edmorales wrote:which is the preferred material for a homebuilt hull. what are the pros and cons? anybody wish to share info on their experiences handling or using these material?
ed morales
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polyester is cheaper, less strong, smells and shrinks more when curing.
epoxy is more expensive(5x?), a little stronger, does not smell(but is toxic! wear gloves!) and does not shrink as much.
you can very easily adjust the curing speed of polyester by adding more or less of the hardener. this is not as easy with epoxies although some system have two different hardeners(slow/fast) that you can mix.
even when cured epoxy becomes soft when subjected to temperatures above some critical temp (usually 60-80 C). not so with polyester. special epoxies might have a high T_crit.
epoxies usually need to be post cured in a heater to obtain maximum strength. a cardboard box with a hot-air-fan works OK. Polyester cures in room temp(don't cure in your home though because of the smell!)
I am not an expert, use chemicals at your own risk !