pcg33k

Can you guys tell me which epoxy I need to use to fix my boat? I reall did a number on it this time lost control of her and she ran into some rocks put a nice big crack on the bottom and chipped the top. I bought some fiberglass resin from autozone but it looks more like bondo and dries gray. the stuff inside the hull dried clear and I'm trying to get the same stuff. can somebody give me a list of supplies I need I also plan on painting the hull myself with spraycans will be using dupicolor. thanks

Dockman

I need to do some repairs also.

juicr

Z-Poxy works good for repairs. Sticks to the boats good and it's sandable.

pcg33k

Where do you get that at? Does it work well with fiberglass matte?

rcguy1411

use west systems epoxy and get some glass cloth its a two part mix epoxy and hardner thats how the hulls are made in the first place

quicksilver78

i like the 30 min zpoxy or even great planes epoxy the 5 and 6 minutes arent as strong and not good in the humidity (they blush)and make sure you mix it well the 30 min is your best bet though

Jamming

If you use Z-poxy also use some micro ballons in the product, makes it much stronger and aids in gap filling. You can use fiberglass cloth "Not Matt" for large repairs, You can get a fiberglass repair kit from wal-mart or any auto store, or marine supply store. Polyester resin uses a very small amount of hardner, where z-poxy epoxy resin is 50/50 mix ratio. You can use fiberglass cloth with epoxy just not matt. If it's a fairly small area i would use epoxy and micro ballons, larger are use epoxy and fiberglass cloth, 30 min cure z-poxy or west systems works very well. Good Luck !

v8manic

Don't know if you can get in the usa but i use FGIH180 resin in Australia if you buying resin make sure it's a laminating resin cause they do make one that is thicker.

srw1960

The home depot ,autozone fiberglass resin kits are made by bondo it will work but not realy good product for a lasting repair...use cloth not matte and the west systems epoxy is expensive but it is the good stuff if youll search for fiberglass you can find several suppliers of good fiberglass resins that arent to pricey..
when you ready for paint post it here ill watch this and can get you some detailed steps on repainting using the dupli color stuff

dicko

Not true, micro ballons, Q-cells etc make the resin weaker.

pcg33k

I'm gonna check my lhs for I've got to start taking apart and cleaning my boat. when done fixing cracks I'll ask about painting. thanks for the info

Macleod

Here is some info on fillers

Fillers: The purpose of a filler is to give the resin more viscosity so you can shape it as well as providing structural benefits.

There are many different kinds of fillers out there.

Here are some of the most common.

* Talc - The oldest filler in common use - it is easy to use, very cheap as well as being very good in compression, but also very heavy.

* Milled Fibre - This is a structural filler that will add strength and thicken up the resin a lot.

* Q-Cells - These are tiny glass spheres which are sometimes referred to as micro spheres, bubbles or balloons.
This is a lightweight filler and will not add structural strength.
It is usually used to fill small holes and facilitate easy sanding (very hazardous if inhaled).

* Phenolic Micro Balloons - Generally more flexible filler. As its name implies the bubbles are made from phenolic.
Is more difficult to mix into the resin, as well as being expensive.

* Cabosil (Fumed Silicia) - This is a thickening agent. It is used to save resin and add some structural support.

* Flox (Ground Cotton) - This is a pretty heavy duty structural filler.

Hope this helps.

pcg33k

I just picked up slow cure (30 minute) epoxy made by Best supplies and picked up some micro ballons also. Hope all goes well this would be my first repair.