The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

2 Introduction
With the help of friends who worked at <strong>The</strong> Dow
Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, <strong>Gougeon</strong>
<strong>Brothers</strong> formulated their own WEST SYSTEM Brand
epoxy that was ideally suited for their application.
Modifying the epoxy system so it was suitable as a
coating was a major breakthrough. It had long been
known that epoxy resins had very good moisture resistance,
but they were so difficult to apply that they weren’t
used as a moisture barrier coating. With the new formulation,
the epoxy could easily be applied as a moisture
barrier over wood or fiberglass surfaces. WEST SYSTEM
Brand epoxy was born, and the company plunged
into a long succession of research and development
projects to support new wood and epoxy construction
techniques.
Much of the early success of WEST SYSTEM epoxy was
due to its compatibility with wood. In addition, the
epoxy could be used both for the construction of new
craft and the repair of old. By the early 1970s, massproduced
fiberglass boats had essentially replaced the
traditionally-built wooden boat. But with the aging of
the fiberglass fleet came the need for a dependable
repair resin. Polyester resin had been used but with
mixed results. WEST SYSTEM epoxy became popular
because it offered superior moisture resistance and the
ability to bond to almost all substrates then in use.
Technical research, application testing, and production
capability for the manufacture of WEST SYSTEM epoxy
have grown every year since its inception.
Racing Success of Wood/
WEST SYSTEM Epoxy Boats
Following its early success with iceboats, <strong>Gougeon</strong>
<strong>Brothers</strong> rapidly expanded into other boatbuilding
efforts. During the 1970s, it built a few high-profile
racing sailboats using construction techniques that were
based on laminating wood veneers together with epoxy
that had been developed for building iceboats. <strong>The</strong>
Ron Holland-designed 2-ton yacht Golden Dazy, which
won the Canada’s Cup Regatta in 1975, was particularly
notable. Others include Accolade, a Bruce Kirby-designed
30' (9.1m) half-ton monohull, in 1974 and Hotflash, a
Gary Mull-designed 32' (9.8m) half-ton monohull, in
1976. <strong>The</strong> success of these wood/epoxy composite
boats led to a “mini-revolution” amongst builders and
designers. <strong>The</strong>y realized that they could build stiffer
and stronger hulls with wood and epoxy than they
could with fiberglass, and do so with less weight. Many
custom builders continue to choose wood and epoxy
as their construction materials today.
Important multihulls built by <strong>Gougeon</strong> <strong>Brothers</strong> include
Phil Weld’s Rogue Wave, a Dick Newick-designed 60'
(18m) trimaran, in 1977 and Slingshot, a Georg Thomasdesigned
60' (18m) proa in 1978. Slingshot recorded
the second fastest time at the World Speed Trials in
1979. <strong>Gougeon</strong> <strong>Brothers</strong> also developed a production
version of the Olympic Class Tornado catamaran, and a
<strong>Gougeon</strong>-built Tornado won a Silver Medal in the 1976
Olympics. Patient Lady, a C-Class catamaran built by
<strong>Gougeon</strong> <strong>Brothers</strong>, won the 1977 Little America’s Cup.
Adrenalin, a Formula 40 trimaran built for Bill Piper,
amazed the sailboat racing world by taking an extremely
close second place during her first regatta in the Formula
40 Grand Prix circuit in Brest, France, in 1988. In 1989,
Jan <strong>Gougeon</strong> started developing the <strong>Gougeon</strong> 32 (G32),
a trailerable, water-ballasted 32' (9.8m) racing/cruising
catamaran. Fourteen G32s were manufactured between
1990 and 1994, and they have had good racing success.
Development of Wind Turbine Blades
In 1979, the reputation of <strong>Gougeon</strong> <strong>Brothers</strong> for
excellence and innovation in wood/epoxy composite
construction captured the attention of NASA researchers.
During the 1980s, the corporation became heavily
involved in research, development, and manufacturing
processes associated with the use of wood/epoxy
composites in the construction of wind turbine
blades. <strong>The</strong> success of the wood/epoxy blades led to
multi-million dollar contracts with General Electric,
Westinghouse, and Bendix. Between 1979 and 1993,
<strong>Gougeon</strong> <strong>Brothers</strong> produced 4,300 blades, from 10'
(3m) to 70' (21m) long.
<strong>The</strong> wind turbine business allowed the company to
fund an extensive research program, particularly fatigue
testing to evaluate long-term performance of epoxy
resins and composites. <strong>The</strong> testing is ongoing, and its
results have been instrumental in developing extremely