polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

OK,you say why is this newbie bringing up this tired old disscusion again? Well I am new to the new chemicals , but not to boats or restoration of a world of things, just to new methods.In my 'ol school' fiberglass was the deal ,no such thing as epoxy or vinylester,and now I find after much research that if you have the money you can use epoxy to refurb a hull or use it to create a lot of custom stuff.I've also seen and read that thulls ect. can be refurbed using polyester then sealing w/epoxy at a substanual savings with out sacrificing structual integrity.Can I get some advice on this from people that dont have that "if it isn't epoxy it will never work' mentallaty.Thanks in advance, I would appreciate any 'non biased' opinions on this subject.

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

What are we talking about? Are you restoring a boat? Building a Transom, Stringers, Deck?? More info please??

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

For the most part when doing repairs and other odds and ends on a typical fishing or Ski boat it's not going to make a difference which resin you use. Now if you want to build a high performance, light weight, money is no problem boat from scratch, then epoxy used with fibers other than glass will make a stronger craft for the same weight, only at a much higher cost.

Very few of the millions of boats made with polyester or VE actually fail in any way related to the resin, so while epoxy is better in many ways, those better qualities may not be taken advantage of in the normal life of a boat.

I am not talking about wood rotting from getting wet, because this will happen with any type of resin, wood doesn't know or care what resin is used when screw and bolt holes aren't sealed correctly, it still rots when water leaks in.

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

restoring old 68 fiberglass hull,think it is an old Erlicson.Trying to make it safe and cost effective to dh 25' cruiser.

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

springer59 said:

restoring old 68 fiberglass hull,think it is an old Erlicson.Trying to make it safe and cost effective to dh 25' cruiser.

Click to expand...

For boats of this vintage I would recommend using Polyester resin. That is what the boat is made from and it has lasted this long and will continure to last using the same materials. Ondarvrr is correct in all of his statements. The key to successful boat building and repair is in the prep and care taken in the construction. If you seal all of the materials properly and maintain the boat properly it will last a long time. www.uscomposites.com is a great source for supplies. Their 404 poly resin is great stuff. 1.5oz CSM and 1708 Biax cloth will make that old girl new again. Post some pics so we can see what your working with. My signature line has a link on how to post your pics.

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

Poly will be fine.

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

Read the threads listed below (below the last post just scroll down) and you will see this has been discussed allot.

Re: polyester vs epoxy vs vinylester one more time

Thanks for all the info,I will check out some of those threads at the bottom of the page.Will post pics as soon as l can get started,and get my camera located.