Hey guys just a quick question on what type of glass cloth to use. Pulled up my carpet today and I'm going to have to re glass some parts of my tanks and one side of my bulkhead to the hull. I also might add a floor between the stringers so its more comfortable to stand in. Just wondering if theres a specific type/weight of cloth you should use or if it really doesn't matter? Thanks!

Hey guys just a quick question on what type of glass cloth to use. Pulled up my carpet today and I'm going to have to re glass some parts of my tanks and one side of my bulkhead to the hull. I also might add a floor between the stringers so its more comfortable to stand in. Just wondering if theres a specific type/weight of cloth you should use or if it really doesn't matter? Thanks!

I would used 10 oz cloth and 2 or 3 oz matt in alternating layers, if you are going the route . if you can find it the 1708 22oz Bi Axle stuff is great but doesn't work with epoxy. 

Hey guys just a quick question on what type of glass cloth to use. Pulled up my carpet today and I'm going to have to re glass some parts of my tanks and one side of my bulkhead to the hull. I also might add a floor between the stringers so its more comfortable to stand in. Just wondering if theres a specific type/weight of cloth you should use or if it really doesn't matter? Thanks!

There are literally fifty ways to answer this question.

The answers will depend on how many times you want to endure the resin process, what type of resin and how much time/work you are willing to put into it.

I am going to go with Polyester resin first, because it is the cheapest and most user friendly for the novice.

I would buy some un-waxed (laminating) resin, the required hardener and some surface curing agent (it is wax that gets added to float to the surface and cure tack free).

I would buy enough finish cloth to cover both surfaces of the proposed floor and the surface of the bulkhead, for tabbing the gas tak back in, your best bet is some matting or a light roving (like 10oz. as was said).

For prepping new wood for installation as a floor, if you want it to last, pick up some MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) and mix some polyester resin cutting it with the MEK by about 30% really thinning it out (do not use the surface curing agent yet). Apply this fairly liberally on all surfaces of the cut and shaped plywood. Then once that is good and tacky, wrap the piece with wetted finish cloth with the surface curing agent added, mixing the resin to the proper ratio. Use wax paper to rest the piece on while working with it... It can be sanded off later..

Most times I recommend leaving the floor between the stringers removable. To each his own though.

For the bulkhead, I recommend making the repairs in the roving, mat can be used, just be mindful that you can not use mat with epoxy resins. Be sure to clean everything really well and sand the living crap out of it, nothing finer than 100 grit paper. Degrease it really well with grease/wax remover or MEK, use gloves...

Once the repair is made, then sand the rough surfaces so it is smooth and go back over it with some finish cloth. It makes a nice strong waterproof repair.


If you are going with epoxy, little of this process is the same. The biggest problem with epoxy is the cost and how fluid it can be... It takes some getting used to.

I have done both and I will say that the polyester is fairly goof proof and makes slop count the same as skill..

Good luck.

GT

Not sure which hull you have, but I am 99.9% positive that it is constructed from polyester resin.  I would advise not going the epoxy route as epoxy will not achieve a chemical bond with polyester resin.  Epoxy will only achieve a mechanical bond with polyester, therefore your repair will depend solely on the strength of the epoxy.  Going the other way, polyester will not bond to epoxy.  You can get it to stick for a minute, but it will quickly delaminate.

If you are using chopped strand mat, polyester or vinylester is required because it contains a styrene based binder that prevents proper bonding with any epoxy resin.

Good luck,

Joe

Just to be clear, epoxy (using West Systems as an example) will adhere awesome to old polyester. Once Polyester is oxidized (begins to yellow) you can no longer achieve a chemical bond. The resin has completely gassed off and is no longer chemically active.

This is actually where the epoxy resins really shine. I understand where you are going with the comment, but just wanted to clarify that unless the polyester you are trying to adhere to is less than two years old and never saw full sunlight, epoxy on poly is a non issue.

We put an entire bottom that had delaminated in a Cole TR2 V drive that was originally laid up in poly using West Systems, last I heard the boat has over 900 HP and has made dozens of 120+MPH runs. Boat is solid with not one stress crack.

Just food for discussion. 

GT

If you plan on doing a gel coat inside of hull to finish it off... gel will not dry onto epoxy.
Heres a pic of the stuff I got from fiberlay during install. Its thick sewn glass an used it on all structural areas which are holding up perfectly after 2 seasons.

You can gel over epoxy.  You have to use a polyester primer.

GT

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Thanks for all the responses. I figured there were many ways to get it done. Just like everything always does haha just going to start cleaning out all the old carpet glue and getting most of that old tabbing off. The wood is still all good which is nice, it looks like it's probably been replaced at some point but they didn't do a real good job with the tabbing. Some is just delaminating from the floor and some is cracked at the bend where it meets the floor.


Life is uncertain. Don't sip.

You can gel over epoxy.  You have to use a polyester primer.

GT

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Do you have any info on this primer.  I have used west systems and had great results tuff stuff.

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C'mon guys.

You are acting like epoxy is the devil.

I have been using it since about 1995 and con report very few issues with it.

You just have to treat it differently than poly.

It bonds better, sands  cleaner, is less toxic, is more adaptable, more UV stable and stronger than any poly product out there.

Many shops anymore only use epoxy.

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i only use epoxy... never had good luck with poly projects. 

polyester resin by itself has 0 strength.  its all in your prep of the surface, and your skill in achieving saturation and laying of cloth/mat.  also temperature and the amount of poly resin in your cup will make or break your layup as it will kick in the middle of your work, or not even fully cure at all if you dont use enough catalyst. 

epoxy even a complete moron can create a strong bond.  epoxy sticks to anything.  its foolproof to mix... west marine is one pump resin, one pump hardener.  the cons to epoxy?  its super expensive.  it tends to "pool" which is why i use the "fast" hardener if im working with something vertical or on an angle.  if its something you want to be pretty and you need to sand it, epoxy will require a LOT more work.  also epoxy is difficult to use with CSM or biax.  i end up using a LOT of resin.