CPES from rotdoctor.com - Opinions

[Punx]

After a lot of reading, I was about to order $200 (2 Gallons) worth of CPES from rotdoctor.com. Has anyone had any experience with this? From everything I read, it's definitely worth the money. I just want to see what everyone thinks, and if there's a less expensive alternative. The CPES from rotdoctor.com looks like it will pretty much make all my wood invincible. Let me know your thoughts/experiences.

[zeehag]

doesnt add strength or structure--according to the instructions on my cpe containers i used.... must have something like real wood for that.

[colemj]

What are you trying to do with it? If you have wet, rotted core, it will not work. If you have some dry rot (the core MUST be dry), it may work to shore up the core, but may not bond the core back to the glass.

If you have rotten core, the ONLY way to permanently fix it is to cut it out and replace it. Believe me - I have tried every method out there including penetrating epoxy, drilling and filling lots of holes, etc.

While replacing the core can involve a lot of surgery, it really isn't that difficult to do.

Mark

[minaret]

Hate it. It's just a Band-Aid. Repair or replace properly instead. I can't tell you how many rotten things I've repaired/replaced that somebody first wasted their time and money on with CPES/Smiths. Plus cure time is too long. You're better off using WEST thinned with MEK, if you must go this route; then you can bond a fairing coat to it the next day instead of a week later.

[minaret]

2 gallons of CPES is also a vast quantity. Were you planning on using it as a sealer for varnish? If so it's not so good. Like I said it needs 8 days to off-gas before you can bond anything to it, unless they have recently changed their formula. And then if you ever need to strip it again, you cant use a heat gun or chems. You pretty much have to sand/grind it off. It's a bad idea. If you want an epoxy sealer, go with the aforementioned WEST. Much easier to work with.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by minaret

Hate it. It's just a Band-Aid. Repair or replace properly instead. I can't tell you how many rotten things I've repaired/replaced that somebody first wasted their time and money on with CPES/Smiths. Plus cure time is too long. You're better off using WEST thinned with MEK, if you must go this route; then you can bond a fairing coat to it the next day instead of a week later.

Full agreement.

It's complete joke. Take a piece of wood and put the CPES on it and look to see exactly how "penetrating" it is. Even drilling little holes and using syringes you're not going to get that far. Chop the wood, repair for real.

Edit: I'm talking about using it for "stopping rot" and as an alternative to a real repair. If you're just using it to coat something I'd stick with west. The penetrating aspect is negligible and the real breakdown will happen through chips via sharp objects exposing the wood underneath which will happen regardless of the microscopic layer of epoxy sitting on top.

[rognvald]

Punx, I have used CPES successfully in the past but if you choose it as an option, you must not consider it as a substitute for a real repair. I had a small section of rot beneath my seahood that I was able to remove with a succession of holes and a dremel and allow to dry. I then treated the area with CPES and followed with thickened West System Epoxy. The repair was done properly and it allowed me to avoid removing a curved section of my cabintop which would have involved redoing the nonskid as well as a section of gelcoat. The area now is sound and dry. For small areas, I would highly recommend it but if you have large areas of rot the only proper fix is to remove and repair. There is no substitute for a proper job. Good luck and good sailing, Ron

[AnchorageGuy]

We have used the CPES and found it to do exactly what we wanted it to do. It worked well for us using it for its intended purpose. I keep both West System and CPES on board for different applications. How well it penetrates depends on what type of wood you are applying it to. You might want to describe exactly what you are trying to accomplish and you might get a better answer. Chuck

[AnchorageGuy]

Here's a good example of one project we used the CPES for.
The Trawler Beach House: Our Anchoring Platform Refurbishing
Chuck

[knothead]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

We have used the CPES and found it to do exactly what we wanted it to do. It worked well for us using it for its intended purpose. I keep both West System and CPES on board for different applications. How well it penetrates depends on what type of wood you are applying it to. You might want to describe exactly what you are trying to accomplish and you might get a better answer. Chuck

Exactly right.
It does what it is advertised to do. In my opinion, due to it's consistency, (very similar to fuel oil), it does it better than other penetrating epoxies.

I used the product to help me postpone the job of replacing my bowsprit for a couple of years.
I knew that I would eventually replace the bowsprit and the stem fitting in the process, but I wasn't ready to tackle the job at that time and I wanted to continue daysailing the boat.

I dug out the worst of the rot that I could access and then drilled a few holes to create little reservoirs in the top surface. I saturated and filled the holes every few hours until it seemed that it wouldn't soak it up anymore.
I let it cure for a few days, fished in some pieces of wood in the big areas and filled the holes.
It wasn't pretty but it did exactly what I wanted it to do.

It's a good product and from my experience, a good company to deal with.