and would unroll down. The tail should only take up a few inches past the bumper when folded.

Unfolding would be the reverse process.

For those who need visibility many small square windows could be cut into the tail and covered with flexible transparent film.

Wouldn't that also seriously reduce the Coroplast's strength ?
After all it's the box structure that gives it that strength - remove the box and you likely end up with ordinary floppy plastic sheet.

Yeah, I was going to say, coroplast crimps well enough for making curves, then the structure is not compromised as much. One can use a heat gun (very carefully) to form it too.

Would it work to use a blunt chisel on some or all of the flutes - maybe after heating them a bit - to make the coroplast curve yet retain most of its strength ?

On the inside of the curve, you'd create M-shaped indentations when looking at one of the boxes from the side.

The whole point was to make the coroplast foldable so it could easily be pulled apart flattened and stowed away on the vehicle.

I wouldn't remove the inside piece between every single flute but every other flute. So the inside theres a box a space a box a space a box a space etc.The outside is of course smooth. I tried it on some 4mm coroplast and it is still quite stiff across the sheet but now very flexible along the length. The top sheet is supported on the edges by the side sheets. Think of one of those roll up metal security doors small stores use. The hinges make it flexible to roll along the length but the track supports it on the edges. likewise the curved sides would also be supported by the top and bottom sheet.

Now I found with the 4mm coroplast the edges(box space box space) dont interlock with each other unless i crimp the end of the flutes(box) a bit with pliers to narrow them slightly.

I should have said collapsible instead of curving in the title.


Im not sure whether this would be quite strong enough to work or not and how easy the edges of the flexible sheets align when folding the curves together.