Fiberglass and Mast Boot Question

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by svcambria

. . . But after having resin dripping on me, and fiberglass drooping on me under the keel, then trying to get the stuff off of me, I would still recommend epoxy for any overhead work. Or hire it out.
Epoxy cleans up with vinegar. And then you smell like a salad...
Michael

Quite true. Working with polyester and vinylester resins is difficult, messy and a royal pain in the ass. But it is the proper way to repair a boat made from polyester resin.
- - Normally I have to wear a total paper "moon suit" with booties and head hood along with a OSHA Mine safety Organics respirator and goggles. Styrene which is the "vehicle" that keeps polyester resins liquid is a literal brain cell dissolver. This is why FRG boat manufacturers are willing to spend multi-millions of dollars leasing the use of SCRIMP technology and its predecessor, vacuum bagging. Having to have workers all suited and masked in order to build a boat hull - not to mention OSHA hassles - makes building boats in the USA financially impossible without the new technologies. With the SCRIMP system there are zero vapors and zero contact between the workers and the resins.
- - But for field repairs of significance and the desire to have the job done correctly then the hassles of dealing with polyester resins is necessary. If you want a "quick and dirty" fix then epoxy is the way to go. But then I normally recommend that the owner sell the boat as quickly as possible and go buy a new one.

[hellosailor]

Rob, check out the West Epoxy (West Systems) web site, they have many detailed docs on doing fiberglass and epoxy repairs. And, if you pay for the phone call, they'll provide technical support and answer questions about what you might need and how much it would cost--free and without obligation. Of course, since their materials are quite competitive on price and quality, that's also a good reason to buy their stuff for the repair job.<G>