It became standard for Kelsall Catamarans five years ago, as the perfect partner to the mould table. To me it is the bit of magic which transforms composite boat building. Applying resin by hand is never a pleasant occupation. When it has to be into difficult areas to reach it is down right unpleasant. Kelsall clients tell me how satisfying they find resin infusion – particularly those who have done it the hard way before. We find the ladies are excellent at setting out and applying resin infusion techniques – as we see at Innovation and on our China project where half are women.

The standard materials and equipment applies to the typical one-off project. Large or commercial projects for longer term will depend on size and other circumstances. Resin infusion is a simple process - air is sucked from the bag creating voids around the glass fibers and in the resin flow media. Resin is then allowed to flow into the spaces between fibers etc, replacing the vacuum. A high vacuum is applied to the bag before the taps are opened to allow the resin to flow. 2-3 hours are enough for the larger panels.

The set up needed on the table is also simple. However, there are many different ways of achieving good results. Our choices are the result of refining over many many projects. We do not claim to have tried all of the options and there are many others now using RI and many suppliers. Usually we find that no two RI shops are run the same way. Hence, not all shops will have the same equipment or materials. The essential is to make test panels before starting main laminating and to recognize a quality laminate.

Resin Infusion Story