My question is, would it be possible to get a peice of kevlar large enough to cover our tops, and how much would peice that size cost? This would prevent a great deal of cut tops/ seat thefts/ headaches...

 

Your best defense against auto thieves is insurance. No matter what you do, if someone wants something you have bad enough they will find a way to take it from you.

 

Why not? America's Cup boats use Kevlar sails (which are plenty big!). Give DuPont a call.

 

just get a hardtop if your scared

 

Kevlar alone won't stop a knife - that's not how it works. Here's a little more info:

Some types of vests may be augmented with metal ( (An alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range) steel or (A light strong gray lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong light-weight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite) titanium), (An artifact made of hard brittle material produced from nonmetallic minerals by firing at high temperatures) ceramic or (A lightweight thermoplastic; used especially in packaging and insulation) polyethylene plates that provide extra protection to vital areas. These "trauma plates" have proven effective against all handguns and some rifles, if the bullet actually hits the plate. These types of vests have become standard in military use, as advances in ballistic technology have rendered (Click link for more info and facts about kevlar) kevlar-only vests ineffective - The (Click link for more info and facts about CRISAT) CRISAT (An international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security) NATO standard for vests includes titanium backing. Some vests are also designed to protect against knife attacks as well. This is done by coating the outer surface of the vest with tiny crystals of a (Stiff paper coated with powdered emery or sand) sandpaper-like material or hiding a very thin plate of resin hardened glass-fibre sheet between the kevlar layers. This is important for the safety of law enforcement and prison guard personnel.

The most recent U.S. military-issue body armour, the Interceptor Multi-Threat Body Armor System issued in the late 1990's, has small-arms protective inserts made of ceramic which can stop, shatter, and catch 7.62 mm rifle rounds.

A vest does not protect the wearer by deflecting a bullet. Instead, the individual layers of material catch the bullet and spread its (The product of a body's mass and its velocity) momentum over a larger portion of the body, deforming the round and hopefully bringing it to a stop before it can penetrate into the body. While a vest can prevent a bullet from penetrating, the wearer can still be affected by the (The mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of its motion) kinetic energy of the bullet, with results ranging from bruises to serious internal injuries.

 

 

My Coleman canoe is Kevlar and it gets really flimsy when it gets hot in the sun. This is not a problem for a canoe, sitting in the water, but certainly could be for a hardtop that gradually turns to a droop-top on the first hot day of the Summer. Picture a malnourished horse, with protruding ribs ... it's not a pretty picture. I'll stick with the aluminum, OEM hardtop.

 

Get a 12gauge shot gun !!!

 

What i was thinking wasn't to make the top knife proof, but to make it resistant. In hockey they have managed to incorperate carbon fiber into almost everything, thus reducing weight and adding strength (neck gaurds preventing skates from cutting the neck with a thin kevlar cloth). I figured the kevlar rag top for our cars would have been a great idea, however after reading all your posts it appears my first impressions of how kevlar works is full of flaws.

 

I did a lot of work with kevlar on an engineering undergrad research project and I think it would work great... Tightly knit kevlar (it's available in tons of different weaves) is extremely puncture resistant. I still have many samples of the stuff at home. For an example at a presentation, I'd get some of those jars where the lid has a large hole in it, stretch some kevlar over the jar opening, and put the lid on. I'd go around the lecture hall with a pen, a screwdriver, and a knife, and challenge people in the audience to try to stab through. They might be able to make a little indentation or stretch the fabric slightly, but nobody could cut through it.

Downside is, it's a very tough material that may be difficult to get it to stretch in the shape of a ragtop. I think it would work well if the main top part of the roof were reinforced with kevlar; someone trying to break in could still mangle the hell out of your roof if they wanted, but they couldn't get inside.