Epoxy Resin Amounts

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shepinrio

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I am going to be getting ready to repair a 14' 1958 Glass Magic transom & deck pretty soon. I've been reading a lot about waterproofing the deck's plywood using epoxy ( the entire floor had rotted, so I'm replacing the entire floor). So I was looking at mertons.com for pricing & the types of epoxy that I need, and I'm assuming that I'll be using the System Three General Epoxy to waterproof the plywood deck before fiberglassing, but I'm not sure how much epoxy I'll need to buy and if this is really the right type that I'll need so any help or guidance on how much and the type would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Woodonglass

Woodonglass

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

Welcome to iBoats!
Not sure about Mertons products. Lots of guys on here use www.uscomposites.com to get their products. For your Deck (Boats don't have floors) You will need 10 to 15 yards of your desired matt/cloth and approximately 10 to 15 gallons of resin. You do NOT have to use epoxy. Polyester is totally acceptable and a LOT cheaper. It does STINK a lot more and a little harder to use for the amatuer but the difference in cost is significant.


I'm just sayin...:D
 
tallcanadian

tallcanadian

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

As wood mentioned polyester is 1/3 the cost or so than epoxy. Epoxy has a longer set time so you can be bit more careful when placing in your fiberglass. Good luck and welcome.
 
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shepinrio

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

Thanks for the responses, one question. So I haven't read much about polyester resin so I'll have to do that, but I'm also going to be covering the plywood with the resin prior to fiberglassing. Would I still be ok to coat the plywood deck with the polyester resin and then fiberglass, or would I be better off using epoxy to coat the floor for waterproofing and then using the polyester resin to fiberglass?
 
ondarvr

ondarvr

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

You don't want to mix and match the two types of resin, you should just pick one and do the entire project with it.
 
Woodonglass

Woodonglass

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

ondarvar is correct. Poly is a little harder to work with due to the fact that it starts to "Set" a little quicker than Epoxy. Therefore you need to be carefull with your mix ratio and/or make smaller batches. It also SMELLS a LOT worse. BUT, as mentioned before it is a LOT less expensive. Remember this rule, Epoxy will stick to almost ANYTHING but POLY will NOT stick to Epoxy. And Yes you should alway Pre-coat your wood with resin before apply the glass.

I'm just sayin...:D
 
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shepinrio

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

Great. Thanks so much for the info everyone. Thanks for the links Bob_VT, I'll do some extensive reading, and will hopefully get some photos to post of the process as I go.
 
Woodonglass

Woodonglass

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

DUDE,

Have you ever glassed a transom, deck, and stringers?


I'm just sayin...:D
 
idonthaveaname

idonthaveaname

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

Woodonglass said:
DUDE,

Have you ever glassed a transom, deck, and stringers?
Click to expand...

Actually, sans the transom, yupper. And it's a full 14ft of decking. Not arguing with you, but 15 gallons of epoxy seems like a lot of epoxy. I dunno...maybe I'm missing something. The cost alone would push the thousand dollar mark, then the cost of glass, and the "cost" of your labor. Geebus! When does one just give up? :eek:

That particular boat is awesome and beautiful :) when restored. Maybe that's enough? Here's a nice link for one that being restored.

http://pivonka.natcafamily.com/Glassmagic/Restoration.htm
 
Woodonglass

Woodonglass

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

The following is presented as a "Rule of Thumb" only.
Many factors come into play as to actual usage of resin and glass.

MATERIAL.........................................GALLONS
1.5 OZ MAT = 1 gallon covers 4.2 square yds
2.0 OZ MAT = 1 gallon covers 3.4 square yds
Call us if you need help with this. 1-800-507-2003
Here is a helpful table for cloth:
There are about 150 ounces per gallon by weight
1.5 ounce cloth ( cloth not chopped mat)?.1 gallon wets out 40 square yards
2.5 ounce cloth?.1 gallon wets out 25 square yards
4 ounce cloth??1 gallon wets out 15 square yards
6 ounce cloth??1 gallon wets out 10 square yards
10 ounce cloth?..1 gallon wets out 6.5 square yards
18 ounce woven roving ?1 gallon wets out 4.5 square yards
24 ounce woven roving ?1 gallon wets out 3.5 square yards.
Biaxial mat 1708.????.. 1 gallon wets out 4 square yards

Please remember several things:

- these are estimates not hard and fast rules.

- if you are laminating over wood, the raw wood will soak up some resin, which is good, but you will use more resin on the first layer.

- thin resin goes farther than thick resin.
 
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shepinrio

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

One quick question about coating the deck. Should I put 1 coat of resin on with no fiberglass, and let it set, and then start coating with fiberglass, or is it ok to just start the initial coat with the resin and fiberglass on the plywood?

Hopefully that makes sense. I'm just wondering if the plywood needs to be pre-treated with resin prior to fiberglassing, or if it's ok to start fiberglassing right away on the piece of plywood? Thanks!
 
ondarvr

ondarvr

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

Shame on you, you haven't read the many other threads on this subject.

Yes pre-coat the wood and let it set, then come back do the glass work.
 
D

dude11

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Re: Epoxy Resin Amounts

ondarvr said:
Shame on you, you haven't read the many other threads on this subject.

Yes pre-coat the wood and let it set, then come back do the glass work.
Click to expand...

He is so right!!! If you do nothing else--READ, all you can before buying or starting anything.You'll be glad you did-trust me.$$$;)
 
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