JEM Watercraft

I am getting confused. I am building a small duck boat out of wood. I though of fiberglassing the seams then I read about epoxy is this like the glue a clear liquid that can be brushed on without some sort of cloth? I plan on painting the boat so is there some sort of paint I can use then cover it with varnish that would seal the boat.

trouttracker

G'day Trouttracker,

Epoxy is the latest evolution of the resin commonly used to wet out fibreglass matt. It is way superior to the available polyester and vinalester resins in that it has superior bonding with your timber and is stronger. Properly applied, it drys clear and can be varnished or painted over.

Mixed with sawdust (wood-flour), epoxy reson also has the added benefiet of becoming a very strong glue and is used for bonding the panels together.

Epoxy resin is significantly more expensive than the other resins but I believe the added price is more than compensated for in build strength and the added durability it provides.

Hope this helps a bit mate.

Epoxy is a 2-part adhesive that you mix together to wet out fiberglass cloth.

You can also add different powdered fillers in it to create a thick glue or fairing compound.

For more detail, here's a good reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy

Your plans should detail what to use and how to use it on your boat.

Generally, you paint over or varnish over the epoxy in order to provide protection from UV rays. Long-term, UV rays will make the epoxy cloudy and start to break down the top surface.