Fiberglass supplies - SE Michigan

[pescadero]

So, I stupidly bought a boat in need of restoration, and now I'm planning on restoring it (http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=255371) I need fiberglass...

Lots and lots and lots of fiberglass.

Massive quantities of fiberglass.

Like a few hundred square feet of mat, a couple hundred square feet of biax, and about 100 square feet of cloth... plus somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 gallons of polyester resin.

I need to find a supplier.

I could buy it at the local autobody type place - but they want $55/gallon for resin.

I could buy it online - I can get good prices on everything (~$25/gallong for resin in 5 gallon quantities) - but then I get killed with shipping/hazmat fees.

Anyone have any suggestions for fiberglass supplies in SE Michigan - someplace that will have things like polyester resin in 5 gallon buckets for a reasonable price?

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lp

[Damark Marine]

You did bite off a project boat....here is who I get my material from

Eastpoint Fiberglass Sales, Inc.
18625 E 9 Mile Road
Eastpointe, MI 48021
Phone: (586) 773-4237
Email: epfiber@aol.com (epfiber@aol.com)

[pescadero]

You did bite off a project boat....

Yeah, I'm kind of stupid like that sometimes... I figure I've done musical instruments, cars, motorcycles, and houses - so now it must be time to restore a boat!

here is who I get my material from

here is who I get my material from
Eastpoint Fiberglass Sales, Inc.

Thanks, I'll definitely check in with them.

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lp

[huntingmaniac45]

I second Easpointe Fiberglass, been in business there for years.;)

[Bucket-Back]

I've used Eastpointe when I worked in job shops ,they had unlimited money.When I do my own jobs I used Michigan Fiberglass ,they are off 9 mile on Industrial Dr other side of I-94 from Eastpointe Fiberglass.Same family owns them(Ireson),it's just MFS buys in bulk,marks it up,sells to Eastpointe and they mark it up and you pay more,ask to speak to Chris he will help you out with your project and will probably recommend using vinylester resin.Polyester is good to use in building from scratch as it shrinks all together(it has about a 1%shrink)but when you do a big repair it tends to pull up from the ends as it cures thereby reducing the bond.The vinlyester doesn't shrink nearly as much.You might want to try a bond test with both types of resin to see which holds better .You could also make the larger repairs off the boat with polyester and bond them in with vinylester or epoxy .I don't have the phone number as I don't have an East Area phone book here in West Michigan anymore

[Bucket-Back]

There is also Resin Services off Mound Rd in Sterling Hgts ,sales Jim Brooks
.Once again no phone book

[pescadero]

ask to speak to Chris he will help you out with your project and will probably recommend using vinylester resin.Polyester is good to use in building from scratch as it shrinks all together(it has about a 1%shrink)but when you do a big repair it tends to pull up from the ends as it cures thereby reducing the bond.The vinlyester doesn't shrink nearly as much.

If it weren't for the cost, I'd probably go with vinylester - not because of shrink, but because it has significantly better water resistance. The problem is that going with vinylester instead of polyester resin would increase my costs by about 30%.

You could also make the larger repairs off the boat with polyester and bond them in with vinylester or epoxy

Stringers, deck, and transom will all have all but the final wrap of lamination done off the boat - the transom will only have the front (exposed) side glassed after in position, the stringers will only have the wrap to the hull done after in position, and only the top layer of cloth on the top side of the decking will be done after in position.

Plus (other than on the decking) I'm generally not working with large pieces of glass - Outside the decking I think the biggest pieces I'll be working with are about 18"x36".

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lp