Re: Choosing an epoxy: West? System Three? Raka?
--- In bolger@y..., John Kennedy <john.kennedy@g...> wrote:
preference on this board.
I would recommend that you go to the www.noahsmarine.com site and
check out the prices for their epoxy offerings. If you import one of
the generic brands from the US you are not likely to save anything.
Noahs has WEST, EAST (Noah's knockoff of WEST), MAS, Industrial
Formulators and Sikkens epoxies. I checked the WEST and it was
$135cdn/4.55L vs $135.15cdn from the West Marine catalog. I suspect no
one is going to beat Noah's prices. As to what kind to use, if I were
you I would find what's available in Canada first of all and then
check around locally for preferences. I would also get on the forum on
Noah's website to get a different perspective than the Bolger website
where cost of materials is such an overwhelming factor in
boatbuilding.
Bob Chamberland
> Trying to tell my wife how much it will cost to fix my boat. (Wishme
> luck!)epoxy at
>
> As if that weren't tough enough, I thought the price of West system
> one local retailer was a bit high: $160 (Canadian) per gallon.or Raka
>
> Can anyone give me any useful advice on comparing West, System Three
> for quality and price? Or is it a matter of personal preference?Hi John, Yes it's almost entirely a matter of price and personal
>
> Thanks.
preference on this board.
I would recommend that you go to the www.noahsmarine.com site and
check out the prices for their epoxy offerings. If you import one of
the generic brands from the US you are not likely to save anything.
Noahs has WEST, EAST (Noah's knockoff of WEST), MAS, Industrial
Formulators and Sikkens epoxies. I checked the WEST and it was
$135cdn/4.55L vs $135.15cdn from the West Marine catalog. I suspect no
one is going to beat Noah's prices. As to what kind to use, if I were
you I would find what's available in Canada first of all and then
check around locally for preferences. I would also get on the forum on
Noah's website to get a different perspective than the Bolger website
where cost of materials is such an overwhelming factor in
boatbuilding.
Bob Chamberland
John Kennedy wrote:
good
resistance to chemicals. The chemical resistance is rarely needed in
boat
repair and is what makes recoating such a pain with sanding required.
System Three is great in low temperatures and high humidities. It is
also
great for multi step jobs as it will chemically bond without special
surface
prep up to 72 hours.
Raka is very similar to System Three but I don't have much experience
with
Raka so don't quote me on this. :-)
I use West for small jobs and quick turnaround where I need to grab some
epoxy locally and don't have time for testing.
I sometimes use System Three for mid size jobs when I can wait for
shipping
of the epoxy.
I use epoxy from Fiberglass Coatings for big jobs as it is cheaper but
it
has some disadvantages compared to W and S3.
BTW Small job is less than 1 gallon.
Medium job is between 1 and 5 gallons of epoxy.
Big jobs are from 5 gallons to as much as buying 55 gallon drums of
epoxy.
have fun
Mix ALL epoxies very well, use a time and stir for at least 3 minutes.
michael
>The main advantages of West are availability nearly everywhere and very
> Trying to tell my wife how much it will cost to fix my boat. (Wish me
> luck!)
>
> As if that weren't tough enough, I thought the price of West system epoxy at
> one local retailer was a bit high: $160 (Canadian) per gallon.
>
> Can anyone give me any useful advice on comparing West, System Three or Raka
> for quality and price? Or is it a matter of personal preference?
good
resistance to chemicals. The chemical resistance is rarely needed in
boat
repair and is what makes recoating such a pain with sanding required.
System Three is great in low temperatures and high humidities. It is
also
great for multi step jobs as it will chemically bond without special
surface
prep up to 72 hours.
Raka is very similar to System Three but I don't have much experience
with
Raka so don't quote me on this. :-)
I use West for small jobs and quick turnaround where I need to grab some
epoxy locally and don't have time for testing.
I sometimes use System Three for mid size jobs when I can wait for
shipping
of the epoxy.
I use epoxy from Fiberglass Coatings for big jobs as it is cheaper but
it
has some disadvantages compared to W and S3.
BTW Small job is less than 1 gallon.
