Epoxy or Polyester for deck

[rngale]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

The reason i recommend the layer of 1708 on the bottom is due keeping equal stress factors. once you glass a floor in place it becomes a structural part of the vessel. like a bulkhead on a different plane, if one side can flex more than the other... i think you see the point.

And as SC mentioned okumme if the better ply on the market and is not only certified as marine its also certified by loyds of london, another good choice would be maranti ply, its certified for marine use but is not certified by loyds, is also void free.

As i can see form the posts in this forem there seems to be only 3-4 ppl that really know anything as being the "right" way to do something which is why this forum as gotten to the debate it has in the first place i think.
I have never mentioned that any way mentioned here was the "wrong" way of doing soemthing, nor am i an amature either.

 

[seven up]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

I am planning on using BC Exterior Plywood for the decking

ClarkW

My suggestion is to just attach it and carpet over it. If it rots out in a year or so rip it out and spend another $40.00 on more BC Exterior Plywood.



Enjoy

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

7 Up

That actually is a good option, many times it will last five years or so before it needs to be replaced. I don't like carpet in boats, but that's just because of how I use my boats and that it holds water.

rngale

Keeping the skins on each side of a core is a very good practice, but in many aluminum boats the floor is an option, so structurally it's not really a factor. Just the sheet of plywood is strong enough, the only need for glass is to add to the life span of the epoxy or polyester resin used to seal it.

There are several people here with a good deal of experience, we don't always agree on methods or products, but it's mostly on details of how to use them. The discussions are always kept on the polite side and each side can present their case.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

God i am almost getting a headache watching this thread....Alum frame use poly with glass and dont look back..Now if you were laying in stringer's and tying it all together in a Poly glass boat...use epoxy one hell of glue.

Ondarvar your to dam smart....

 

[Stoutcat]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

Hi,

Yeah, someone mentioned that we're losing sight of the original question... It was:

I am planning on using BC Exterior Plywood for the decking in my boat. This will be coated with Eposy or Polyester. A gallon of Epoxy Resin is $94.99 and the hardener is another 37.99. I can get a gallon of Polyester Resin for $39.99 with the hardener included.

Is the Epoxy necessary to protect the wood deck or is the Polyester good enough. I plan to put on at least 2 coats, and ultimately cover the deck with carpet.

I got 1 gallon of Epoxy and used it to laminate my transom so far, and plan to put on 1 thin coat, and 2 finish coats of the epoxy on the transom.

Thanks for your suggestions.

ClarkW

I'm the engineer/wooden boat guy mentioned above. More thoughts...

* First Clark, to answer your question about BC... I wouldn't use it. IMHO it will get wet, delaminate, blister, and rot. Also are the issues of # of plies and voids... At least that's the behavior of the old BC... Maybe they make an exterior BC now that's better... I don't know.

* As for pressure treated... Never used it in boats. My guess is that it's pretty good if left to its own devices.

* AC ply... A good option

* Marine ply... A somewhat better option

* Poly resin... Not bad

* Epoxy... A better option

But just as everyone has said, you have to make your own choices given your budget, resources, and inclination. My guess is that with careful shopping, an epoxy/marine ply will cost double that of poly/AC ply and give you about a 30% longer lifespan. (Read that, on average: epoxy/marine ply=30 years and poly/AC ply=20 years).

But there is a HUGE caveat here! And that is something ondarvr mentioned... That of care of the boat... With careful storage and ventilation, a poly/AC ply boat deck will literally be around when we're all "Walking the Streets of Glory" 100 years from now. And on the flip side, you can build a great deck out of the most expensive epoxy and 1088 ply, then let it sit soaked for 5 winters, and that puppy will break down faster than a Yugo with 100,000 miles on it. No kidding... I've seen it in the boats I've built... After a decade, a poly/AC boat I built and that was carefully maintained just needs a few paint touch ups... Another boat I built with epoxy and marine ply at the same time but that suffered from neglect just needs a chainsaw.

Anyway... Clark... I hope this helps... It's always a balancing act just like ondarvr said.

Me? I go the route of epoxy and marine ply because I like the extra bit of insurance that it gives me... But that's just me...

Hope this helps...

Alan

 

[clarkw]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

Thanks All,

This thread has been very interesting to read, and I have learned a lot.

As to my application, I purchased this boat new, and it is the last boat that I plan to purchase (close to retirement and it did everything that I wanted). My neglect allowed the boat to get into the condition that it currently is in. I will never allow that to happen again (it will get proper storage and care).

I will try to find (or at least price out) marine plywood and use AC if the Marine is not available or to expensive. It also sounds like epoxy is the route to take on the coating. I purchased a gallon of West epoxy resin and the appropriate catylist to use laminating and covering the transom (3 coats).

Once again, thanks all for the GREAT information.

