Marine Adhesives

General feedback, since epoxy is a fiber reinforced plastic bond, one needs to consider what is being bonded depsite the label. I like JB Weld's products. Also general comment, if you get the two part kind and get the ratio just right, they work great. For whatever reason, sometimes even when I think I have the ratio correct, the product doesn't dry as fast or harden as well, meaning I missed the correct ratio, doesn't happen often so I keep using the two part stuff. Two part or one part depends on your marine application too, are you under the water line on fiberglass, or partially wet location suich as back of boat, or are you bonding metal? JB Weld can do most of that, and they make a few different lines of adhesive products too. I like www.epoxysystems.com so you might want to check them out, they have more than just epoxy products.

What, specific materials do you intend to bond? By bonding, I assume that you mean joining complete assemblies together using adhesives?

Sorry fellows . . . my application will be building of a wooden boat. Good comments so far.

Look into using resorcinol glue. Very different from epoxy but quite durable and effective. better than epoxy in some applications.

The type 'A ' grade plywood is bonded together with a phenol formaldhyde resin which is the generic name for resorcinol type glue. I had to look up the formulation for resorcinol before I realized it was the same thing. Generically speaking plywood is a specific flat shape cold molding technique in that the wood is not steamed to form it but pressuer and heat is applied to the glue bonded veneers And resorcinol is a specific brand name. Sorry for the confusion.

IBEX starts on MOnday in Miami...

International boatbuilding exhibition.... they will build you a wood boat

Hi there, try this link, their 2 pack is excellent, canoe to super yacht

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

Hope this helps

cryogen

Devoe makes a epoxy primer and a epoxy finish cost for steel ships but for wood fiberglass will give you a longer life. But then wood and water to me spells trouble I like steel hulls.

Dadw5boys wrote: But then wood and water to me spells trouble I like steel hulls.

I respectfully suggest a rethink on that point. There are many instances of wooden ships being found that sank several centuries ago and remnants are still found intact. in addition It has been proven that logs that have been submerged for a century or so can be successfully salvaged and cut up for good quality lumber. Try that with steel beam or plate. Back where I used to live in Ontario several diving companies were salvaging old growth timber and making a profit sawing up the logs for resale. I discovered that out here in BC a company also was logging sunken trees and doing quite well selling the lumber. These sunken trees were part of the flooded areas created by power dam reservoir flooding. A naval architect colleague of mine made a convincing argument for cold molded construction as a durable and environmentally sound construction method. He showed me photos o of a hurricane damaged 80 footer that was sucessfully repaired and refitted. You could not do better with a steel or FRP yacht.

His point about environmental soundness was cold molding allow the use of what would otherwise be inferior grade of wood. Cutting wood into thin strips or veneers allows the poor quality bits to be removed and using only the clear grained pieces. Wood is a renewable resource which steel and FRP is not. Granted steel and aluminum can be recyled but FRP is not suitabe for recycling.

Anyone who has sailed in wooden ships will attest to their superior characteristics compared to metal or plastic. Yes its true that wood can eventually rot, but steel and aluminum corrode faster and plastic blisters. Wood immersed in salt water full time does not rot. Ony drying wood partially exposed to air and fresh water (rainwater)rots from bacterial activity.

Hi, elnav!

Fibreglass entrained ferro cement for me! Mmmmm, HONEY!! Now that's a yacht!

Mark

Mark have you got a link that shows 'HONEY" which I assume is a boat by that name

In building wooden boats and other structures, I've had good luck with Raka epoxies. (I've also used System 3 and WEST, with good results -- but they are more expensive.) For fun, I have built a couple pirogues with waterproof construction adhesive (polyurethane) and the construction is fast (screwed and glued) and the boat serviceable, even in small rapids (class 1-3). These were finished in plain latex exterior house paint, and the total cost was perhaps $60.

Epoxy is better for a "real" boat, and is very flexible in the ways it can be used. You can mix in various fillers (glass balloons, wood fiber, silica, etc) to get the characteristics you want. The Gougeon brothers (the WEST system folks) have published loads of info on how to use epoxies and fillers in boat building. Read plenty of back issues of WoodenBoat to get a feel for what people are doing.

A major advantage of epoxies for boat building is that they do not shrink or expand when curing and can be use to bridge gaps (given the correct filler mix) so that joint fit is not critical. Making tight fitting joints in curved pieces of wood is difficult, so epoxy can make what would otherwise be a difficult job much easier. Joints should always be painted with raw epoxy first, so that the fillet joint is not "starved" of epoxy as it cures.