epoxy resin vs. polyester resin for hole repair

[leecarlson]

I'm getting ready to rip up old teak decks, fair and put down non-skid (still not sure what kind, but that's another story). I was just assuming I'd fill all the old screw holes with West System epoxy and sand smooth as part of the prep work, but an old salt/professional boatrepair guy who we had give us a quote on replacing the teak decks (way too expensive) said he uses polyester resin to fill holes because it's much easier and faster and cheaper and the holes are small enough that they're not structural and they're going to be painted over anyway so mositure resistance is not an issue.

Is he right or is that a cheap way to go that will give problems down the road?

Thanks.

[sailingdog]

I'd use epoxy myself.

[Freesail99]

I agree about the epoxy, you shouldn't need more then a quart.

[artbyjody]

Use Epoxy unless you are absolutely positive that your decks are made from poly / vinyl. Epoxy is the only one that can bind to any of the the construction / lay-up methods used.

Be wary tho - mix only small batches - and have your areas prepped and ready to go before you start mixing and patching....I use regular painters tape around areas or parchment(wax paper) paper to isolate areas..(such as holes underneath)...

[feetup]

Polyester falls way short of epoxy in both adhesive qualities and in elasticity. I would venture to say that the only place where polyester exceeds epoxy is in cost , and by a small margin, ease of use, but the second is subject to argument.
Also, if the bond fails, paint, even non-skid is not going to keep it water tight for very long.
I agree with the dog, epoxy.

Feetup

"Two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the Universe" Albert Einstein

[chucklesR]

Saving penny's on the deck is sure to cost dollars later.
I'd not only fill with epoxy (bulked with filler), I'd coat the whole deck area with a overcoat if you are going to paint and redo the non-skid. Even a gallon of epoxy is cheap compared to fixing it again.

[jrd22]

We just did the same job and our paint/fiberglass guy said the same thing as yours. We potted all the holes with epoxy being careful not to get it on the deck and then he fixed any fiberglass problems (from removing the teak) and faired the decks with polyester fairing compound and will be spraying the gelcoat over that. He's been doing this for over 30 years and we have had him do a lot of work on several boats so we have a lot of confidence in him. By the way, I don't know what he quoted you to remove the teak, but it may seem like a bargain after you do it. It took the two of us 6 days to remove ours on a 40' boat, and the teak was only on the lower deck, none on the cabintops. I think it would have gone faster if we had used an air chisel, but there might have been more tearing of the glass. It definitely would have been easier if it had been warmer- unheated building and 35 degrees F. Hope I never have to do it again, my back and knees hurt just thinking about it.

John

[artbyjody]

jrd: I really wished you had not posted that destruction picture ... sigh... That is what I get to look forward to doing this fall....

[jrd22]

Sorry Jody, I was lying. It's really a fun job and promotes marital harmony!

John

[max-on]

That job looks like it was a bear, I think it would take a long time on my boat, and it is small by comparison:



Jody, what did you think of the cork product?