> I found a West Systems dealer website (The Boat Place?). However, they
> don't seem to have any Vinylester listed. Unless it is just under a
> different name and I don't recognize it. Can any body help point me to the
> right stuff?

I haven't used vinylester on a kayak yet (although I will next time around), but I have applied thousands of gallons of it on industrial concrete floors for abrasion control and secondary containment of chemicals (pH 0.5 to 13.5). Dudick, Inc. (Cleveland) 27, 800 and 900 series vinylesters lead the pack, and Dow Chemical makes a Derakane product on the same lap. These are industrial chemicals, not available in any paint store that I ever visited, but if you call the home offices they can steer you toward local suppliers. The Dudick 900 can be juiced up so fast that we can apply primer, basecoat and topcoat the same day! Translated to kayak building, that means you telescope your project calendar because you don't wait overnight for adhesive to cure out. The downside is that you need to get with the program to keep a wet edge going.

The clear resins cure out with a slight purple cast because of the cobalt promoter used, but you would probably not notice this on wood. The strength is less than epoxy but greater than polyester, so it's not a bad choice.

You may wince at the idea of using industrial paint instead of high-zoot marine specialty adhesives, but I have used them on my last two kayaks and the end product is indistinguishable. They are also considerably cheaper ($35/gal. vs. $65+). Most epoxy "manufacturers" are really formulators, taking somebody else's resins, blending and repackaging them. Shell and Dow probably account for 80% of the epoxies sold in this country, with Ciba-Geigy, Rhone-Poulenc and a handful of other companies squabbling over the leavings. Good quality industrial coatings are at least as good as most marine epoxies.

Good hunting, and good luck.