ClarkW

 

[vintageglastron]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

I have to ask this question then and I worry about the awnser. I have a mid 70's Glastron and I am nearing completion of the stringers, and transom replacement. I used polyester Resin and after reading these posts I am now worried about it's compatibility with the hull. Is it safe to say that the hull is made with polyester and not epoxy? And if it si expoxy do I need to rip everything apart and start all over again

 

[i386]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

I have to ask this question then and I worry about the awnser. I have a mid 70's Glastron and I am nearing completion of the stringers, and transom replacement. I used polyester Resin and after reading these posts I am now worried about it's compatibility with the hull. Is it safe to say that the hull is made with polyester and not epoxy? And if it si expoxy do I need to rip everything apart and start all over again

Most old boats are made with poly. Most new ones are too I think. You should be fine. Most jobs like yours you see detailed on this site use poly.


I'm using epoxy on my project because I'm new to this. I always tend to over engineer when I don't know for sure. I also like epoxy because there's only 2 ways to mix it. Right or wrong. You don't adjust your hardner like you would catalyst in poly resin. You mix it in the exact ratio your resin system says to.

Having said that, I'm thinking very seriously about switching to poly when I start modifying the cap to add a casting deck and storage. So for me it looks like epoxy for hull and deck and poly for new construction.

 

[83ProLine]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

And if it si expoxy do I need to rip everything apart and start all over again

That would be my breaking point

The headline would read something like this. . .

"A North Carolina man was placed on a medical hold today after walking into a boat dealer, wielding a grinder, shouting. . . "I will have a boat, or no one will have a boat!"

Regards,

James

 

[oops!]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

I have to ask this question then and I worry about the awnser. I have a mid 70's Glastron and I am nearing completion of the stringers, and transom replacement. I used polyester Resin and after reading these posts I am now worried about it's compatibility with the hull. Is it safe to say that the hull is made with polyester and not epoxy? And if it si expoxy do I need to rip everything apart and start all over again

fear not.....your boat IS made of poly.....
epoxy is not used in standard production boat building. for many reasons.....#1 being cost....#2 is that is far stronger than needed for the requirements of standard pleasure boating.

 

[vintageglastron]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

Thanks Guys- That had me worried. I couldn't imagine ripping that all out.

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

My sea ray was built with epoxy. OOOps (I know)!!! i think yours was also built with epoxy. I called sea ray with questions about the uscg plate and they told me on the phone that up until 1982, they used nothing but epoxy and layered the glass in the molds. I got a srv180 that they told me to be careful how i use poly with the stringer replacement. I have taken great precautions with my poly use. To use poly instead of epoxy on my hull, I had to do a few steps to make it stick. oops you used epoxy for you hull extention so it would not fail from what i read so i dont think you have to worry, but there were some VERRY VERRY VERRY caution notes that sea ray told me about the hulls from those dates. The guy told me to not use Poly In any case as far as the hull intergerity!!! Im sure oops used the epoxy as his extend resin or its not going to work. I would not worry you are not doing something like he is but you cannot use poly on top of epoxy. I was going to bed my stringers in with poly until Sea Ray told me that info about the hulls they made back then.

 

[oops!]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

drew....are you sure.......when i emailed sea ray.......the said the oppoisite...

they said polyester resin.......mines a 69.......i think i still have the e-mail....i have never heard of epoxy bieng used in any production boat building...\


as far as the op's glasstron.......i will gaurentee you that its poly......

 

[oops!]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

My sea ray was built with epoxy. OOOps (I know)!!! i think yours was also built with epoxy. I called sea ray with questions about the uscg plate and they told me on the phone that up until 1982, they used nothing but epoxy and layered the glass in the molds. I got a srv180 that they told me to be careful how i use poly with the stringer replacement. I have taken great precautions with my poly use. To use poly instead of epoxy on my hull, I had to do a few steps to make it stick. oops you used epoxy for you hull extention so it would not fail from what i read so i dont think you have to worry, but there were some VERRY VERRY VERRY caution notes that sea ray told me about the hulls from those dates. The guy told me to not use Poly In any case as far as the hull intergerity!!! Im sure oops used the epoxy as his extend resin or its not going to work. I would not worry you are not doing something like he is but you cannot use poly on top of epoxy. I was going to bed my stringers in with poly until Sea Ray told me that info about the hulls they made back then.

andy......you might have got some bad info there......i just comfirmed with sea ray's head office.....

the searay boats made from 1959......to 1995 used exclusively polyester resin....after 1995 they switched to ve resin.....
vinalester resin........a type of poly resin.........that is stronger than the traditional poly....however.....poly will stick to ve resins....as they are a poly based...

thats good news for us bud....as any poly added to epoxy will fail

 

[Stoutcat]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

Hi,

Every plastic boat I know of uses poly... Maybe "Flocoat" was used on the interior... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy

Alan

 

[oops!]

Re: Epoxy or Polyester for deck

Hi,

Every plastic boat I know of uses poly... Maybe "Flocoat" was used on the interior... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy

Alan

alan.....i asked about a flocoat....they said no......but they did use a gellcoat in the nose and bilge.......a heavily waxed product......it took me 4 months to figgure out it was gellcoat !

i swear that stuff was tougher to grind out than traditional gellcoat

 

[Tallseeker]

Keep in mind that any method used to thin epoxy willweaken properties by the percent thinned.
If need exist to have epoxy penetrate the correct method to keep all properties are to heat wood surface with heat lamp or heat gun and use a slow hardening hardner.

 

[kcon]

If you only waited a few more months we could have made it to a decade :laugh: