Deck repair

[whitewalter]

Hope im in the right forum lol. Anyway, my friend's Laser has a soft deck, and we're now planning to remove the top, replace its foam, and glue it all back together with epoxy. Is it okay and safe to use just the basic resin sold at places like Home depot for this, or should we stick with marine grade epoxy?

 

[The_Last_Samurai]

Just stick with marine-grade epoxy for that job, it's designed to handle water exposure and flex better, basic resin from Home Depot might crack or fail pretty fast on a boat deck

 

[MiniMariner]

You've come to the right place. If you need to fix a Laser deck, go for marine-grade epoxy instaed of regular resin from Home Depot. Regular stuff doesn't hold up well when it gets wet. Marine epoxy is designed to resist water, bond well, and stay flexible. J-B Weld MarineWeld or Loctite Marine Epoxy are both solid options. Using marine-grade epoxy will give you a stronger and longer-lasting fix

 

[22B]

Hope im in the right forum lol. Anyway, my friend's Laser has a soft deck, and we're now planning to remove the top, replace its foam, and glue it all back together with epoxy. Is it okay and safe to use just the basic resin sold at places like Home depot for this, or should we stick with marine grade epoxy?

Home Depot resin might hold up for a bit. Agree with them though that if you want something long-lasting, marine grade epoxy's the way to go. Not Home Depot. It's accessible, yes, but please don't cheap out.

 

[osgood99]

You've come to the right place. If you need to fix a Laser deck, go for marine-grade epoxy instaed of regular resin from Home Depot. Regular stuff doesn't hold up well when it gets wet. Marine epoxy is designed to resist water, bond well, and stay flexible. J-B Weld MarineWeld or Loctite Marine Epoxy are both solid options. Using marine-grade epoxy will give you a stronger and longer-lasting fix

Have you tried both J-B Weld and Loctite? which one works better for you? Thanks!

 

[5plash|5cout]

Great suggestions from everyone! It's definitely a smart move to go with marine-grade products for that kind of work. I'm wondering too,has anyone actually done a side-by-side comparison of J-B Weld MarineWeld and Loctite Marine Epoxy? It would be really useful to find out which one performs better on boat decks like this.

 

[PippoGuy]

Hope im in the right forum lol. Anyway, my friend's Laser has a soft deck, and we're now planning to remove the top, replace its foam, and glue it all back together with epoxy. Is it okay and safe to use just the basic resin sold at places like Home depot for this, or should we stick with marine grade epoxy?

Here with the rest to say to absolutely stick with a marine-grade epoxy!
The basic resins at Home Depot are usually polyester resins, which aren't formulated for the demands of boat construction and won't hold up to the constant exposure to water and flexing a sailboat deck endures.
I suggest you look into brands like WEST System, MAS Epoxies, or System Three Resins as these are industry standards for good reason.
You'll want a general-purpose laminating epoxy from one of these brands, and be sure to get the appropriate hardener for your working temperature and desired pot life.
It's an investment, but it's crucial for a repair that will actually last and keep your Laser sailing safely!

 

[PippoGuy]

You've come to the right place. If you need to fix a Laser deck, go for marine-grade epoxy instaed of regular resin from Home Depot. Regular stuff doesn't hold up well when it gets wet. Marine epoxy is designed to resist water, bond well, and stay flexible. J-B Weld MarineWeld or Loctite Marine Epoxy are both solid options. Using marine-grade epoxy will give you a stronger and longer-lasting fix

Aren't J-B Weld MarineWeld or Loctite Marine Epoxy better suited for small, targeted repairs or bonding fittings?
I'm not sure they can handle a larger structural job like OP's soft deck project.