how much epoxy?

Steve · Post by **Steve** » Thu May 14, 2009 12:06 pm

Hi All, I am nearly ready to start the epoxy phase of my build & need some help regarding how much resin i need to purchase.Here in the UK west system is available in 5kg (resin 105) & 1.45kg (hardener 207) just how much of each product will i require to complete a 17' freedom, thanks in advance for any help.
Steve

Glen Smith · Post by **Glen Smith** » Thu May 14, 2009 12:49 pm

Here in North America, the epoxy containers of West are sold as "A", "B", or "C" according to their size.

The resin 105 B is what I buy and 2 of those is pretty well the norm. As for the 207 hardener you need the "A" size and 2 are required.

The "A" size contains about 1 quart, The "B" size contains about 1 gallon and the "C" size contains about 4.4 gallons.

Davesbuild · Post by **Davesbuild** » Mon May 18, 2009 5:40 pm

Glen,

My friend just built a 16' "non" Bear Mountain canoe. I built a 16' Huron Cruiser before this. We have learned from each other in building of each of our canoes, each giving the other a hand with the glassing et al. We used almost all of the East System Kit (2 gal. of Resin and 2 qts.?? of hardener). When we glassed my friends canoe, we used the West System and used about 1 gal. of Resin and 1 qt. ?? of hardener. The epoxy on my Huron Cruiser does appear alot thicker than my friends and we did squeege out lots on his, but little on mine. My canoe does feel a bit on the heavy side - just about 60 lbs. as near as I can tell. Do you have any pro's or con's to either way and do you find that you use the whole 2 gallons of resin with the East system?

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave

Glen Smith · Post by **Glen Smith** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:05 pm

I have never used the East epoxy. I have used West and a local brand (Citadel). I have never used a whole 2 gallon kit on any boat. Some builders are more wasteful than others by applying a heavy coat then squeegeeing most of it off or not removing enough and ending up with a heavy boat. My15 foot Hiawatha weighs 45 pounds and my first 16.5 foot Resolute tipped the scales at 50 pounds. Both of those boats have 3 coats interior and exterior and used 1/4" strips and 6 oz cloth. Now I build mostly with 3/16" strips and 4oz cloth so those boats are quite a bit lighter.

Jim Dodd · Post by **Jim Dodd** » Tue May 19, 2009 7:25 am

I haven't used West epoxy, but If it were me, I'd get more than I needed.

To run short would be awful. You can always use the rest later for paddles, repairs, and such.

I helped a friend glass a 17ft. canoe, and he ordered a 3gal. kit. from RAKA. He used more than 2 of it. To order more, would've cost him a lot extra in shipping.

Good luck
Jim