When I purchased "Epoxy", a 1966 wood Trojan Sportfisher, I honesty had no idea what would be involved in making her sea worthy for conditions here on the west coast. My goal was not to "RESTORE" her to original condition, instead I wanted to restore her to a mechanically sound condition that I would feel comfortable taking my family out on. When the original inspection was done, I dismissed a lot of the things I knew were questionable. I had fallen in love with all the teak and mahogany (just like the previous owner) and I could see nothing seriously wrong, a little replacement here and that was all that was required. Epoxy's main structure, the "bones" were in good condition and that was my biggest concern. Well, minor repairs turned to major ones as your will see over time. A colleague of mine gave me some thoughts about my new beautiful yacht. "Paul, it's not the problems that you know about that will be of concern, it's the ones that you will DISCOVER while repairing them". I thought about this and dismissed it, after all, what else does one do with good advice? The exhaust port transom repair is a good example of this, I had no intention of even working on the transom, Epoxy was only taken out of the water to carry out minor repairs on the swim grid!

My search began to find a product that could restore and repair wood without replacement. I was intrigued when I read an old article in a resource bulletin: "We cannot make something out of nothing, but we can make something out of very little". A little research on the internet pointed to a company in California (Smith & Co.) I ordered some CPES™ (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer), gave it a try, and I was quite excited about the results! When I discovered that there was no dealership out here on the West Coast, I jumped at the opportunity. Coastal Epoxy Restoration Inc. was born.

Being an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer by profession, I only have my spare time and very little money to pursue my love of boats, especially wooden ones. Now that Epoxy is back in the water, I hope to get away from tradition with wooden boats. (Wood getting wet and swelling in order to seal out the water) she will have a dry BILGE!! I have yet to find fault in their claims about the product; this is the reason why I formed Coastal Epoxy Restoration. These products just work! Please visit the Applications page to view some of the restoration techniques that I have used, perhaps giving you ideas. Send me some pictures of your project(s) along with a brief statement and I will post in it in my Testimonials section. Our products are not limited to use in the marine industry, they are just one of the few products that can withstand such a severe industry . Smith & Co. products have been used to restore everything from wooden floors to church crosses. Sixty percent of CPES™ sold is used solely as a primer for topcoats (paint, varnish or stain). I know of one company that offers a ten (10) year restoration guarantee.

Over time, I hope the Testimonials section will become a library of information where customers can show off their restoration projects. I have found that some of the most original and detailed restorations have been done in somebody’s back yard or garage. Please feel free to send me some photos even if you do not use Smith & Co. products. My hope is that the Testimonials section will develop into a library of not just boats, but of all restoration projects.

Paul Van Rengen, President