Epoxy Brand Preferred

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Fri May 20, 2005 9:31 am

I have been working on some fairly small repairs lately since my time has been limited to work on my boat. So far, I have been working with West epoxy since I can get it on my way to work. My only local supply source is West Marine. I know, this doesn't say much for my intelligence.

Now, as I comteplate some more extensive repairs, such as deck recore, I am in need of large quantities of material (5 gallon to start with). I was wondering what brands were preferred in lieu of West System. I'm sure this has been covered elsewhere in this forum, but I thought I would ask again.

Joe

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Fri May 20, 2005 10:49 am

This is one of those things where everyone has developed their own preference, sometimes founded in logic, sometimes not.

For the shadetree-mechanic variety of work that I do, I like System Three. I've found it to be more tolerant of changing weather than MAS or West, and it's pretty hard to screw up a 2:1 mix ratio. The downside is that it's not conveniently available over the counter.

I tried their "Silvertip" resin for the first time last week, and yeah there's a difference. It wets-out cloth much more easily than their standard resin. I'll continue to use the normal resin for glueing and fairing tasks, but for laminating I'm going to use the silvertip from now on.

Has anyone used that Epiglass stuff I've seen advertised everywhere?

Harry James · Post by **Harry James** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:50 pm

I have used Raka products a lot successfully and they have very good service.

http://www.raka.com/

It is used by a lot of home boatbuilders as well as System Three.

Here is another source, it is an informative site but could really use a good web designer

http://www.epoxyproducts.com

As I buy almost all boatbuilding products (except spruce and cedar which I by locally) from the lower 48 shipping is always part of the cost for me.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:23 pm

My only local supply source is West Marine. I know, this doesn't say much for my intelligence.

More people on this forum collect those West Marine refund coupons than they will admit. When the competition gets bought out and you need it NOW sometimes there isn't any choice.

am in need of large quantities of material (5 gallon to start with). I was wondering what brands were preferred in lieu of West System.

Why not stick with the system you are most familiar with? West comes in five gallon buckets too. I think there are several good brands out there but at the end of the day, West System, with its own particularities, is every bit as good as the others. My useless advice?... On the big and importantant projects, stick with what you know. Save your experiments for the little stuff.

On a side note; everyone, sooner or later, learns that buying the five gallon buckets is the only way to go. Some fight it with one gallon cans for a time but eventually they all cave :-) Personally, I feel a five gallon bucket of epoxy is a beautiful thing to behold.

-Britton

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 9:22 am

Why would using WEST epoxy be something bad? I've used the stuff since 1976 with outstanding results. Built a 35 foot trimaran using WEST, built a 22 foot Cat Ketch using WEST, built a 16 foot sloop using WEST. Good stuff, excellent technical staff, andf very very good if you have questions. Hit 'em with a real puzzler and they'll run tests for your answers. They are a bit more expensive than the others, but in the overall cost of a boat it ain't THAT much.

I've also used MAS to build 3 boats and am currently using RAKA to do another. As far as the end result goes, it's six of one half a dozen of the other. Never worked with Sys 3 but friends have- it's pretty much like either RAKA or MAS.

The MAS is VERY much slower than the WEST in cooler weather, so if you'll be working where the temps tend toward being chilly, keep that in mind. At 50 - 60 degrees I can move on with a project glued or coated with WEST in 24 hours where the MAS would take 2- 3 days to reach the same cure. Can't tell you about the RAKA since I've only used that in temps close to 100. At those temps, they are all pretty fast, even with the slow hardener and you learn to work fast. Try glassing the hull of a 17 footer, by your self, in 102 degrees*grin*

Post by **Tim** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:43 am

There's a silly feeling among many in the boating community that somehow West System is "just fancy marketing", and that somehow the cheap industrial epoxies on the market are exactly the same, but for far less cost. Nothing could be further from the truth, in reality. Each epoxy on the market has its own working characteristics, and has its own working compromises as well, but in no way are they all created equal. There are some people who avoid the use of name-brand products purely on principle, and it is this grouping who seems to think that products like West System are designed only to allow the company founders to sleep in beds stuffed with the extra profit money they make from selling the same product at inflated prices. Come on, now.

I certainly put far more stock in the technical expertise of the Gougeon folks, their research and development, tech support, long-standing reputation, and the widespread use of the West System product by all high-end builders, than in the unsupported rantings found on certain websites that profess to have all the answers on epoxy.

Personally, I love West System, and it's now the only epoxy I use. It is the most consistent in performance, and there is substantial research, development, and product support behind it. Not only that, but the product was conceived for the marine industry, and is therefore optimized.

It does cost a little more, but perhaps that's because it's truly an optimized product meant for a very specific use.

I've used MAS and System Three as well, with generally good results, but vastly prefer West. And I still don't really understand why it's supposedly easier to mix a 2:1 ratio than 5:1; the math isn't really that much more complex! While I'm no scientist, I am aware that the mix ratio has effect in terms of the overall epoxy performance, so the choices by the manufacturer are made for a specific reason in terms of the end result.

jhenson · Post by **jhenson** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:47 am

Why would using WEST epoxy be something bad?

I'm under the impression that I came across to some as being negative about West epoxy. I certainly didn't mean too. I had been using West exclusively on this boat, and others I've owned in the past, and it has worked for me. I was simply talking about the poor value of buying the stuff at $100/gallon or more at West Marine. They are the only place within 60 miles of my home that carries any boat repair supplies.

However, needing to move on to some more massive repairs, I thought I would solicit the group before investing in a large order of epoxy. I appreciate the various opinions given so far.

Joe