Boat Building Fiberglass Kit - 5 Yards 1708 + 5 Yards 1.5oz Mat + 5 Gallons Resin

SKU:SK-BB5P

$429.95 USD

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Default Title 5 Gallon Vinyl Ester

Quantity

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The real-project bundle: ten total yards of the two fabrics every hull job runs on, plus five full gallons of marine-grade polyester layup resin to wet all of it out. Stringers, transoms, hull sides, molds, and buildup layers, bought once at a project price instead of piecemeal.

What is in the kit:

5 yards x 50" of 1708 biaxial fiberglass, folded pack (17oz +/-45 stitched biaxial with 3/4oz mat backing)
5 yards x 50" of 1.5oz chopped strand mat, folded pack (about 62 sq ft)
5 x 1 Gallon of marine-grade polyester layup resin
MEKP hardener to catalyze the full five gallons at 1%

Coverage: the two fabrics together are about 125 sq ft. At standard hand-layup ratios that takes roughly 4.3 gallons including normal waste, so five gallons lays up every yard in the kit in a single layer with margin left for fill coats. Use the mat as your first layer against the mold or old laminate and the 1708 for structure.

Chopped strand mat has a styrene-soluble binder, so this kit is polyester-only by design. Smaller job? See the 5 yard mat and resin kit or the 5 yard 1708 and resin kit.

Specifications

Package size20 in x 16 in x 14 in

Specifications

Reinforcement: 5 yd 1708 biaxial plus 5 yd 1.5 oz chopped strand mat, both 50" wide
Resin: 5 gallon pail, polyester or vinyl ester, MEKP included
Also in the kit: 6 graduated cups, 6 stir sticks
Coverage: 5 gallons is well ahead of 10 yd of fabric, leaving resin for a seal coat and fairing
Job scale: stringers, bulkheads, floors, full deck sections
Ships ground only, limited quantity hazmat, about 75 lb

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How to use this kit

Ten yards of 1708 and mat with five gallons of polyester layup resin. Every kit ships with this same sheet printed and in the box.

Safety: MEKP hardener is corrosive. Wear the gloves and eye protection any time it is open; if it gets in an eye, flush with water for 15 minutes and get medical help. Polyester resin gives off styrene, so work outdoors or with strong ventilation and wear a respirator. Mixed resin heats up as it cures: never cap a mixed cup, and pour leftovers out thin to cure. No smoking or flames near open containers.

What is in the kit

5 yd 1708 biaxial fiberglass, 50 in wide, folded pack17 oz +/-45 stitched biaxial with 3/4 oz mat backing
5 yd 1.5 oz chopped strand mat, 50 in wide, folded packabout 62 sq ft
5 gal Marine-grade polyester layup resin5 x 1 gallon
1 MEKP hardenercatalyzes the full five gallons at 1 percent

You supply: a laminating roller, chip brushes, mixing cups and sticks, gloves, acetone, a respirator, a grinder for prep, and fumed silica for fillets.

Mixing MEKP (1.5 percent)

8 oz mix	3.6 mL MEKP (about 3/4 tsp)
16 oz mix	7 mL MEKP (about 1.5 tsp)
32 oz mix	14 mL MEKP (about 3 tsp)

That is 1.5 percent for 65 to 85 F. Above 85 F drop to 1 percent; at 60 to 65 F go to 2 percent. Quick field rule: 10 drops per ounce.

Never mix more than you can lay up in 15 minutes. A full gallon catalyzed at once will boil in the bucket.

The job, start to finish

1

Prep the surface

New mold: wax and release it thoroughly. Old laminate: grind off all gloss, gelcoat and contamination back to solid glass, then wipe with acetone. Polyester is a poor secondary bond, so every bit of its grip comes from clean, freshly ground surface.

2

Cut everything dry

Cut every piece of fabric to size and stage it in the order it goes down, smallest first for a repair, largest first for a mold. Cut all of it before you mix a drop, because once resin is catalyzed you have about 15 minutes and no time to be looking for scissors.

3

Mix small batches

Catalyze only what you can lay up in 15 minutes, using the chart at left. Stir thoroughly but slowly to avoid whipping in air, and scrape the sides of the cup. Pour it out of the mixing cup as soon as it is mixed: resin left in a deep cup heats up and kicks early.

4

Wet out

Brush resin on, lay mat or 1708 in, and stipple straight down with the brush until it turns translucent. Do not brush sideways: that drags the fibers out of place. Work wet on wet through your stack rather than waiting for cures between plies.

5

Roll out the air

Run a laminating roller firmly in both directions over every layer until the white flecks disappear. White means dry glass or trapped air, and both are weak spots you cannot fix after cure. This one step is the difference between a laminate that hits its numbers and one that does not.

Works onStringers, transoms, hull sides, molds and buildup layers. Mat goes against the mold or old laminate, 1708 carries the structure.

Not forEpoxy layups. Chopped strand mat has a styrene-soluble binder, so this kit is polyester only by design.

If something goes wrong

Laminate feels tacky

Normal. Clear laminating resin stays tacky on top so the next layer bonds to it.

White flecks in the layup

Dry glass or trapped air. Roll or stipple it out while wet; after cure it must be ground out.

The bucket got hot fast

Too big a batch or too much MEKP. Pour it out thin outdoors and mix smaller.

Nothing hardened

Too little MEKP, or under 60 F. Warm the space and remix.

Resin ran off vertical

Thicken it with fumed silica, or laminate in smaller sections.

About 125 sq ft of fabric takes roughly 4.3 gallons at standard hand-layup ratios, so five gallons lays it all up in one layer with margin for fill coats.