Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

[braindead0]

There's a ton of stuff to remove on a boat I just purchased, and I need to fill in a bunch of holes (mostly #8 - #10 sized) .. very few below the water line.<br /><br />I've got a good supply of Mas epoxy and maple flour (from when I was building a 11' rowboat) and I thought why not just clean the holes, bevel the outside (using 45degree countersink) and fill with epoxy mixed with maple flour?<br /><br />Or is Marine-tex the only way to go, containing some mystical magical additives? <br /><br />I'd prefer to use what I have on hand, but if I really should use Marine-tex I will.<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[flashback]

Re: Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

braindead, I don't know what maple flour is, but there is not a nickel's worth of difference between say, west system epoxy with a high density filler added, and marine tex.......if the maple flour is a wood product, then I would hesitate to use it even tho it is encapsulated in epoxy.........let me know

 

[braindead0]

Re: Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

Maple flour is basically extremely fine (flour consistancy) maple dust. It is a wood product, but it's commonly used as fillet material on epoxy encapsulated wood boats. When properly mixed I doubt there's any water creep issues.. I used it on a 11' skiff and it's dry as a bone.<br /><br />That being said, I can easily get some fumed silica, or microballoons (may have some of those) and use that as well.<br /><br />Just figured it makes sense to use up the west systems epoxy I have, perhaps sticking with marine epoxy and filler is cheaper (and just as good) anyway.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

Same-Same

 

[flashback]

Re: Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

I have always used a matching gel-coat mixed with silica as a thickener for patching small holes and stress cracks above the waterline.. it sands much easier than the epoxy and the color will match up pretty close... learned that at the hunter sailboat factory......thats how they do it on the new boats that have any imperfections in them when the come out of the molds.......

 

[BillP]

Re: Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

Use the stuff you have and don't worry about marinetex. I can't see where #10 holes are big enough to make a problem anyway. <br /><br />The only downside to mixing thickener with the resin is it weakens the resin when done in high content. Any filler weakens the resin except glass fibers. But for hole filling even that isn't an issue...especially with epoxy.<br /><br />Thickened gelcoat has little strength and hunter likely uses it only for shallow gouges, nicks and scratches...just like most boat factories. They have to match the existing gelcoat and that is the practical way to do it (same gelcoat). Filling with thickened epoxy is superior if stength matters.

 

[braindead0]

Re: Is Marine tex any different than epoxy with fillers?

Thanks again folks, this place is a plethora of info!<br /><br />I just finished removing all the stuff on the hull, and patched everything with thickened resin. I'll probably just sand the stuff (and fix any low spots and leave it until I can get around to having new gel-coat put on the hull..<br /><br />Or, I'll do it myself if I can figure out how to get the boat off the trailer...maybe just flip it over ;-)