How much do you need? Are you building one boat, or is this for a group project?

Epoxy prices range from about $50 to $125 per mixed gallon. I add the volume of the resin to the volume of the hardener, then add the prices. Then I divide the total price by the total volume.

For example, brand X is mixed at a 2:1 ratio of resin to hardener. A gallon of resin costs $50, and a half gallon of hardener costs $28. That gives me a total of 1.5 gallons of mixed resin for $78.
That same brand may offer different hardeners, and I may decide to get a quart of a faster setting hardener, too. Lets say that is another $18. Now I have spent $96 for 1.75 gallons of various materials, but when I figure my costs, I have to divide that price by 1.5, not 1.75, as I can't use all of both hardeners. If I find that I am using the faster setting hardener, then I'll have some of the slower stuff left over. The excess is either waste, a gift to another builder, or it sits on the shelf until I buy more of that brand of resin.

Add shipping fees to the lower-cost brands as they are usually mail-order items. Many people gladly pay a higher price in order to deal locally. The difference in price for just one gallon is a pretty big range, but what can really kill you is if you need just a bit more than one gallon, and you end up buying 2 gallons.

The best-known brands are packaged in large and small quantities, and have hardeners which act at fast or slow speeds, or at various temperatures.

The people who use the highest-cost epoxies swear by them. The people who use middle-priced epoxies tend to be very impressed by them. Unfortunately, there have been a few reports by people who bought what they thought was a bargain-priced epoxy, and it turned out to be a polyester resin. So, if you see a great price on 'fiberglass resin' make sure the stuff says it is epoxy.

By the way, if you want an inexpensive boat, consider using polyester instead of epoxy. It is available at any auto parts shop, but cheaper at boat shops.

PGJ