: I bought a plan from Rod at Orca boats. I'm into the building process now. I
: have Nick's book and a few others. I'm in good shape as far as the
: striping goes and actual construction of the boat. I am confused in what
: type and what brand of epoxy to buy and how much, filler for fillets,
: micro balloons,(what ever those are),and how much fiberglass to buy for an
: 18 strip boat. I just need help with the glassing end of the process and
: what materials to aquire. What's best System3,West, Mass and where do I
: buy it? I'd buy it from Rod at Orca but I'm afraid I'd have to pay duty on
: the purchase because he's in Canada.
: If company names are a no no here on the board, could you email me.
: claypipe@hughes.net

There are all sorts of resins. I started out using West brand years back because it was available and have stayed with it. It tends to be the most expensive but has excellent service and instructions. Lots of other brands do too. West Marine which in many places is fairly local stocks it. Most others you have to mail order. For the glass fabric itself you will likely mail order it as the local places usually only have fabric sized (sizing is a chemical finish) for polyester resin. That fabric will work after a fashion but the epoxy doesn't break down the sizing as quickly as polyester does and thus sometimes it doesn't wet out as clear as you'd like. Ok, getting a little involved here . Might want to Email me directly @ griff10us@yahoo.com

Bill H.