Medium job is between 1 and 5 gallons of epoxy.
Big jobs are from 5 gallons to as much as buying 55 gallon drums of
epoxy.
have fun
Mix ALL epoxies very well, use a time and stir for at least 3 minutes.
michael
I have used a tiny bit of System 3 and about a gallon or so of Raka.
Both seemed to behave in a similar manner. You can get the Raka with
fast and slow hardeners and mix for your weather (I think this may be
possible with System 3, too). Raka seems to be considerably cheaper,
go look at their web site. The stuff seems to behave well, as
advertised. Stronger, hi temp or no blush versions available but I
haven't tried them. Mail order service has been good, also. I've only
had my Nymph done for about a year, and haven't had a chance to use it
all that much, but it came out well with Raka.
I'm sure West is good, but it's a lot of money! I have used their
cotton flox (don't know what number they call it) and it is a very
nice material.
Both seemed to behave in a similar manner. You can get the Raka with
fast and slow hardeners and mix for your weather (I think this may be
possible with System 3, too). Raka seems to be considerably cheaper,
go look at their web site. The stuff seems to behave well, as
advertised. Stronger, hi temp or no blush versions available but I
haven't tried them. Mail order service has been good, also. I've only
had my Nymph done for about a year, and haven't had a chance to use it
all that much, but it came out well with Raka.
I'm sure West is good, but it's a lot of money! I have used their
cotton flox (don't know what number they call it) and it is a very
nice material.
--- In bolger@y..., John Kennedy <john.kennedy@g...> wrote:
> Trying to tell my wife how much it will cost to fix my boat. (Wish
me
> luck!)
>
> As if that weren't tough enough, I thought the price of West system
epoxy at
> one local retailer was a bit high: $160 (Canadian) per gallon.
>
> Can anyone give me any useful advice on comparing West, System Three
or Raka
> for quality and price? Or is it a matter of personal preference?
>
> Thanks.
Boy, are you opening a can of worms. One that has been opened many
many times before...
Useful advice?
"Essentialy all epoxies are the same, buy the cheapest."
That said, I use Raka, which is about $5 a gallon more than the stuff
from Fiberglass Coatings (cheapest I've seen). It smells less, goes
on better, and dispenses better in cold weather the the thick goop
you can get from FG Coatings for $30 a gallon.
Never used West, MAS, or any of the other expensive stuff. Have used
System 3. It behaves about like the stuff from Raka.
I've never heard of anyone having problems with Raka, though I have
heard of problems with West.
many times before...
Useful advice?
"Essentialy all epoxies are the same, buy the cheapest."
That said, I use Raka, which is about $5 a gallon more than the stuff
from Fiberglass Coatings (cheapest I've seen). It smells less, goes
on better, and dispenses better in cold weather the the thick goop
you can get from FG Coatings for $30 a gallon.
Never used West, MAS, or any of the other expensive stuff. Have used
System 3. It behaves about like the stuff from Raka.
I've never heard of anyone having problems with Raka, though I have
heard of problems with West.
--- In bolger@y..., John Kennedy <john.kennedy@g...> wrote:
> Trying to tell my wife how much it will cost to fix my boat.
(Wish me
> luck!)
>
> As if that weren't tough enough, I thought the price of West system
epoxy at
> one local retailer was a bit high: $160 (Canadian) per gallon.
>
> Can anyone give me any useful advice on comparing West, System
Three or Raka
> for quality and price? Or is it a matter of personal preference?
>
> Thanks.
Trying to tell my wife how much it will cost to fix my boat. (Wish me
luck!)
As if that weren't tough enough, I thought the price of West system epoxy at
one local retailer was a bit high: $160 (Canadian) per gallon.
Can anyone give me any useful advice on comparing West, System Three or Raka
for quality and price? Or is it a matter of personal preference?
Thanks.
luck!)
As if that weren't tough enough, I thought the price of West system epoxy at
one local retailer was a bit high: $160 (Canadian) per gallon.
Can anyone give me any useful advice on comparing West, System Three or Raka
for quality and price? Or is it a matter of personal preference?
Thanks.