No Gelcoat Needed. Ceramic-Based Epoxy?

Must be more wear and tear on the semi-planing, can't see how it would make that much difference

 

Must be more water resistance/friction in semi-planing.

 

If this is the case; then what will happen to other ablatives on same?

 

Ablatives as in bottom paint?

 

Harder does not mean stronger. Plate glass is harder than steel, but shatters much easier. On a fiberglass/resin composite, the fiberglass is the reinforcement. If you find a material that has more tensile strength (for example) than fiberglass, it would make no sense to weaken it by adding fibers.

 

OK! so the fiberglass is the reinforcement, the resin just holds the fibers together in a mesh? I understand. But other than Gelcoat, and Paint, wouldn't a ceramic be harder, slicker, and more UV resistant? Sorry, at least that's what this product claims. I have emailed EagleCoatings (a distributor) with questions about how "Epoxotherm" (ceramic-based epoxy) would fare on a marine vessel, as a resin first (probably not popssible at all, but just wanted to see if they would comment, or provide any further info/details), and second as a coating. Will let you guys know if they reply.

 

Yeah. I am really confused as to how the product would not fair well on semi-displacement per them, but a planing hull with potentially more speed would be okay?

Makes no sense to me. A planing hull is not always on plane. During the times into and out of plane; it functions similarly to a semi; but really there could be more forces against the finish than a semi ever reaches.

Perhaps the truth is they can’t handle being on any planing craft, but they couldn’t handle that reality from a marketing perspective.

 

To start with, epoxy is a thermoset polymer and can not be ceramic based. Ceramics are mainly clay that gets fired to a high temperature, the water chemically bonded gets driven out and crosslinks between hydroxils are formed. They may have some kind of crushed ceramic as a load though.

 

There's a big read-up here about the Epoxotherm product. The site says ....."EPOXO THERM ® likewise has a similar multi ceramic insulation package but in an Epoxy carrier." So is ceramic, or Epoxy the base? Not sure =/ ?

So would this work as a epoxy resin to lay-up/cure fiberglass?
Sorry if a dumb question......

 

It is pulverized ceramic suspected in epoxy glue.

Most paints are approximately 25% binder (glue), 30% pigments (color,ceramic powder,gloss modifiers and many many more) and 50% liquid solvent,

True epoxy resin inteded for lamination work is more than 90% epoxy. Infusion formulations have a small amount of "flow" agent, while hand layups are thickened.

Anyone using paint for lamination might as well go to sea in a paper-mache boat.

 

Ok, so, I spoke w/Bruce at Eagle Caotings in regard to their line of ceramic-based, submergable epoxies. He described them as "being for coatings only. Some of them are excellent in UV resistance, and water proof, and can be used as basement barriers, and swimming pool liners, but they are intended to be applied to concrete, and are quite soft, and plyable.", (sorry guys). "They are great as "Coatings" but not good to use as a structural resin". "Not something you would want to use in a "structural" role, like.....to lay-up, or cure fiberglass for a structure (like a boat hull), which undergoes a sh*t load of structural stresses, like wind and water pressure.". Bruce said to stick with the traditional "hard stuff". Sorry guys for the bad info. As I mentioned to Bruce, the only thing that attracted me, initially, to their new ceramic-based style of Epoxies was their great UV resistance. But traditional marine epoxies are notoriously bad under normal UV conditions (as has been well noted on this forum) and traditionally broken down and de-grade quickly.

 

But damnit, why is my toilet bowl so hard, slick, and shiny? And why can't a hull be.......without the high maintenance of paint, or Gelcoat?

 

I guess a toilet bowl does scratch quite easily. Maybe the coating is not as hard as it seems.

 

Bruce at Eagle Coatings, said "Wal-mart does use this stuff called "ENAMEL Grip", and that paint just slides off." It's used to prevent grafiti, and may be a great coating material to prevent growth on a hull.

 

You need to slow down and relax a bit, breath deep.

If there was some miracle product out there that was head and shoulders above everything else the entire industry would already know about it. Read about what people do use and why before trying to reinvent the entire process