Polyester fabric

[Jaysen]

To joe's point... most of my post was about ester based build. If you are going ester and gel, spraying gel like a paint is the win, but you spray a lot. And it winds up costing a bit. The acetone is needed there and in the early build stages with ester.

Stick with Alcohol with epoxy. Use the acetone for cleaning your table and floor

[Walter Thom]

Thanks Guys!
This is great information. I am going the epoxy route so, do you guys have a preference for one brand of epoxy over another? It seems some folks like the 2 part epoxy. What about paint brands? My boat will spend most of it's time under cover with maybe a week or so in the water for spring and fall fishing trips. That's about it for now.
Thanks
Wally

[Fuzz]

I prefer the 2-1 epoxys. They seem to be a little more forgiving of small mixing mistakes.
As for brands I have used 5-6 of the big name brands and do not see much difference in them. I would guess over half of the epoxy I have used is the house brand from here. They can ship it to me cheaper than what I can buy locally and I get to give BBC my business so that is a win-win

[joe2700]

All epoxies are two part. I have a preference for 2:1 ratio epoxies like system 3 silvertip over 5:1 epoxies like west system. They have a number of properties that make them easier to work with but are more expensive. Either way you will end up with a great boat just depends on if time or money is your more limiting factor.

For a high end paint I like alexseal, but its expensive and takes meticulous prep. Great option if you want a "yacht finish" and I prefer it to awlgrip. There are many far cheaper options that can still look great that I'm sure others on the forum can recommend.

For primer I like the system 3 epoxy primer. They changed the name recently and I don't know if the formula changed. If it's the same as before its good stuff.

[Jaysen]

1. I'm a lazy turd
2. refer to #1

Significance: I don't like to do things that will fail or require me to do more work than I need. That said my experience:
* BBC marinepoxy: I know I mix it work, use it incorrectly, bad environment, etc. It just works. that doesn't mean it won't fail on you, but the 2x I was forced to use west... never again.
* EMC/Quatum for paint over the S3 primer. Spray it if you can. Roll it is fine. I did crap for prep (just wash) and it covered nearly all my sins. So hard to get off I have to use 40gr. Which doesn't matter since it seems to repair with just a bit of sanding on the edge.

That's my experience with success product. FG1K had a terrible experience with EMC/Quantum (I think it was him).

[Walter Thom]

That's a lot to ponder but, now you having given me some direction and I appreciate you thoughts. All I have to do now is get on with it and make some choices. What got me going on this polyester thought is a polyester product named "Xynole" by the folks that sell it to make it there own. I have seen studies on Xynole and it is nothing more than Polyester. I have use both Polyester and Nylon for skin on frame kayak and duck skiff builds. The Polyester was a lot easier to work with.

[Jaysen]

The fundamental difference is how the fabric is used. In the skin method it is just a water barrier and tensioner. In the composite method (what we do here) it is a structural component taking loading forces in multiple directions. The fabric in a composite hull is as critical to the strength of the hull as the frames and core.

Now an interesting option would be to build something less critical… say center console? … with glass tape (structural) but skinned in poly. That might give you the ease of finish in a high vis area.

[Walter Thom]

What about bottom paint?
My boat will only be in the water for a week or so a couple times a year, spring and fall fishing trips. The rest of the time it will kept out of the elements, high and dry.
Should it be bottom painted and if so which paints would you recommend?
I will be purchasing all of the finishing materials from BBC.
Thanks
Wally

[Jaysen]

No need. Just use a good top coat. At most use the graphite methods but it you are decent at loading and not hitting everything in the water … lots of boats don’t have graphite bottoms.

[Walter Thom]

No bottom paint!
That would be great, I had some folks tell me that if I were to leave it in the water for more than a few days at a time that the paint could start blistering and peeling of. I am guessing that would be if I were to use a low grade paint.
I will be using a quality paint from BBC.
Thanks Wally