Boat Forum / Building / June 2007

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thanks for the  nice lead in.
I have an entire web page that explains the differences in epoxies
(www.epoxyproducts.com/mepoxies.html  )
but in a nutshell.....

The cheap vendors use simply repackage the correct resin and curing
agent from the big chemical companies that make them.

The companies like System 3, Progressive Epoxy, MAS, etc. start with
those products but then adjust them with additives, blends of curing
agents (there are about 60 different curing agents) to create properties
they want  (like I to think they are good properties, but probably
certainly some of those 'fixes' are to cheapen the product and thus make
more profit).

For example, 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 mixes are easier to use (and may
be easier to formulate) but the curing agents are the expensive part so
more profit if the ratio uses less curing agent (say a 6 to 1 mix). Lots
of ways to make non-blushing epoxies, but those chemicals cost more  -  
so when profit is more important than customer satisfaction,  the market
gets epoxies that blush...... barrier coats (epoxy paints)  that need  6
coats, etc.

For a small company a formulated marine epoxy probably cost  $25 - $35
per gallon to make. For the big volume vendors probably under $20 per
gallon.  A stocking distributor might  will demand a 60% discount over
the list price so  the formulator , if he uses distributors, has to
really mark up the price so that he can still make a profit  after
discounting (plus pay for 800 numbers, color brochures, trade shows)
etc.  The epoxy makers that don't have any distributors probably don't
mark up their products enough to interest a distributor - that's win-win
for everyone except potential distributors.

Also note the marine/boatbuilding is not a challenging application for
epoxies, hence so many brands, prices, etc. (they all get the job done,
more like comparing apples to apples instead of apples to oranges).

A lot of  marine coatings/resins seem to find their way  into boating
circles after they have become outdated in the industrial/commercial
marketplace  -  jack up the price and squeeze a few more million $ from  
a product no commercial contractor  wants to buy any more.  Example,  
induction time (mix up an epoxy and you have to let it 'sit' for some
amount of time) - very rare in commercial epoxies - still common with
many 'marine epoxy paints'. Sad....

 - that's the skinny/insider info on epoxies.  - Don't think you would
get this kind of info from anyone else.

paul oman
progressive epoxy polymers inc
www.epoxyproducts.com/marine.html