2019 is the 50th Anniversary of Gougeon Brothers Inc, USA. 1969 marked a point in the Gougeon brothers’ careers when they applied all they had learned about wooden structures and epoxy technology to manufacturing—for the first time—a wood/epoxy composite boat. Adagio, the first large, all-epoxy bonded and sealed wooden boat built without the use of fasteners, was launched in 1970. Adagio has stood the test of time and 2019 will see her begin her 50th season and she will again be a serious contender in the Great Lakes Mackinac regattas in the USA.
Before Gougeon Brothers Meade and Jan got involved, early epoxy systems were difficult to apply as a coating. This led the brothers to look seriously at epoxy formulations with the goal of solving wood’s most difficult problems: its tendency to absorb moisture, and swell. The Gougeon Brothers developed the formulations that became the basis of the WEST SYSTEM group of products in 1971. As they say, the rest is history. WEST SYSTEM epoxy products are now internationally recognised as the leading marine epoxy.
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Early employees of Gougeon Brothers, Inc. in front of GOLDEN DAZY, a Ron Holland designed monohull. Photo taken circa 1975.