(This was me thinking about a 3/8" versus 1/2" core...)
Bending stiffness varies with the (I always mess this up) square of the thickness, everything else being equal.
So a 0.9" deck (0.5" core, 0.3" top, 0.1" bottom) is about a third stiffer (but no more damage tolerant than) a 0.78" deck with a 0.38" core. With a 16" increase in thickness overall, or a third thicker core.
So a little more laminate than this wouldn't be bad. Like 0.375" core, 0.32"top, maybe 0.12" bottom for about the same stiffness.
The glass is what gives it strength and stiffness, so if you can get a better glass-resin ratio, you don't have to go as thick for the same stiffness. I hear this can be done by putting peel ply over the top and squeegeeing excess resin thru. This saves the hassle of vacuum bagging. And sanding.
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