
How to use this kit
Ten yards of 1708 biaxial with six gallons of marine epoxy and slow hardener. Every kit ships with this same sheet printed and in the box.
What is in the kit
- 10 yd 1708 biaxial fiberglass, 50 in widetwo 5 yard folded packs, about 125 sq ft
- 4 gal Thin clear laminating epoxy resin, Part A4 x 1 gallon
- 2 gal Slow epoxy hardener, Part B2 x 1 gallon, 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener by volume
You supply: a laminating roller, chip brushes, graduated mixing cups and sticks, gloves, denatured alcohol, a respirator, a grinder for prep, and fairing filler.
Mixing epoxy (2:1 by volume)
| Ratio | 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener |
| Working batch | 16 oz resin + 8 oz hardener |
| Full kit | 4 gal resin + 2 gal hardener |
Measure by volume. Off-ratio epoxy does not cure slow, it never fully cures. Confirm the ratio printed on your hardener container.
Stir 2 minutes scraping sides and bottom, then re-pot and stir again. Slow hardener buys working time, which matters on big layups in a warm shop.
The job, start to finish
Prep the surface
Grind old laminate back to clean glass and wipe with denatured alcohol. On wood, sand and remove all dust. Epoxy is chosen here precisely because it makes a strong secondary bond to cured laminate and to wood, but only onto a clean freshly abraded surface.
Cut everything dry
Cut all your 1708 before you mix. On a big layup, roll each piece loosely in order of use so you can lay them in sequence without hunting. Slow hardener gives you working time, but not enough to be cutting fabric mid-layup.
Mix by volume
Measure 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener by volume in graduated cups or with calibrated pumps. Stir 2 minutes scraping the sides and bottom, then re-pot and stir again. Unmixed resin on a cup wall is the number one cause of soft spots in a big laminate.
Wet out
Brush epoxy on, lay the 1708 down mat side against the substrate, and stipple straight down until the fabric goes translucent. Work wet on wet through the stack. Six gallons wets all 125 sq ft in a single layer with resin left for fill coats and tabbing.
Roll out the air
Run the laminating roller firmly in both directions over every layer until the white flecks disappear. Then, before any later coat, wash off amine blush with warm soapy water and scuff: blush is a waxy film that nothing sticks to, and it is invisible until the next coat fails.
If something goes wrong
Cloudy waxy film
Amine blush from humid curing. Wash with warm soapy water and scuff before the next layer, or nothing sticks.
Soft or greasy patches
Off-ratio or under-stirred epoxy. Grind it out and relaminate with double-potted mix.
White flecks in the layup
Dry glass or trapped air. Roll it out while wet; after cure it must be ground out.
Cure crawled overnight
Under 60 F. Epoxy stalls in the cold. Warm the space, do not add more hardener.
Resin and hardener swapped
It will never cure. Remove all of it and start again; there is no rescue.
Six gallons mixed is 768 oz. 125 sq ft of 1708 takes roughly 600 oz including normal waste, leaving margin for fill coats and tabbing.