The "West System" is not just the brand of epoxy, but a method of
encapsulating a wooden boat in fibreglass and epoxy. Using the West
System, a boat is completely sealed, so that water cannot get to the
wood. It's time consuming, requiring great attention to detail. It's
not simply painting epoxy over the wood. Each seam is covered with a
fillet of thickened epoxy and fibreglass cloth.


Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I keep seeing postings and other writings about the "West System" .

I know it is something to do with epoxy .. but what?

Is this just a brand?

Also,,, if you need fiberglass supplies when fixing an old sailboat, where
would you look? Do you go to an auto repair supply place?

They've got no patent on ecapsulating wood or composites in something
waterproof and people did things like that on boats long before WEST pulled
up to the table. I'd call their approach "marketing" and nothing more.
Especially if you consider that they mislead the public with statements like
"epoxy saturation" as though the wood completely saturated with epoxy and
become a rot-proof wood/epoxy composite product. False advertising. Nope.
I'd say that the other epoxy outfits get just as much credit for epoxy
encapsulation as WEST does... if not more. It was the other companies, and
boat builders themselves, that corrected the nasty rumors about 'saturation'
and made the statements more accurate by saying 'encapsulation' instead. But
I am at least glad that WEST got the ball rolling and do give them credit
for that.

Brian D



wrote in message
oups.com...
The "West System" is not just the brand of epoxy, but a method of
encapsulating a wooden boat in fibreglass and epoxy. Using the West
System, a boat is completely sealed, so that water cannot get to the
wood. It's time consuming, requiring great attention to detail. It's
not simply painting epoxy over the wood. Each seam is covered with a
fillet of thickened epoxy and fibreglass cloth.


Thomas Wentworth wrote:
I keep seeing postings and other writings about the "West System" .

I know it is something to do with epoxy .. but what?

Is this just a brand?

Also,,, if you need fiberglass supplies when fixing an old sailboat,
where
would you look? Do you go to an auto repair supply place?