Polyester versus Vinylester or Vinylester skin ?

Switching between Ployester and VE shouldn't be an issue in a typical shop, going to epoxy can create problems though. Shops that don't use epoxy have a tough time adjusting to the differences, epoxy is a little more difficult to work with and a slower process. The equipment used with polyester won't work with epoxy, that along with the slow cure times drags out the timeline. I know there are people here that will disagree with epoxy being more difficult to work with, but shops can build 15 to 30 twenty footers a day with polyester, try that with epoxy.

No doubt epoxy builds a better product though.

 

Haha these shops layup like 10 hulls a year and probably only actually bring 5 to a turn-key finish on the real high end ..

People actually do build hulls with solid epoxy though?

Jon

 

Yes there are solid epoxy hulls, but most of the time when someone uses epoxy they have certain goals, these goals are frequenlty light weight and strong structures, which leads to using cores and often fibers other than glass.

 

You're correct transitioning from a styrene base to epoxy is a difficult thing for a shop, but this is more in training and equipment, than material choices. And yes, the build schedule will likely slow some, at least initially, but this is usually more than cure rates, which can be accelerated with epoxy, to match the styrene production schedules. This is because the choice to switch to epoxy laminates, indicates a desire to build higher end products, with higher strength, tighter tolerances and controls, more sophisticated engineering, employing exotic fabrics and techniques, for a more demanding, exacting clientele. Several formerly styrene production shops have made this change, without looking back and wishing for the good old days. They're not popping bass boats out of the molds any more, a dozen a day, because the no business advantage to this approach, but I know of one local company, that's popping NASCAR nose pieces (and other stuff) out of their molds at the same rate, all epoxy, usually composite laminates.

 

Cure times are only a small part of the longer build times using epoxy, just getting ready to wet out some glass takes much longer, and with higher viscosities the wet out proccess takes longer too. As I've said before, the target market is typically different for each type of resin. The low end of the market has improved dramatically over the last decade or so though.

 

Infusion with a heat tent cuts the process time a lot.

 

Tenting and heat adds time and cost, and epoxy infusion will still be significantly slower than VE or polyester.