Epoxy Source

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viking
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 6:45 am
Location: Courtice Ontario

Epoxy Source

Post by viking »

Looking for opinions. Almost finished stripping the hull on a 16' Bob. Will be buying fiberglass and epoxy within next couple of weeks. I have absolutely no experience selecting or working with fibreglass epoxy finish. What brand/type would you recommend and where would you recommend purchasing. Price will not be the deciding factor. So far I'm leaning towards West system purchased either here or from Noah's. What do you use? Where do you buy it? Whats it like to work with for a beginner? any other suggestions greatly appreciated. TIA Mike
Ain't none of us as smart as all of us.
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Glen Smith
Posts: 3719
Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Post by Glen Smith »

For a first time builder my recommendation is to go with a known product which would be West 105/207 and 6 oz E-glass. These are both available from Bear Mountain or Noah's Marine. Check the prices and take your pick, great service from both places.

I also suggest making a test panel of glued-up short strips on which you can try out the epoxy and the glass to see how it wets out and how to make best use of the squeegee. In general, follow Ted's instructions and all should work well.

For any future projects you might want to try out a less expensive epoxy but at least with some experience using West products you will be able to make a personal comparison.
KenC
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:42 pm
Location: Oakville, ON

Post by KenC »

I used 6 oz glass from Noah's, and I ordered RAKA epoxy (127/350) directly from the supplier. I had no problems or complaints with either, but I have nothing to compare them with, since it was my one and only experience working with fiberglass/epoxy.

I gather from reading other people's comments that Raka is a less viscous mix than some others, and some people don't like that. I thought it had a decent working time, especially since as a first-timer, I was probably (definitely) not doing things as efficiently as I would now. I did all my glassing solo, with no helpers. I did wind up with a few bubbles under the glass, and one or two small spots where the glass floated in the epoxy, but this I attribute to my own inexperience ... I don't fault the epoxy for my own mistakes.

The Raka epoxy is delivered by UPS, and has to pass through a customs broker on the way into Canada. No big deal.

I will use the same suppliers for my next project, without hesitation.
Markham_David
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2005 2:12 pm
Location: Markham, Ontario

Post by Markham_David »

Mike, I used MAS, primarily due to its low viscosity, long open time, and its local availabillity. I purchased from Noah's and received prompt service.

The epoxy did not disappoint on the wetout: I had lots of time to fiddle and learn (first canoe) and still get good results. Unfortunately, I had trouble with cratering on subsequent coats in spite of applying suggested remedies. Others have had great results with this epoxy, so my problems may have been self-inflicted!

You might like to check out Vaclav's epoxy tests at One Ocean Kayaks before you commit to a particular brand:

http://oneoceankayaks.com/Epoxtest.htm

Good luck!

Dave
The Gutt Clan
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:32 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Post by The Gutt Clan »

My experience is very limited. I assisted with the wetting out and subsequent layers on inside deck of a kayak during a one day workshop at Bear Mountain Boats. We actually had more people than we had room around the kayak so helping hands were not a problem.

My biggest fear before the workshop was wetting out the fiberglass. I still have my fears; however, it really wasn't that hard. It was definitely nice to have experieced people near to tell you when you were pressing too hard, the squeegie was at to steep and angle or when you needed to pull more epoxy out of the glass.

After that experience, I would highly recommend doing test runs until you felt comfortable with the results. You will probably be happier with the results and the slight additional expense of doing tests will greatly enhance the final result of your canoe/kayak.

My other "take-away" is that fiberglassing really doesn't take all that long. If I remember correctly, we wet out the fiberglass before lunch, put a second coat on shortly after lunch and then before the end of the day we had a third coat on. I had been planning on a 18 hour marathon to get my canoe done and I saw it all done in about 6 hours time. Admittedly, there were plenty of people helping so each phase went quickly; however, the curing times were a lot shorter than I had thought.
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