Industrial Epoxy?

Buying epoxy formulated to be used with wood and/or boat construction can avoid many problems. The more reputable manufacturers also have good warranties and technical support. Also, the percentage of the cost of epoxy vs the total cost of a boat should be taken into consideration. Technical support is worth a lot of money.

 

dear friend, there are cheaper options

 

+1 for Gonzo's point.

Eric, not much use if you don't tell him what the option is.
I have a friend who is always playing "I've got a secret, and you have to guess"

 

Its a forum. You're supposed to read.
In my first post I asked for location. A good deal for me, locally, might not be great for you, after shipping.

But The OP seemed happy with his choice. Should i spread discontentment by pointing out problems with the choice?

Do no harm...

 

His location is shown as Massachusetts in the first post

 

Interesting. The phone view does not show that, but it does show if you click on his name. Thanks @gonzo

@Murky Deep
MAX BOND LOW VISCOSITY 1 GALLON - EPOXY RESIN BOAT BUILDING MARINE GRADE HIGH STRENGTH FIBERGLASSING RESIN - The Epoxy Experts https://theepoxyexperts.com/shop/adhesives/structural-strength/max-bond/max-bond-low-viscosity-ab/max-bond-low-viscosity-1-gallon-epoxy-resin-boat-building-marine-grade-high-strength-fiberglassing-resin/

 

That looks like a good deal.

 

Raka is a decent epoxy for the price. It handles well and does all the things we like. BUT, as far as strength goes you get what you pay for with epoxy. The physical properties of epoxy are complex and some companies don't publish the real data, so buying cheap epoxy is a crap shoot. If you life (or someone else's life) is going to depend on it, cheap epoxy is not such a good option.

 

Thats a good point. If you wanna trust a cheap epoxy like raka its your own butt on the line.

Better go get some industrial epoxy.

Or better yet, go find and read the posts of our dear departed PAR.

 

Try Fasco. The Gougeon brothers' first epoxy boat was made with this. It's made in Florida, and I have used it on several boats. It's still a fairly small operation and you can get custom formulations for good prices.

Fasco 103 LVX Epoxy Resin System https://fascoepoxies.com/Fasco-103-LVX-Epoxy-Resin-System.html

 

I have some experience in epoxies. I began to use it in Sweden in 1970 as apprentice in a luxury yachts shipyard, I have a little experience...
Raka has been in the business since more than 25 years.
I have used plenty of Raka resin, mainly the 127. I bought it by drums. It's a very good resin for boat building, and many other uses.
The price is excellent for the very good quality. The durability is excellent as I have seen over 20 years of use.
And this resin is very easy to use with its 3 hardeners, the tropical very slow, the normal, and the super fast. The hardeners are miscible so you can adjust very precisely your working time.

A good resin for boatbuilding must comply with a lot of requisites, some structural, some for easing the work:
1/ Viscosity around 600 to 1000 centipoises to be effective in all its uses. 2/Good wetting of wood, fibers and other materials including all the charges you're going to add, like wood flour, microfibers, etc... 3/ To be really waterproof, so never being diluted except with special reactive solvents. A lot of cheap resins are diluted "wildly". 4/To have a good elongation so you get the maximal strength of the fibers glued to the wood, and not micro-fissuring under stress as did the West System 40 years ago (they have since fixed that). 5/ No fish eyes, that ruins all your work. Those who have struggled with that will understand me. 6/ Not blushing. It's a plague. 7/ Perfect adhesion between coats with minimal preparation. 8/ Easy to adjust the setting time. 9/Easy sanding. Some epoxies are total horrors to sand.
A good thing also is not too allergenic, some hardeners are horrors.
The Raka comply easily with all that.

Never buy a cheap resin without serious trials, as they are not created equal. Some boatbuilding resins are largely overpriced, but buying too cheap a non specific and unproven resin in boatbuilding is the best way to get in deep troubles.

 

Yes, Raka works well, but like I said, the physical properties (strength) of cheaper epoxies are not the same as those of the industry leaders.

 

I built my 20 foot sidewheel steamboat, a simple plywood hull similar to a typical "Sharpie" hull, with Raka Epoxy. The hull is covered with 10 oz fiberglass cloth, and I used 9 gallons of their epoxy to build the hull in 2010, and it is entirely satisfactory in my view. The Raka epoxy is 100% solids, a feature that should be specified for boat building I am told.

 

Russell,

Do you have some actual examples?
I generally respect your opinions, but some actual data would work better.

 

ok, I'll bite.

Has anyone ever seen a boat builders boat fall apart because the epoxy was cheap? Does that happen?