Abstract: A method for making a hollow composite article includes: preparing a deformable shell; filling the deformable shell with an incompressible-and-flowable material through an access opening in the deformable shell so as to enable a size and a shape of the deformable shell to correspond to those of the hollow composite article in subsequent thermal molding; covering the deformable shell with a composite material; thermally molding the composite material in a mold so as to form the hollow composite article; removing an assembly of the hollow composite article, the deformable shell, and the incompressible-and-flowable material from the mold; opening the access opening and removing the incompressible-and-flowable material from the deformable shell through the access opening; and removing the deformable shell from the hollow composite article.