A Question For 'Tunnels'

[One Oldman]

In a production environment, ABOUT how many gallons of resin and gel would it take to build a 20 ft boat? Such as a bass boat, bay boat, or runabout. This is not a trick question. I'm just curious.

[tunnels]

In a production environment, ABOUT how many gallons of resin and gel would it take to build a 20 ft boat? Such as a bass boat, bay boat, or runabout. This is not a trick question. I'm just curious.

off the top of my head cant remember !! BUT if you know the square meters of the surface of the hull x that by .6 kgs will give you the gel coat and the laminate also square meters x 1.3 kgs for resin per square meter for each layer and your in the ball park ! Do you have a laminate for a boat that size ?? Not a lot different to what I gave you for yours just different weighs of fabrics that's about all and more csm to use as a core layer ! can find a laminate if you need , its the same size boat as we made for a customer that used a 225 hp motor and went like stink in rough water jumping surf !
Most time there's a 44 gallon drum sitting under the pump of a spray gun or chopper gun and never measure the weight !!
Sorry cant be more helpful right now !!

[One Oldman]

Thanks. I was just curious. It appears I will have about 20-23 gallons in this hull by the time I get the remainder of the composite board puttied and glassed.

[XstreamVking]

Maybe I can interject with some info here. Having built a few, I can give specific numbers for a light but plenty strong 20' boat. The last 20'3'' flats boat I built (mine) used 65 gallons of vinyl resin and 8 gallons of gell. Gelled inside and out. Designed and constructed with a 100% divinnycell foam core, one piece cockpit/deck and has a partially cored hull. Biaxial 1708 glass used throughout and penske core board for transom and stringers. 2 livewells and gunnel top rod lockers. 9 dry hatches with integral gutters/drains on all.

[One Oldman]

Thanks. Since I removed and replaced 90% or so of the original layup and most of the original cap will remain, my total use will be around 25 gallons for hull and cap. For the layup I used 1 layer each of 18 oz, 17 oz, and 10 oz. So from what you said, I would guess my resin consumption to be reasonable considering the work I have done. I didn't have to replace the transom, but I did remove and replace original layup with a little extra.

[dwilfong]

My Vector rebuild use less than 20 gal. That was a total gut and grind down to the shell and one layer of DB 1700 to cover the whole shell also all the build up including floor and transom. also all the lay up to replace all the top side wood structure and some added deck core work.

[tunnels]

Like I pointed out using polyester or vinylester the resin to glass weight is close to 1.3 times the weight of the glass !!,
this can be lower if you use Peel ply on all surfaces !
The spray coverage of gel coat should be close to .6 kilo per sqr meter

[W2F a V-King]

Sorta related I guess would be the weight of all of the above. When I received my order of glass and resin, fillers and such I was surprised at how much weight I am adding.

[tunnels]

Sorta related I guess would be the weight of all of the above. When I received my order of glass and resin, fillers and such I was surprised at how much weight I am adding.

At long last !! The two worst materials for resin usage it woven roving of any weight and the old e matt chopped strand matt
The later P matt of the same weight uses less resin
Woven for the amount of resin used you are stepping backwards with the heavier weights the resin ratio can be as high as 1.7 r even higher BUT the same glass weigh of stitched glass will be more like 1.4 or even less ! So when you counting layers of glass being applied it all starts to multiply rather quickly but the resin ratio could stay the same if you using wet on wet layers !
Use better materials and the cost is usually less over all plus easier to work with and quicker to lay so there's time saving as well !.
This is what my job has been for the last 10 years to make boats lighter but stronger and use less materials but better quality and to go hand in hand with that is changing to better methods of construction and making every strand count !!
Still a good 30 to 40 % of glass used in boat construction is not doing anything its just adding weigh and along for the ride !! Changing peoples mind set to think is a full time job and still they like to add a little extra here and little more there when its totally not necessary and is not improving anything at all if it done properly in the first place !

[W2F a V-King]

Good thing I'm not using any of those heavy ones then....

[tunnels]

Good thing I'm not using any of those heavy ones then....

The best ,easiest ,lightest, single glass to use is unidirectional with a sprinkling of csm between each layer !! You can make anything with it ! just that !! its that simple !! its the orientation that goes with it that's the important part !
Its what is used too make all and any of the stitched fabrics !! so you can make your own !! biaxle, triaxle ,quad,or just a single layer

Unidirectional has incredible flexural strength and by its self can use 1.1 of resin !! used in combination the right way uni can add lots of extra stiffness to most any laminate you using as well !

[tunnels]

In a production environment, ABOUT how many gallons of resin and gel would it take to build a 20 ft boat? Such as a bass boat, bay boat, or runabout. This is not a trick question. I'm just curious.

The amount of resin required to wet out a specific laminate what ever it is can could be less simply by changing the process and procedure in which its laid !!, you could reduce the amount of resin slightly by using a couple of different technique's I learned over the years building boats and working with skilled people and picking up secrets from them that I have learned and shown and applied in other places I have worked with good success !

[home made tunnel]

The amount of resin required to wet out a specific laminate what ever it is can could be less simply by changing the process and procedure in which its laid !!, you could reduce the amount of resin slightly by using a couple of different technique's I learned over the years building boats and working with skilled people and picking up secrets from them that I have learned and shown and applied in other places I have worked with good success !

A good tactic is one I learned from a guy a time ago that was a great method to do something in a way no one had ever thought before. It was innovative and fresh. it was a trade secret passed on like tribal knowledge. What is it you ask? you'll never guess! It's this thing that you do with this stuff at a certain time on or above another thing over there with him or her...

^Useless paragraph with no information provided. Like Tunnels regularly posts hahaha

[BarryStrawn]

Not enough exclamation marks!!!!, CAPS, bold text, or underlining. Your post is useless enough but not in the proper format.

[tunnels]

A good tactic is one I learned from a guy a time ago that was a great method to do something in a way no one had ever thought before. It was innovative and fresh. it was a trade secret passed on like tribal knowledge. What is it you ask? you'll never guess! It's this thing that you do with this stuff at a certain time on or above another thing over there with him or her...

^Useless paragraph with no information provided. Like Tunnels regularly posts hahaha

ok clever person can you answer this for me please!!

Laying one single layer of glass uses x amount of resin ,yes !!
so if you laying 3 layers of the same glass it should use 3 times that amount of resin , yes ?? well it doesn't ! why ??
In cold weather its possible to lay 4 or 5 layers of the same glass and the savings of resin used is significant and quite noticeable , But why??? How can that be?? and what's happening ??
Can you explain why it uses less resin ??

There is more to doing this laying thick laminates and it has to be well thought out before you start ,so if you don't understand how it can be done DONT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME !!