At some point or another all of us learned about composites, and some time after that we all got hooked! I want to know how it happened for you.
For me my advisor at college suggested I learn about composites and perform a research project on their behavior. After that I couldn’t get enough of them.
What’s your story?
My dad is a machinist and he eventually started machining composites and layup/assembly tooling. During high school and all throughout college I was able to work during summer and winter breaks as a tech doing layup and assembly at the shop my dad worked at. When I got involved with Formula SAE and saw a car with a composite tub my head exploded. Graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and voila! Was hired full time as an engineer at the same shop.
What school did you go to and were you on the Formula Team? I’m currently with a Formula Hybrid team at my university and as awesome as a full carbon tub would be we don’t have the capability to manufacture one 
Long, long time ago I once broke the rudder of my boat (Optimist dinghy). A friend of my father repaired things with epoxy resin. At the time I thought it was funny stuff, sort of candle wax that became rock hard. Did not know about it at all, I was 13 or so.
At 16 yo I bought another boat, and it needed restoration. I did that with epoxy resin. I was helped by the distributor of West System epoxy.
At 18 I decided to build a boat myself. Again the distributor helped me, and I was able to build my carbon/epoxy boat, in the production facility for Ferarri F40 bodywork. (racing versions, Le Mans). I helped them as well, and I learned a lot.
From then on I am involved in the composites business.
@canyon
Went to UC Irvine and was on the FSAE team for 2002-2003. The car with the carbon tub was from 2001-2002. Unfortunately our team decided on going with a traditional tube frame chassis and cannibalized many parts from the previous year’s car.
Always been itnerested in composites, but recently decided it was time to take the jump and learn more about it. More from a hobby and personal use stand point, not sure it would be a business for me.
i started off with a friend in the garage making panels for his car and it just went from there, and i progressed to bus/train/boat parts and parts for the military and armored cars and stuff with carbon and kevlar… everything i learn or do makes me want to learn more… i have styrene brain maybe =] lol!
My world of composites started when I was out of college, and getting into motorcycles, working at a TV Station. Read all the mags, (and some mountain bike stuff) and loved it. Light, Strong, and completely customizable parts. And CF was pretty. Started doing some bike parts in my apartment, learning various aspects, and failing at many others.
Moved, had no job for ages, but still tried to do more composites. Even got some pre-preg to try out…not a good idea when you don’t have a spare freezer, and metal molds!! Or a real good vacuum pump either. But anyways. Finally found job doing QA/QC work for an antenna company, which is another hobby. They had a composite department starting up doing antenna systems and structures. I moved there, and loved it! Working with prepreg all day was great. I didn’t learn much there, so I left with the intent on being a tech worker. Sent my resume EVERYWERE and somehow landed a research position at the Center for Composite Materials at Uni of Delaware. I have learned more than I ever thought I would. I deal with all materials in all aspects and at all points. Testing resins, testing fabrics, testing processes, etc. While I am still making 200 flat panels a year, I still get variety in my work to love it.
And so it is. I’m a composite junky for life.
at 15 I decided to build a scale model boat.
First I made one out off glass, not strong enough
second one was carbon/foamcore, way too heavy.
Third one was ok, could do better though.
So with an interest in boats I decided to follow education in that area, I had my internship at schaap composites(TH38 canting keel raceboat) and later at linq(cq6). I also started a dutch composite forum (composietforum.nl) but it is in need of activity…
I was learning a bit too fast so I could teach my teachers more than they could teach me.
And Herman some posts above also had(still haves) lots of information available, nice to see you here too 
, I guess the registration finally worked?
(I still haven’t finished the damn boat, way to busy with the real stuff )