Correct. That post probably came from somebody who is prejudiced against
modern materials.
If an epoxy boat is left out unpainted for years, the UV's will break down
and problems will start.

Do you know that those Abram's M1 tanks are very weak and unsafe? I heard
that one was destroyed last week.

See where those generalizations lead us?

--
Jacques
http://www.bateau.com

"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message
...
"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...

The owner of an epoxy sheathed plywood (okume marine) kayak was showing
me
today the deterioration in the surface ply on the inside of the hull.
The
builder had let the boat sit outside over the winter mistakenly
assuming
epoxy was impervious to H2O. Snow accumulated in the cockpit, melted,
froze, melted again, and by late spring there was 6" of melt water
inside
the hull. The epoxy sheathing on the inside of the hull did not stop
the
water from getting at the plywood and starting rot. Accept the claims
of
epoxy purveyors and promoters at your peril.

How about a few more details? How was the hull sealed? Was it simply a
thin epoxy sealer coat or was the inside glassed as well? It makes a huge
difference in permeability. Was the epoxy damaged (cracked) by the
freeze-thaw cycles?

Let's also remember a couple other points:

- A coat of varnish or paint over the epoxy would have eliminated the
problem.

- Simply covering or inverting the boat to prevent water accumulation
would have prevented the problem.

The issue here is not any deficiency of the epoxy, but rather a deficiency
on the part of the builder.

--
Regards

Brian