Has anyone used the Epoxy based resins/coatings to repair and coat your hulls?

S

slimslam

New Member
If so what do you think of Epoxy for repairing holes and cracks in the hull or deck?
If used for coating the hull what is the finish like?
What is your overall opinion of Epoxy as opposed to Polyester resins and Gel coat finishes in terms of ease of application and durability.
 
slimslam said:
If so what do you think of Epoxy for repairing holes and cracks in the hull or deck?
If used for coating the hull what is the finish like?
What is your overall opinion of Epoxy as opposed to Polyester resins and Gel coat finishes in terms of ease of application and durability.
Click to expand...
As a hole and crack repair resin it sticks tenaciously. That's its one big advantage over polyester resin..., greater hold.

Laminating epoxy (WEST, MAS, System Three,... or pre-mixed w/filler Marine-Tex) has a longer cure time which translates into more working time. Polyester resin typically goes into it's cure phase (kicks) in about 20 min, epoxy ... 45 min to 2 hours depending on the hardener used. Polyester is ready to put into service in as little as 1 hour, epoxy takes 24 hours to fully cure and can take days with some slow cure hardeners.

As a coating...
Epoxy isn't durable as a standalone coating. Remember, it's first of all an adhesive, that consequently can be combined with reinforcing fabric to be structural.

If you were to add a layer of epoxy it would need to be done in the same manner canoe and kayak makers use it.


The qualities epoxy would impart would be, higher moisture resistance (it's not water proof, just more resistant), some flexural strength, and greater chemical resistance.

The caveats would be, it's less rigid than polyester, it has poor resistance to UV so would require painting, it's heavier for equal thickness, and it's 4x as expensive..., 10x as expensive if you reduce the extra weight by using carbon fiber or Kevlar in place of the fiberglass fabric.

In my opinion they both have their place in boat repair, but which you use for what situation needs to be a decision based on the most benefits.

.
 
yep...

working on a well used Sunfish, a disastorous flood victim Chrysler Man-O-War and an ocean abused Laser, all at the same time in a garage that will only hold two !

West epoxy & Gflex for structural work, Devoe 142 epoxy caulk for large depressions & 1st coat over glass cloth, Six10 for gussets, Devoe 4508 for hull, Devoe 201 & 4708 for decks.

Did I mention I work for AkzoNobel but no would sell me Epiglass !

anyway, if one has access to epoxy, its great ! if one has time & good working conditions, its great. if one cannot put up with the issues gel-coat brings to the table... its the perfect choice.

Ben & I have been putting in a hour or two after school/work every sunny day for the last few weeks, missed the Victoria Day start to the season and are still waiting for a new sail.

Pics will be added soon.

cheers
Bill TGH
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top