Epoxy vs Polyester Resin

[Johnny]

There is always some misunderstandings as to what is what and how
each was designed to be used.
Also, misused names for the two very different products.
The credit for this very educational article goes to Don Casey, BOATUS.com

https://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/polyster-epoxy.asp

 

[huntinfool]

Having done fiberglass repairs since highschool back in the '80's,
This is spot on. Good info.

 

[duckfish]

Thanks. Good explanation of the basics.

One thing he doesn't cover is the major difference in nuisance/toxic fumes between the 3. Unless working completely outdoors, you really should wear good respirator protection when working with polyester or vinylester. Epoxy (at least the ones I've used) is fairly innocuous. Since my boat building projects thus far are pretty small, I choose to use only epoxy these days. I can't afford to lose any more brain cells and I hate wearing a respirator. The other benefits to epoxy get a little more involved.