I read that Skeeter uses isophthalic resin for their hulls as opposed to vinyl ester which is touted to have greater strength and flexibility and is used by some competitors.
Anyone know more about this? I assume there are always two sides to a story.
I'm not a chemist...this was thrown out as part of a marketing approach as I was shopping various mfgs at a boat show. I did some internet research that, to a non-chemist, seems be supported.
Modified by KH59 at 10:51 AM 2/27/2008
Dealers will say anything to get you to buy their boat. Salesman that sold me my Stratos was a Skeeter man (dealership sold Stratos and Skeeter). He said some things about Tritons to help him make the sale. Now he works for a Triton dealer, I still talk to him when I go to a show or to his dealership to buy parts. Says Tritons are the greatest now.
.
Neil Eckberg- Cary, NC - 2008 Skeeter ZX250- 250 Yamaha SHO
Kerr Lake Ba$$hole
Thst's why it's so easy for a car salesman to move from dealer to dealer....
all they need to do is change the name and pitch the same crap....
Found a chemical engineering company that tested vinyl ester against the isophthalic and other resins and the findings were highly in favor of the vinyl ester. So the dealer comment now seems valid and supported. Thus the question is really to someone from Skeeter in the know to comment.
Great job and post KH59!!Recken thats why Skeeters aren't cheap
Well, there are a lot of factors to consider. Corrugated cardboard is stronger than plain paper, but 1 inch of paper is stronger than 1 inch of corrugated cardboard (in terms of piercing as an example). Skeeter has a 1/2 inch thickness in the fiberglass on the sides while most of the industry is at 1/8" thickness. They use a dry flake procees (considered better) that may work better on the type of resin used. There are a lot of variables in regards to how the materials are used and put together to make a judgement based on one item's raw characteristic.
I know I see less stress cracks on my current Skeeter at this stage than any other boat I have owned. Skeeter makes a very good boat, maybe someone will chime in and explain exactly how they do it and why.
Modified by JJohnSind at 9:53 PM 3/1/2008
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KH59 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Found a chemical engineering company that tested vinyl ester against the isophthalic and other resins and the findings were highly in favor of the vinyl ester. So the dealer comment now seems valid and supported. Thus the question is really to someone from Skeeter in the know to comment. </TD></TR></TABLE>
kh59 is right. Vinyl Ester resins are the next step up the ladder from isophthalic and osophthalic resins ( polyster resins ) Vinyls cost approximatley 15 % more to purchase than the iso/oso polyesters.
Vinyls are more resistant to flexing/cracking etc.
Vinyl Ester resin was developed to combine the characteristics of epoxy with the better handling faster cure and lower cost of polyester. Its mechanical properties lay between that of epoxy and polyester. These characteristics are obtained without the complex processing of epoxy.
marine article on glass/resin /blistering, etc...might shed some light on it.
http://www.zimmermanmarine.com...1.pdf
I'm no expert, so I'm awaiting the official reply too, but I will say this: the resin is only one ingredient of many that goes into a fiberglass boat. How that boat is designed and put together probably has more of an effect on its integrity than one ingredient that might be better than the next (assuming that Skeeter uses polyester resins intead of vinyl esters - polyesters, which by the way has been around for a long time).
Skeeter uses 5 types of glass to put together its hull, all with properties to improve strength, rigidity, puncture resistance, and shock absorbtion. The boat is shaped with a constant curve design that promotes strength by using the physics of the arch instead of the straight line (the curved surfaces are stronger than the straight surfaces). It is the only boat with a closed transom design, aluminum knee bracing on the the transom that is tied to aluminum and composite stringers along the entire hull, transfering the stress of the lift to the entire hull, not just the transom. The subdeck is also aluminum, further promoting rigidity and minimal flex (this design eliminates the typical stress fractures that occur in the gel underneath the lids). As mentioned before, Skeeter builds their sides to 1/2 inch thickness as opposed to the typical 1/8 inch. The gelcoat uses Armorcoat with a dry flake system that, because of the thicker clear coat, produces a smoother and richer finish. Skeeter is one boat that does very little flexing when running, that's why they make that weird sound when you hear them fly by. Try the "knee test" (push hard on the sides of the boat with your knee) on a ZX or i series boat, then try it on another brand - you will be surprised how much some boats will flex. Look at the inside corners of other boats' transom wells, every boat I have owned (including the famous Ranger brand) developed stress cracks here (some in a very short period of time); thing of the past with the Skeeter transom design.
I apologize to Skeeter if I left any important points out in the design of their boats, I just wanted to point out the quality of a boat is determined by the overall design and assembly, not just one ingredient. Maybe the upgrade of that one ingredient wasn't neccessary because of the design of the other components.
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