BoatBanter.com - Chopped Strand Mat and EPOXY..stringers

ss2002rm wrote:
Hello sailors ....
I got into renovating a 15' Chestnut Canoe, fiberglass, it's 1950 boat.
Anybody out there knows if I can fiberglass my new stringers with a mat and
Miapoxy Epoxy ?

Yes you can, but there are issues with compatibility between
most chopped strand mat (also called random oriented fiber,
scrim, etc etc) and epoxy. The strands are not woven (duh),
so to make it stick together they coat it with a binder. In
all mat not specifically made for epoxy, the binder will not
allow the mat to bond with the epoxy resin.

As I was told by Miapoxy guys, this can't be done with epoxy, but when I
tried to install my
center keel with mat and epoxy, it cured nicely....but is it really the good
way to set the stringers
with epoxy ??? ....

If mixed properly, the resin will cure... it just won't bond
to the mat. It may be that what you're getting is mat that
is somehow compatible with this epoxy, or it could be that
you're getting it submerged in enough resin that it appears
to be stuck in place well.

Mat is not very strong anyway. If you want it to be strong,
you should use an oriented strand cloth. Recently I was
given some samples of 6.5oz biaxial cloth that is sold for
airplane kits, it is marvelously strong, supple to mold into
curves, and wets out very readily... great stuff. It's not
as cheap as mat, but you don't get something for nothing.

Also avoid the fiberglass sold at Home Depot, it is QM
reject crap packaged for auto body repairs.

I can send you photos of my work if interested .....

Why not post them at one of the free phot hosting websites
like WebShots.com? I for one would be interested.

Regards
Doug King