16' Fiberglass Tri-hull Rebuild

[ahmincha]

I am all caught up taggin along

 

[SAT_Bob]

Greetings, I hope everyone is doing well. Progress has been slow but at least I'm making progress. I've ground out everything that needs to be out of the boat and measured and cut out the new transom and center stringer. Now I need to prep both prior to installing. Here's where the possible problem comes in. My resin may be too old but before buying more I figured I'd check with y'all. The resin (polyester) is a year old, purchased from US Composites, the end of October 2013. I noticed today that it has a 3 month shelf life, per a label on the bucket. The last time I used it was in May and it kicked off and hardened with no issues.

So, can I test a small batch and if it hardens is it okay to use?

I know pictures are needed for proof of progress so here are a few.


The hull just after the center stringer was removed and once it was cleaned out


The new transom ready to be sealed and installed


The new stringer ready to go

 

[Rickmerrill]

Wish I knew what happens when it goes bad. But usc does say they only guarantee it for 3 months and after that to test a small batch. They also say the MEKP goes bad in 2 months so you might try a new batch of catalyst if it doesn't harden up. That's all I know about that.

 

[Woodonglass]

It all depends on the conditions the resin was stored in. If it didn't get to hot and humid then it's prolly ok. the MEKP is for sure a goner. You can get MEKP at Lowe's and test some of the resin with fresh MEKP. If it kicks and it's not Milky then you're good to go.

 

[SAT_Bob]

It looks like the resin and MEKP are both okay. I decided to try a small batch just to see if it would kick. It did and now I have another hockey puck. But at least I know I'm good to go...

 

[Woodonglass]

Wow. Thats' pretty impressive for the MEKP to be good after a Year in storage. Count yourself a Lucky Glasser!!!:thumb: