Non-epoxy will be less expensive and easier to work with (somewhat), But, it will not be better. Epoxide reactions and the chemical bonds that they form are about a good as it gets for this sort of repair... UV is of no real concern for a keel job and I believe all the resin types can be negatively affected by UV.

In general, the quality and relative costs of the common resin types used in this kind of marine construction/repair are as follows (from best/most expensive, to less expensive/effective):

(1) Epoxy (marine grade/quality)
(2) Vinyl ester resin
(3) Isothalic polyester resin
(4) Orthothalic polyester resin.

To these, one can add the filler of choice, or just laminate using glass cloth. Simply "painting resins on" is a common error most of us make when first experimenting with these types of materials. The reason being, if you build up a surface using resins only (without cloth or suitable fillers) you will find that the finshed product will spider-web with cracks and chip apart. This can occur within a few hours to days... or over a season or two depending on several variables. I have found the polyesters much more prone to this than the epoxies. The bottom line is - resins ALONE are only suitable for the very smallest of voids/repairs and no good for structural or abrasive support. It is what we add (fillers, fiberglass) to the resins that give them the qualities we need in the marine field.



Dave

P.S Hey Jaime, I knew you were aware of the dowel thing and were just throwing out ideas... I went to your website a few months back and checked out the impressive (from scratch) fabrication you did on your rudders. Nice work for sure!