Sticky: A Guide to Using Boat Building Epoxy
Epoxy has fast become the boat builder's weapon of choice! It is a glue/sealant
that is used to both hold parts of the boat together, as well as provide a level of waterproofing. As with anything these days, there is a massive range of different boat building epoxy products today, but the two main types used in boat building are polyester and epoxy resin.Polyester is the cheaper of the two, but not suitable for use on wood, so when building a wooden boat, you will pretty much exclusively use epoxy resin of some sort or another. Epoxy resins have a superior ability to bond to wood are much less porous, so have a superior gap filling ability.
However, epoxies do have their drawbacks. The first of these to mention is that they are hard this therefore means they are brittle. You can mix them with additives that will make them less so, but the problem caused when you do this is that it will also reduce the strength. It's therefore best to avoid using them on anything that needs to flex altogether, if at all possible.
Epoxy will also deteriorate under prolonged exposure to UV light (sunlight), so will need to be reapplied regularly, or protected with an over coating.
Also, a point to note here is that any contamination of the wood such as oil or moisture will prevent the epoxy soaking in and this can result in the coating peeling off. Therefore make sure the surface is clean and clear before applying the epoxy for the best result.
As with most things, with epoxies you get what you pay for and the best quality marine epoxies are expensive. It is possible to buy cheaper ones, but obviously the less you pay the more likely it is that the resin has been diluted in some way. Whatever it's been diluted with, whether it's with non solvent thinner or cheap filler, this will reduce its overall quality.
Therefore my advice here is pick a good quality, well known brand of marine' epoxy. It may be more expensive in the short term, but will work out better in the long run.
The final point I want to bring your attention too with regard to boat building epoxy is one of safety. Some people can be allergic to it, so it is always a good idea to test this before embarking on any project that will involve using epoxies. Better that than coming up in a rash, falling ill and not being able to complete your boat in the final stages.
It is apparently the hardeners that are the main cause of skin irritation. However, it is best to avoid any skin contact with the materials and use disposable gloves and a breathing mask at all times when using it. If you do get any epoxy resin on your skin wash it off as soon as possible.
If you enjoyed this article or found it useful, please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know. I would love to know your thoughts, so just drop me a line. For more information on boat building tools, or for similar boat building topics, also please feel free to visit my website, you're always welcome aboard. Just click on the links below.
Sticky: A Guide to Using Boat Building Epoxy
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