The best epoxies available in Europe?

[ar1g3]

Hi,

I'm replacing the transom on my little speedboat, but it's my first time doing a job like this. Already don' a lot of research, but now I'm wondering what kind of epoxy is the best for this project. I see a lot of good stuff about TotalBoat but it seems it's not available in Europe.

Anyone here with some fiberglassing experience who knows which brands are good quality, and which are to be avoided? Since it's a structural repair I want to be sure I use quality products.


If this is not the appropriate section of the forum, or there's already a thread like this with all the answers, feel free to let me know!

 

[Poignard]

I have used WEST epoxy resins for all types of repairs and it has always been successful. The documentation available from WEST is excellent and makes the work easy. I also attended a one-day course at the WEST agents depot and that was very useful.

There are several other brands available but I have never found any reason not to stick with WEST (see what I did there?)

 

[Rafiki]

I don't really believe that there is much difference between the main manufacturers, what is important however is to buy one that is 'slow' or 'fast' enough for you to use. I made the mistake last year of buying some on ebay which I later found was intended for 'acrylic casting'. It worked for small repairs... eventually.... but took a good few days to fully cure. So my tip would be to check the curing times or the time your mix takes to be no-longer useable at 15 degrees and 20 degrees. If it remains workeable for a couple of hours and cures after 8-10 hours it will be good for your application.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

East Coast Fibreglass have a wide range, including "own brand", which I have used and which seems as good as any other. They will provide advice. While WEST is well-regarded it is expensive if required in large quantities, and is realistically no better than alternatives (some people have reported problems with amine bloom with it, as well). It tends to be the one available in chandlers, so most people know about it.

Epoxy as available to us is sourced from only 2 or 3 big manufacturers, and then repackaged and the formulation tweaked by resellers. So, there isn't a vast range of "qualities" available; they're all much of a muchness in terms of quality, as long as you buy one formulated for your application. For your work, you probably want laminating epoxy.

 

[DownWest]

On the assumption the boat is wood? Almost any epoxy will do, as they are stronger than the wood. Just choose the type for what you are doing. ie laminating for fiberglass taping, same with fillers for filleting.
Down load the West book for info, but as above, their stuff is not cheap.

East Coast are good, as AP said.

 

[Poignard]

Whichever brand of epoxy you choose, you might find some of this helpful

https://www.epoxyworks.com/?s=transom

 

[lw395]

Depending on the nature of the repair and the boat, polyester might be a more cost-effective option.
It's better to have enough laminate than something that's too thin but made of nice resin.

 

[DownWest]

Depending on the nature of the repair and the boat, polyester might be a more cost-effective option.
It's better to have enough laminate than something that's too thin but made of nice resin.

Yes if it is GRP, but not if wood.
OP did not say where he is, but mentioned 'in Europe'. Here, I use Resoltech resins and find them very good and reasonably priced. They are sold in UK, but not sure who is the agent.

 

[zoidberg]

You won't find much better, in Europe than Arkema. They build top racing boats on their R&D budget. Have a hunt here...

https://www.arkema.com/en/

and on YouTube.

 

[guardian]

Mas epoxy,

2:1 mix, lots of different viscosities & cure rates plus its non-blushing so no amines to scrub away & available from east coast fibreglass at a sensible price unlike that overpriced crap that's always mentioned here.

https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/category/mas-epoxies

 

[ar1g3]

Thanks everyone for the input!! I'll have a look at these different brands!

It is a GRP boat with a wooden core transom. I'm from Belgium, so stuff available in the UK should be quite easy to get (for now).

I have thought about polyester because it is cheaper, but eventually decided against it because epoxy is stronger and because of the way I'm repairing the transom. I've cut a hole in the transom, offset from the edges by about 10cm, and I want to glue the bit I cut out back in after replacing the core. Then I will taper the edges of the cut and lay up fibreglass to blend everything back in. To me it seemed like epoxy would be the best choice for this kind of repair since I'm not laminating large sections.

 

[Tammany]

I use the SP106 range from MB fibreglass for all my needs. Both in boating & model aircraft uses. Used it for both structual & cosmetic repairs with no issues. They also do the dosing pumps to go with the bottles similar to west. West is rebranded epoxy for the marine market and as such like everything else is well over priced.

SP106 is manufactured bu Gurit, a well established & respected resin manufacturer.

https://www.mbfg.co.uk/sp106-epoxy-resin.html

https://www.gurit.com/sitecore/content/Old-Product-Pages/Other-Products/Laminating-Infusion-Systems/SP-106

 

[rakaaw]

Plus 1 for SP 106. Easy to work with and a little bit cheaper than West Epoxy.

 

[gjgm]

I' d suggest West Systems simply because I think you will find you can get alot of project advice from them, which if you are sawing holes in your boat might be worth a small, product price premium!
Do note the epoxy resin ratio differs from product to product..or brand to brand. And there is a reason they sell cups, mixers, syringes etc for measuring...those ratios are not rough guesses..they are exact ratios. Don't forget plenty of nitrile gloves and some acetone....
I've used several epoxies.. I can't say for my non industrial use I can tell much of a difference, but for the extra few pct in cost in an area so critical as your project, I don't think I would be looking for the bargain...

 

[Medway Matt]

Another +1 for the SP range here.

I've used it extensively for coating, laminating and bonding and always had excellent results. Gurit SP also produce an extensive and excellent range of documentation and guides with the added benefit that you can call their technical guru, who is very generous with his time and expertise, for advice.

I've also used West as it seems to be more widely available in chandleries but I don't like it as much. It's difficult to say precisely why, except that it gives me more of an allergic reaction - and on that note be sure to wear suitable gloves, eyewear and clothing whatever you use.