I have been visiting this site for several months and want to thank everyone for all I have learned! Studying here and other sites has been of great value in a boat restoration of mine. But now it’s time to start rounding up some materials and I’m confused by the epoxy resin market.
I don’t mind paying for a good product - but I can’t afford to just experiment around the claims a lot of these companies make. You have your widely known folks like West, MAS, System 3 etc. You also have some guys out there like Progressive Epoxy, U.S. Composites… hundreds! Many of these dealers “dare you” to compare the MSDS sheets of the products. I’m no chemist, so that selling point is lost on me! 
And to add to the confusion many of these vendors are not even the manufacturer, just a re-packager!
I need a line of products to work from that I can do basic hand lay-ups, wood laminations, and use to make my fairing and fillet compounds from.
What specific criteria do most people use as guidelines in choosing their epoxy. I know this is a broad question - and I may be making more of it than I should. I just don’t want to pay the biggest price for something just because it’s well advertised. Thanks -Ritchie
Hi Ritchie
I don’t like to use the word “cheap” so I’ll say reasonable instead. I’ve done the same as you and looked at all the brand names. Pricey yes, probably for a reason in that they’ll work as advertised. The project I’m looking at is going to involve a barrel full of epoxy so I’m continually looking for good product at reasonable price. We’re building a boat over 30 feet so we’re going to need many of the same capabilities as you’ve indicated. The resin I will most likely choose for gluing, filleting, pre-coating and just maybe infusing the hull will be Marinepoxy from Boat Builder Central.
http://boatbuildercentral.com/products.php?cat=41
They’re the boatbuilding supplier for the plans that we’ve bought and their techincal support is fantastic. You have to factor in support. Until I can test the suitability of their epoxy for infusing something the size of our boat hull I’ve been testing an Ultra Low Viscosity epoxy from Polymer Products on e-Bay.
http://myworld.ebay.ca/polymerproducts
Their product, the ULV epoxy, performed as advertised. Support was good. Their prices seem reasonable.
If I were limited to picking just one I’d go with the Marinepoxy for the proven track record in boatbuilding and the technical support.
Good luck with your project.
Rick
Ive decided to use U.S. composites stuff for tooling. As its cheap.
Another thing about U.S. Composites epoxy is that their “thick” resin should be compatible with their thin as they use the same hardner. Not saying you should mix the two. But, it should be ok to use the thick as a surface coat for tooling and not have a reaction during a late “B” stage application of the “thin” resin on top of it (for applying an initial skin on a mold).
Had very little problems with it on some of my bagged military parts. Their fast hardner seems to produce some really stiff parts.
But for my finished parts away from work Ill be using MAS or Adtech. Might try Baz’s resin if I can find it in the states.
Thanks for the input guys - and thanks for the links Rick!
Not a problem Ritchie. Keep us posted.
Rick