Epoxy Cloth Skinning - What's REN 210?

Hi I'm a new member who has aquired a second hand Mirror in the 56xxx series for over-winter recondition. Mainly to have some fun with my two young girls, probably in sheltered sea water. No racing etc planned at this early stage.

The idea of epoxy cloth skinning / coating appeals - not least in part because I've done something similar in a former life buiding large model aeroplanes.

I see Gerry has previously recommeded a cloth called REN 210 - but my Google searches have failed to turn up more details. So any more info would be much appreciated. I presume this is a woven cloth? What weight (g/sqm)? Where from? etc!

Many thanks, Neil.

Neil

Unfortunately epoxy cloth skinning the hull would make the boat illegal for racing. Epoxy coating on it's own however is both legal for racing and recommended.

Cheers

Trevor

Thanks Trevor,

The illegality is understood, but isn't relevant for my initial plans. This was a sub-£200 under-cherished Mirror, which would be replaced with a better example should the girls become enthused. My eldest's - she's 6 - current enthusiam is riding high for body boards, but evaporates with my RIB! The cloth idea is based on some concerns with what I expect to find after initial paint removal.

Neil



Edited by - Neil R on 07 September 2007 15:42:40

If you are planning to remove all the paint then you might find it wise to encase the hull with polythene and use a dehumidier for a couple of weeks to reduce the water content of the wood. I think it was Levante who did this and claimed it made the hull stiffer and lighter. Knowing you boat was uncherished, this should go some way to improving it at very little cost - provided you have access to a dehumidifier.

Roger
59725

Yep, took about 5 kilos of weight out of her. Obviously I'm not sure if she's much stiffer, but she felt noticeably better to sail afterwards.

Also, to stiffen the boat and prevent her from soaking up more water, we mixed up some epoxy (Araldite I think), and dissolved it in acetone so we could paint the hull with it. Just be careful the epoxy doesn't set while you're painting it on



Edited by - levanteIRL67592 on 08 September 2007 22:25:45

SP300 is really good for treating the hull once dried, it's very thin and soaks in well prior to rolling on west or SP epoxy. Then prime and paint over, really long lasting finish.