Greg I also asked about vinylester resin a few months back. I did a little research and here are a few of the pros and cons that I found.

Pros 1) Vinylester is a bit cheaper than epoxie resin. 2) It is UV stable. 3) It wets out better than epoxie and does not require such a precise part mixure as epoxie.

Cons 1) Vinylester resins are not as "glue like" as epoxie, so it has a greater chance of delaminating from your wood in a stripper type construction boat. 2)vinylester resins have a short shelf life approx. 6 months this accounts for your being unable to find at the local boat shop. ( I did find a local "Seattle" boat builder that would sell me some if I brought in containers.)

If you are building a stripper as I am I would suggest not using Vinylester, If you are laying up a "glass" boat than it is a good product to use.

I hope this is the info you were looking for.