Larryds

I know that the plane guys sometimes use polyurethane to fiberglass with, is it good for boats? Looking for a less smelly way of glassing my pt-109. Thanks!

martno1fan

no its not thats the easy answer ,if you dont like smell use epoxy resin it doesnt smell but its more expensive than polyester resin.or as most do use polyester either outdoors or wear a mask.polyurathane is not strong enough its merely a coating for wood.boats need to be strong!!!also is you boat balsa? or ply? either way id get some 200g cloth not matting and use that over the hull one layer will do and 3 coats of epoxy resin over this should do the trick.polyester resin isnt that bad once you get used to the smell ,i allways try to do mine outdoors weather permitting.in winter i wear a mask and put the extractor fan on full.

tcopeland

poly will deteriorate in the water quicker. I recomend going with an west system epoxy not as smelly and twice as strong, the hydros use it

martno1fan

polyester resin is used on lots hulls its plenty good enough for the job!!.yes epoxy is stronger its also twice the price but its not twice as strong.people ar sailing boats all over made from polyeter resin .i have seen boats made from polyester resin that are years old and have no problems at all!!.

Larryds

Thanks for the help guys! I will proably go with West systems. I am building in my basement as a winter project and dont want to chase everyone out of the house with the fumes. Diffently want a strong hull. Martno1fan the instruction book says its expanded pvc. Thanks!

martno1fan

pvc? hmmm so why bother fibreglassing?its not needed!!theres a reason its made lite you know.the heavier you make it the more motor you will need to power it.you dont need to fibreglass it its not a race boat have a look at this one i built my son its all balsa and just epoxy coated and its lite and strong .its a higgins boat pt 305 to be exact i made everyting on the boat guns torps its not quite finnished yet but she looks good i think.[link]http://www.youtube.com/my_videos[/link]

tcopeland

If he had said polyester yeah that would be suitible and work really well, but he said polyurathane still epoxy is better for what he is trying to do, polyester is a little more brittle when it would be as thin as what he is going to require. actually i would use epoxy filler as well, to fill any pinholes and such. I forgot smc resin, or sheet mold compound resin it is what the use to make corvette bodys and alot of your sea doos and pvc's are made from it it. very expensive but would be very durable for your applications

Larryds

Saw your higgins boat on your website. Beautiful boat. But still want to do the fiberglass. This is my first boat build and I want to do fiberglassing so that I will be able to do it in with future projects. Got thinking about the pvc sheeting that comes with the kit and will probably dump it for balsa or ply. Sheeted planes before so I should be able to sheet a boat. Thanks for the info guys, you were lots of help!

martno1fan

sorry mate i thought you were saying poly as in polyester would deteriorate doh!!.larry i think balsa would be a good choice 1/8 thick will make it sturdy then just use 120 g cloth and either polyester resin or epoxy and she will be nice and strong.glad you liked my sons boat i built her for his xmas present she goes pretty well running a 540 car motor and a mechanical speed control and powered by a 7.2 volt pack.still need longer duration so im getting him a higher mah pack or two.if you fancy the plans to that higgins boat i have them in pdf format.check out my build thread here for building pics.good luck with your build.
[link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4849173/tm.htm[/link]

Larryds

martno1fan, those plans would be great! Do you need my email address? That could be my project after the 109. Read your build very informative. You make it look easy. Plan on running mind with a 12v mack motor and 7.2v pack. Thanks for the help.

martno1fan

plans sent mate thanks for the compliment,it is easy once you get the hang of it and the good thing about balsa is its easy to cut and sand and its very lite too.im going to try an 8.4 pack in this one next see how fast she goes with it.the mechanical speed control is ok if you spend most of your time flat out but its not a good idea for running at slow speeds .however i did beef up the alluminium on the heat sinc some .i may water cool the motor next too as this thing gets quite warm.enjoy the plans they were free in MM magazine and a guy on here sent me the plans in pdf.