RAKA and US compsites From a new Boat builders view.

Brandon Yuchasz

Brandon Yuchasz

Well-known member
I really apreaciate this board and the searching properties of it so when ever I have an opertunity to put some infomation out there for others to find in the future I am going to try and do that.

When I realized the build portion of my boat would be starting shortly ( this week) I did some more searches on companies to buy my cloth from and epoxy and settled on U.S. composites because the feedback out there was that the product worked well and cost was the main difference with it. With U.S. Composites being less expensive. Now granted I was new to building a boat and really wanted to get my order placed but U.S. Composites didn't really seem to know a lot about boat building or the products when I called them. Still I pressed forward and ordered as best I could figure out. Wood flour is one thing they didnt carry so I ended up purchasing all Aerosil-Cabosil for my filler. There epoxy only comes in one speed harder in there kits so I settled on a medium speed which I am sure will work fine for me but a fast and a hard that could be mixed to reach a medium would have been more versital.

Since I had left a few things off my order like enough cloth to do the deck of the boat and floation foam I found myself wanting to place another order to get those things here as well. Since then I had learned ( on the board ) that alothough my order would alow me to build my boat all Cabosil would be a hard thing to sand. That lead me to the RAKA site for wood flour. I called today and talked to Larry about what I needed not only did he understand boat building and the products but he was able to help me select a good fabric for my boat and some additional tape I wanted. I got to ask him about there Epoxy and he told me how to mix the floation foam. So I ended up changing some things with my origional plan and probably will have more tape and fabric then I need but I feel I will be much happier with the boat I build.

So after all that I wondered what the price savings was on the products like epoxy.

US Composites medium 6 gallon kit
EPOX-635316 5 Gallon 1.6 Gallon $243.00

Raka 6 gallon kit that you can customize to what harder you want.
6 GALLON KIT $288.00

4 gallons resin + 1 gallon fast hard
+ 1 gallon slow hard

45.00 difference. I think for a first time builder they might want to consider spending the extra 45 and getting a more versital product and LOTS of good advice.


I hope this doesnt come off and me complaining I certainly am not the main complaint is that I rushed I know better I should of spend a few more minutes and really thought before I ordered.

Had I called RAKA first I would have made a much more educated purchase.

 
We all go through that process. THE most expensive thing in the boat building process is your TIME. Expertise and sound advice will shave hours off the process, make the build more enjoyable, and, provide design ideas that will be appreciated in the long run.

So, you learned early on in the process. That's a good thing.
 
Not that this will help you since you already have the stuff... I am not one to piss money away needlessly, but.... My take is that you are building a luxury item. No one needs a custom duck boat. Therefore, $45 to get a better to work with product is chump change if it makes the build easier.

Second, you will be working with epoxy for 200 hours. $45 spread across those 200 hours isn't much. The frustration of having a half dozen pots of epoxy kick before you can use them because you didn't have slow hardner and the frustration of waiting for medium hardner to cure so you can move on is well worth $45 to me. But hey, that has been my story all along.
 
I agree it's crazy to skimp on the materials, since your labor is by far the biggest investment. I end up buying some things from both Raka and US Composites on every project, and have had real good experiences with both companies.

Ed.
 
Might as well ad another company that I ordered from. I purchased stainless screws from the local hardware but then chose to splurge for the #10 x 1" Flat Head Silicon Bronze Boat Screws from McFeely's on monday late morning. They arrived today UPS. Granted I am in the UP and they are in Wisconsin so one day is possible but still I was more then happy.

BTW my US composite order shows up tomorrow according to the tracking ... WAHOO!!!!
 
Us the US composites. The epoxy is made by Hexion Chemical in Ohio. I used it on my Honker with no problem. Using RAKA, West, or anyone else... is 100% a waste of money. My Honker took me 165 hours. And if anyone can remeber mine... it has 2 layers of cloth on the ouside, 1/4" cold molded on the hull, stretched by 2 feet, 91" @ the beam and a whale back like a TDB or Bankes. AND I build it on a trailer and in a barn...which I was told by many here that it couldn't be done. I personally think many fall into the it cost more... so i mus be better... It is your money... do what you please...
 

The medium did take... 3-4 hours... when it was 45-55 degreees!!!! I never had a problem with waitung for it to get hard quick enough. Don't mix too much up, and work in large sections. A few pics of what the lesser quality... and slow stuff will do...

D20_0259.1.jpg
DSC_4217.jpg
D20_4454.jpg
 
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Brandon - its weird that you said that US Composites didn't really know much about boatbuilding. The following quote is from a post I made when I ordered my stuff from them...

"I never checked out Raka, I went right away with US Composites. After reading about the differences on this site it sounded like the biggest one was the price. I believe that everyone that has used it here has been pleased with the results. I haven't used the product yet, but I can say the following about what I have experienced this far.
I made my order online last Sunday. I got a call on Monday from a rep. Mike I think was his name. I was ordering a mix of their thin and thick epoxy. Thin to wet out the fiber and thick to make the fillets with. Mike called and wanted to confirm what I was ordering. He explained to me that the thick epoxy was not as flexable as the thin and that the thin could be used just as well for the fillets. Well, after hearing his suggestions I changed my order. Basically by doing so I saved over $150. He called to make a suggestion and made less money. That's looking out for the customer and not their bottom line. I like that. The order came in two days later. So far, coudn't be happier. My .02 worth."

I haven't had a lick of problems from the product. I went with the thin 6 gallon kit by the way. I get very very little blush working in a garage with temps ranging from 75-95 degrees. I work with one batch at a time (one 3:1 mix) to wet things out and three batches mixed with half and half woodflower and cabosil (from Jamestown Dist.) for my fillets. Give me about 20 min work time for both. I don't feel rushed when working with those formulas. I will tell you that I had a large area to wet out once and thought why not try mixing two batches to save some time. I instead wasted epoxy. Kicked in about 10 min and I wasn't even halfway thru what I had to wet out. I couldn't even hold the container once it started kicking. Small batches, Small batches, Small batches. Had I put in into a larger container it would probably have been no problem. Lesson learned.
Sorry so long. Just wanted to pass on my experience/lesson.
 
James,

Its great to hear that your order went smoother then mine. Guess we just had different people involved with them.

I certainly think the products themself are just fine from US composites just as good as other brands Im sure.

The one thing I do like about the RAKA was the slow and fast hardner mixing though. I may go with them in the future just for that reason.

What speed hardner are you using on your boat?
 
I built a Hybrid with the US Composits. It worked well, My complaint is it took a long time to harden, you could handle it in 4 hours, but could not sand for about 12. Sometimes I would do some FG in the am put it out in the sun, and then again in the PM and let it set overnight.
The largest batch I made was 6:2. No problems getting it on, and then another batch of 6:2...... I really cant complain at all. I cant wait to hunt out of it!
 
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