Couple fiberglass/resin questions

[F14CRAZY]

In my Bayliner project I've got 1/2'' marine ply down as my deck. I wet it out with epoxy and then put down 18 oz fabric.

Should I put another coat of resin down? As it is it looks semi-glossy (with how much epoxy it has). Do you usually throw another coat or two on it until it appears to be clearcoated? I will be painting it with non skid deck paint at any rate. I've been using a resin roller to squeeze out the air pockets but not squeezing out all the epoxy.

And, for my plywood pieces other than the deck like the engine compartment and jumpseat boxes, do I truly need to glass them over? I'm assuming that I have to and I've been planning on it but thought I'd ask. For the boxes in the cuddy cabin I made the call and decided that a coat of resin on everything was good enough because this wood-would always be under cover.

Assuming that I do glass the engine compartment and all over, what oz fabric should I use? My plan is to use the 4-6 oz tape I have for tabbing and edges and use up the 18 oz I have left for the large areas that need to be covered. Can I use the roll of 1.5 oz I have instead? Should I just get a bag of 6-8 oz locally?

Thanks guys

 

[NickAndJena]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

Ok, first let me explain that I'm a complete newbie to this topic. Here is what the research I've done tells me though. I'm about to do this in a month or so.

You glass in the parts that need the structural strength. As far as coating decking, mainly to protect it from moisture, you can just go with epoxy resin and give it a good coating; but no glass over the entire decking.

I plan on glassing the edges of the decking where it tabs up against the hull. Also I'll glass at the seam of the perimeter of each board (I'm using 1/2" thick plywood for decking). Otherwise the inner portions of the board, non-perimeter, just have epoxy coating on both the top and bottom. Don't forget to apply resin over the parts where you fastened the decking to the stringers. I'm going to use stainless steel screws to attach the decking to the stringers and then will give a good coat of epoxy over the embedded screw heads.

Anyone agree here?

Nick

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

Whether you need to use glass over the wood depends on a few critical things, will the surface take some kind of abuse like being walked on, or having gear stowed on it, and the type of wood used.

Epoxy is tough stuff, but it won't hold up all that long on a surface that sees foot traffic or other types of loads if it doesn't have glass to support it. The glass allows the epoxy layer to be thicker and resist cracking much better. After a period time you?ll start to see bare spots, or small cracks with just straight epoxy in these locations.

The type of wood makes a big difference also. High end marine ply tends to hold up better when wet, I don't mean rot, just that many types of wood start to check (crack) after a while, epoxy alone will delay the checking, but it will still happen. Because of the type of wood used, high end marine ply will resist checking much longer.

Both of these scenarios lead to wet plywood, which means rot.

If the surface sees little no foot traffic and you used a very good grade of marine plywood, then just a plain coat of epoxy (painted if exposed) will hold up. If it?s a high wear area, gets stressed (flexing, etc), or you used an exterior grade plywood from the lumber yard, then you should use glass.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

hello Crazy...

previous posts may be informational for some..but in your case prob does not answer your questions...

1. no.. I would not put extra epoxy over your lam on the deck. and you should have rolled out any extra epoxy in the lamination. if need be , you can prep and apply your 1.5 oz mat over your 18 oz then prep and paint. ( no more resin then needed to wet out. wet...wait...wet...wait..you know if you have too much or too little ).

2. Yes. If it were me.. yup.. glass every piece of ply that you have the $ for. 2 coats of 1.5 mat should be fine. If your using "finish cloth" ... bad bad.. ( you know..the glass that looks like roving but is really tiny weave..) don't use it.
Mat is much better..

3. Never just Resin Coat anything that is not chair. Glass it...or use varnish !

Hope this helps .. peace ... YD.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

thanks guys...I've been rolling out the excess epoxy but I don't spend a lot of time on it, sitting there trying to get every once of epoxy out from under that fabric

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

From you pics it looks like a pro done your work.I wouldnt worry.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

Mat isn't what should be used with epoxy, cloth is what you need.

As for coating with extra epoxy, if you wan't the surface to have less texture, use epoxy to fill the glass pattern.

 

[seven up]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

You are doing great in my opinion. With the 18 oz cloth you have great abrasion resistance and strength as well. I would add two more light coats of epoxy to the deck. The amine blush will have to be washed off first though, if there is any.

Mat with epoxy adds no benefit to your application and will waste alot of resin. I'll be looking for more photos if you can get them.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

Okies..here is a test...

wet out some finish cloth with epoxy and some with polyester

wet out some 1.5 oz mat with both as well

after cure.. try to rip it like a piece of paper.. you will see why i say mat.

oh yea..why use epoxy ? polyester or vinylester will work just fine m8.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

I decided to go with epoxy due mostly to the relatively small, enclosed work area I've been working in

 

[88BLiner]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

Hey F14, I just wanted to tel you what I was planning on doing. I know we are all trying to save some money on rebuilding our babies but I have noticed that epoxy all by its self is kind of brittle so what I am going to do is use a light weight fiber glass cloth. I am going to use 6oz on every thing nonstructural but you could probably go a lot lighter than that. I am using cloth because I am using epoxy, if you are using poly you could use a light weight mat.

 

[88BLiner]

Re: Couple fiberglass/resin questions

Sorry, I forgot to mention that if this is going to be the final layer before you put down your nonslip paint, it should be cloth for a smooth finish so you can sand it to prep for the paint.