Select to expand quoteboardsurfr said..Mark _australia said..
My big tip in addition to temp, is ditch the boat repair products if you are going to do more than very infrequent repairs.
Maybe that's a good tip, maybe not. But regardless, the type of epoxy used has nothing to do with the original problem.
My intention was more like "as an aside...." and also "if you are doing lots of repairs".
Maybe didn't come across like that.
Something that won't yellow is a god-send for a start, as it won't always be painted.
I was also referring to the red filler additive ..... q-cell is preferable in many ways.
I stand by the statement that if you are doing quite a few repairs or building boards why would you buy stuff the boaties or woodworkers go for?
Special surf products exist.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
I stand by the statement that if you are doing quite a few repairs or building boards why would you buy stuff the boaties or woodworkers go for?
Special surf products exist.
Thanks for the clarifications. If you're repairing often or building boards on a regular basis, there are certainly reasons to go for epoxy specifically marketed for surf boards. But there are good reasons one might go with West System epoxy, at least in the US, even if building a board every now and then. The main one is availability. West System epoxy is available in West Marine stores, which seem to be in almost every city closer to the water; it's also available on Amazon, often for next-day delivery. Resin Research is not available on Amazon, and at the first surf product supplier I checked out, it's only available as a 3-gallon kit for $303. There also seems to be only one hardener available. The availability of fast, slow, extra slow, and clear hardener for West System epoxy is a great bonus for anyone with limited experience, or who may have to do repairs at 15 or 30 degrees C. I know for a fact that I would not be able to laminate a board with fast hardener in ~ 25 C. Easy availability is also a big issue when you run out of one component in the middle of a repair job, and don't have to wait 5 days for a ground delivery. I've already mentioned before that the pump system is also a big plus for the occasional user.
As for the yellowing of the epoxy when it's not painted, the easiest solution is to add some color to the epoxy. Anything in the yellow-orange-red spectrum will hide (and possible also reduce) discolorations.
For a couple of repairs a year, and maybe one new board built, I'll stick to West System epoxy. If I'd do more than that, I'd consider something specifically sold for building surf boards, for example Greenlight Marine Grade Epoxy (since it comes in different sizes and with different hardeners).
If your using West System just use 207 hardener it will stay clear the longest of the hardeners.
We are building water toys and not planes all the discussion is pretty moot in my eyes.
I personal use a Pro-Set that is also a Gougeon Brother Inc . brand as is West Systems.
www.prosetepoxy.com/product/absolute-clear-epoxies/
I use the fast hardener without any problems. This is just my 2 cents and it not meant to rock the boat.
The board in the picture is going on season five and still is doing just fine using pro-set ace-166 yes it's slowly yellowing but it's gets a lot of time out in the sun.
No reason to make it harder then it needs to be..............
Select to expand quoteGwarn said..
If your using West System just use 207 hardener it will stay clear the longest of the hardeners.
We are building water toys and not planes all the discussion is pretty moot in my eyes.
I personal use a Pro-Set that is also a Gougeon Brother Inc . brand as is West Systems.
www.prosetepoxy.com/product/absolute-clear-epoxies/
I use the fast hardener without any problems. This is just my 2 cents and it not meant to rock the boat.
The board in the picture is going on season five and still is doing just fine using pro-set ace-166 yes it's slowly yellowing but it's gets a lot of time out in the sun.
No reason to make it harder then it needs to be..............
Gwarn, That's some foil mast! Looks like 125cm long? I have the Slingshot 103 Wide. The water has to be shoulder deep before I can uphaul or water start. For you it must be overhead! How do you handle a launch through surf?
