Victory 51 Cat

[Tuslow1]

Hi Gents,
I'm back on track to build something new and that Victory Cat is on my mind.....
First off, what is Vinyl-Ester? I'm hoping it's the new fad in a super strong long lasting hull material? If so I might get one on order.
Second off, I ordered a 2230 1Y over a year ago and did nothing with it.... So that would be the powerplant for the new project with one of my gas job props and ofcourse 1/4 inch driveline gear. I'm also thinking a 240 HV Hydra or Swordfish ESC on 10s.
My 60 inch gas cats run in the 50 to 56mph range and the best tach rpm I got was nowhere close to 26,000 RPM.
I think the best was somewhere in the 18,000 to 19,000 rpm range. so I'm looking for atleast 60 to 65mph out of the new project.
What do you guys think of that setup? Good, Bad or Smoke????? What to roll with and what to stay away from???

Thanks, Ken

[HTVboats]

Vinyl ester resin is actually an semi-epoxy that is chemically compatable with polyester fiberglass resins and gelcoat. It has properties similar to epoxy in stiffness, weight and cures with resistance to distorting later. Cost is a factor as it is a tad more expensive than polyesters, but not nearly as expensive or hard to work with as epoxies. The fact that it bonds to gelcoat for color makes it a good choice for boats. I like epoxy but you get pinholes and have to paint it. I won't use polyester on a thin layup such as a cowling and it warps easily. Vinyl ester is a very good resin for boats.
Mic

[JIM MARCUM]

I agree. I have many years of experiance working with polyester, vinylester & epoxy resins on full size baots. Polyester is the cheapest and weakest of the three. Epoxy is the strongest and most expensive, but gelcoat will not adhere to it so it must be painted. Vinlyester is in the middle ground of price, is almost as strogn as epoxy, and gelcoat will adhere to it. For those reasons I prefer vinylester resin when working on full sized boats.

Gelcoat is a quick & easy way for manufactures to build an FE hull using a mold. However, gelcoat on an FE boat will soon develop small cracks in the gelcoat from hull flexing. These small hairline cracks have little effect in hull strength - but it is difficult to achieve a seamless repair. So, for an FE hull, the best resin choices are epoxy first, vinyl second, coated with automotive primer and paint. EZ to repair and none of those pesky gelcoat cracks. JIM