: :ET

: ET
: This sounds like an ideal method (the look of your boats confirms
: that...:).... Would you mind sharing the make and model of the
: epoxy you use for this first coat?
: Thanks,
: Bill

Hi Bill

First off, let me say that my boats look shinier and more perfect in a six inch web photo than they do in real life in the glare of the mid day sun.

Secondly, I should probably have added that, even in summertime where I live, it is hard to get shop temperatures up to the eighty degrees mentioned in other posts on the subject. I find that two electric oil radiator heaters going full time get me to 70 on an average day, and I am not about to hang around for weeks waiting for glassing weather.

In the past I have also always used six oz cloth, so wet out may be slightly more difficult than with 4 oz, I don't know for sure though.

So, having said all that, I would say that the heat gun may not be required if the temps are high enough. I just use it because it gives me that extra bit of wet out edge in my cold shop.

I also generally use a roller to put the epoxy on, though not always, and that may improve the penetration as it is pressing the epoxy down through the weave rather than pulling it across the weave.

Glassing is not my favourite part of building boats, but as my expectation of my results improve I enjoy it more.

To finally answer your question, I used MAS epoxy on my current boat (slow hardener for the wet out coat) and it has been truly excellent. Much better than my efforts with West.

As the pros on this forum say though, whether you pre seal or not, the trick for a good wet out is heat. And in addition, for the first coat, slow hardener.

I am so full of advice, but I am a lazy and sometimes impatient guy, so I take short cuts where I can. Not pre sealing is one of those short cuts. Another is to set things up so that whenever I can I glue to a chemical bond so as to avoid sanding which, is also not my favourite past time, especially hand sanding.

Et

I added a picture of myself, because we all love pictures.