I agree there are varying opinions on the use of epoxy on wood. IMO, when done and used properly, epoxy is a wooden boat's best friend for many areas. I love wood but I embrace using newer technologies to achieve certain goals. I fall under the category that the common saying "wood needs to breathe" is a myth (yes I just said that). While there are things to consider, I see nothing wrong with coating one side, it'll breathe through the other if that's the concern. The thing to remember is that the coated side will be more stable than the other, this is an important consideration sometimes. And what happens when you completely encapsulate a piece of wood? it can't breathe, but it will never rot either. I've removed a lot of vinyl on wooden cabin tops and bridges over the years, wetted out with epoxy and laid glass, faired, then painted. I've also completely coated and glassed the side sections shown in the pictures above, you'de think they were fiberglass after I was done. No more worries about rot, no cracking, and they still look great with no issues due to suffocation
Now glassing a hull, that's a different story!
The bottom line as mentioned earlier is how much work one is willing to put into it, and your comfort zone in the application. Of course how pretty you want it to look, how often you want to re-do it, and how deep your pockets are, all play an important role.
She was a 1969 36 ft wooden beauty with big blue 440s that we'll miss forever.
And thanks to the gang, 2012 Trojan Boater Of The Year
