Which Epoxy Should I Use?

There are countless brands of epoxy available for boat building—most of which will do the job
just fine. Here at Glen-L Marine we offer two different brands that feature an easy 2-to-1 ratio
(resin to hardener), good all-round characteristics, and both are popular with professional and
amateur boat builders.

If you’re looking for a good, reliable epoxy that has excellent characteristics—including being
very unlikely to blush—and you want to keep costs down, RAKA brand is ideal. Offered in a
wide variety of speeds, from ultra-slow “Tropical” all the way up to “Fast,” RAKA epoxy is very
popular with our builders and priced as much as 50% less than many competitors.

If you’re seeking the absolute best working characteristics—everything to make your build go as
smoothly as possible, System Three Silvertip Epoxy is the choice. We consider their modern
Silvertip formula the best epoxy available anywhere. (*Please note this is not System Three’s
General Purpose epoxy, but the premium Silvertip formula.) Silvertip comes in either Slow or
Fast speed (or combine to make your own medium speeds), it has the user-friendly 2-to-1 ratio,
is nearly colorless, and always cures to a brilliant blush-free finish. The working time for either
speed is longer than most epoxies but without extending the cure time. Experts also note
Silvertip’s exceptionally fast and foam-free wet-out of fiberglass cloth and the flow coats are
devoid of craters.

Silvertip also does not require sanding between coats when recoating with 72 hours, and it is
sandable the same day when fast hardener is used.

Technical information on RAKA:

At 77 degrees F the pot life or working time (using 3 mixed ounces) of the fast hardener-resin
mix is about 8 minutes. Three ounces of slow hardener would give you about 25 minutes of
working time. A mixture using only fast hardener 610, can be used down to 50 degrees F , and
slow hardener 606 should not be used below 60 degrees. We recommend when working under
70 degrees to use a blend of hardeners if you want a working cure within 24 hours.

Technical information on Silvertip:

At 70 degrees F the Silvertip Fast will have a working time of 30-35 minutes. The Slow
hardener will have working time of 45-50 minutes. Epoxy should be tack free in 3 hour and 6
hours respectively. Use at temperatures as low as 35 F with no limitations on humidity. Even at
lower temperatures and higher humidity this resin will not blush on curing.