I was having a chat a few months ago with the guys that build masts for maxi yachts and the like and was asked why I dont use the duratec products to finish my boards, as according to these guys this is THE stuff.
When I told them the gear that goes into a surfboard even from the biggest names in the game they roared with laughter and couldn’t believe the old school tech, as resin infusion and the like has been in that industry for a while.
They also couldn’t really grasp the difference between what a surfer will pay for a craft and the seemingly unlimitless cash of the people paying for the masts for a Sydney to Hobart yacht!
So I was wondering if anyone here has finished boards with these products and if the boaties on here agree with them.
I have had a look in the archives and can only find reference to dura pigments and a post from airframe about the dura resins.
Your mast man is right. Duratec products are the goods, but at a premium price. The Duratec products that I used in the boatbuilding industry were all polyester based. So if you want to clear coat your board, you are basically using a high quality and very tough poly. Which will need to be sprayed. I don’t remember seeing any brushable clear coats.platty.
Hi Daren. It has been a while since i’ve used Duratec. But from memory it gave a great tack free finish off the gun, but was difficult to brush. It was very hard wearing. We use to use it in the bottom of ski racs boats as a clear finish over the balsa core. As far as an altenertive to a gloss coat, I guess you have to weigh up the time saved in not having to wet and dry and polish compared to the added cost of the product. Don’t know what it costs these days. FGI in Brookvale are the local suppliers I think.platty.
The material Duratec is a great material, and will finish in a high gloss. You can get satin finish as well, and is a polyester material. The cost runs about $ 60 to $ 90 per gallon, but you use very little on a surfboard. The Kolstof board that I build is finished with Duratec. The material is also designed for use on finishing furnature as well. Keep in mind that this is a gelcoat material and will wear quite well. Works best when sprayed, but can be brushed on, however the finish will probily require some finish work. The nice thing about Duratec is that you can sand and buff it to a high shine if that is what finish you are looking for. It seems to have good elasticity, and will not crack with the flexing of a board. You can have it pigmented to just about any color, and is available from Revchem.
The reason for the Duratec was the quality of the finish. The carbon board was all high end materials, and cutting corners on material was not where we wanted to go. The other reason is that the finish and hardness of the Duratech once cured. The other reason was to allow for colors on the finish of the board. The boards are done in an open mould, and so using the polyester material on what is to be the outside of the board worked and this was because the interior of the laminate was applied with epoxy. Doing a polyester over epoxy will not work because there is poor compatability for a good chemical bond of the two materials. There is a lot more to it than this, but I just wanted to touch the surface...
Cheers!!!
Ken
The poly based stuff won’t work well over epoxy, but, I was wondering if anyone has used or tried any clear epoxy gloss products? (the stuff available at Home Depot)
I have some friends who are making a table/desk for their offices and they are using an epoxy as a glossy protective coat. I think it is stuff that is often used to coat bar tops and such. Anyone try anything like it?
It is still a little pricey per gallon, but it could be cheaper than using RR or another laminating epoxy as a gloss coat.