:confused::confused: I love the smell of West System! Of course I also love the smell of my paint shop the day after painting auto urethanes, so maybe I have something wrong with me. :D

Fuch West System! Way over priced.
I buy all my f/g stuff from here..http://www.uscomposites.com/index.html

Their epoxy and resins are just as good as West's (if not better). and at half the price.

You can use what you have right now to make a mold.

Epoxy is about $100 a gal. and should be mixed by weight. Poly is $30. The part you are making will be fine in poly. Poly will stick to other fiberglass if you sand down pass gelcoat/paint, etc. (epoxy is better but its not ness. for what your building).

This is the biggest fiberglass piece I have made(complete front-end from windshield forward)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1212516572.jpg

Beautiful work!

FWIW, I really can't use what I have now as a mold. It's a hacked together piece of junk that the PO made, doesn't fit.

Maybe I'll post a pic of the cardboard "mockup" that I have. Might be easier to conceptualize.

I have used www.fibreglast.com and www.uscomposites.com.
I've not used West.

I always use epoxy systems for anything that requires structural strength, and vinyl ester for other stuff. Polyester resin is not good for carbon fiber, but any can be used with regular fiberglass.

BTW Be careful with the west systems pumps - I had to re-sand part of an epoxy bottom (cursing the whole time) because the pump mixture went array - I measure everything now.

airex foam thats what they use for deck cores
it does not rot or melt with polyester resin
and will not compress if stood on
and is less weight and cost then a solid hatch cover
DONOT USE CARDBOARD inside it will get wet and collapse in time

simple eazy way is to make the hatch out of wood
ply top solid wood sides and paint it white to match the boats color

fiber glass is nasty to work with, stinks and dust will make you itch
wood is so much more user freindly

Good point Nota,

Probably what I would do also except I would put a layer of glass on the outer surface of the hatch (to keep the grain from showing thru the paint) then coat the whole thing with 2-3 coats of epoxy prior to paint.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using wood to make boat parts.