WEST Systems epoxy is good stuff. It’s run by the Gougeon brothers here in Michigan.
This is worldclass epoxy chemical action but I like it that one of the owners, Meade, has helped revive a near-extinct and simple type of boat, the sailing canoe. This is basically a semi-decked one-man canoe that has a small mast, rudder and leeboard. There have always been slapdash kits for doing this but in the 1800’s this was how most recreational boating was done. The sailing canoe was huge back then, then disappeared. They are also called 50-50 canoes today. You can easily take off and stow the sail stuff and have a regular canoe. But Meade and his Michigan pal, canoe builder Hugh Horton, have led the way in re-optimizing and re-promoting the canoe that is made for a sail. Such a boat works a lot better than a plain old canoe with a sail rig slapped onto it. This is all neat to me because Meade could easily be doing America’s Cup yachts instead.
Anyway, WEST Systems has developed a new epoxy (they make LOTS of kinds) called G-Flex that you can buy at West Marine (no relation, I don’t think) and many other places for about $15 for about 8 oz. I think it’s the dominant and maybe only truly flexible epoxy on the market. It’s like shoe-goo only it’s epoxy.
I bring it up because there’s a certain kind of sad premature death that many shoes and boots suffer: the break across the ball. No glue yet has been able to fix this wound. It’s a huge area of flex and stress on a sole. Glues simply fail. Nice footwear is thrown away due to that one gaping crack.
Well, the factory people at WEST Systems discovered that their new G-Flex epoxy fixes this break! I dunno how durable it has proven to be so far but at least they’re making noise about it. So I just fixed 2 sets of fave footwear for me and Martha with it. We’ll see what happens. I’m hopeful. These WEST people are good. …I wonder if it could glue the beak of a 75mm xc ski boot back on! THAT would be a miracle!
[UPDATE: So far, one win, one loss. The repair of my wife’s shoes is holding fine. The repair of my sweet old Vasque’s hasn’t held at all. I dunno what’s wrong. Maybe I’ll email WEST and let you know!]
A link to order: www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/281504?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=281504
You can read the shoe report and order a free subscription to their lovely how-to epoxy magazine:
