Near the bulkheads separating the two halves, the plywood on the topmost lap shows a crack between the laminations - photo attached. There is a similar issue on the other side of the boat as well, but less severe. This boat was completed about two years ago and has seen very little use - stored outside on sawhorses under a cover.
I assume the solution is trying to get some unthickened epoxy into the crack? But clamping is a problem due to bulkhead and fillet behind. Maybe a strap around the boat? I also thought about a bronze screw through the plywood into the outwale just past the fillet.
Regards,
David Castor
Port Angeles, Wash
The dark wood and delamination indicate rot, to me, not just simple delamination. If that was my boat I’d consider removing the rotted wood and replacing it with structurally sound material. There’s multiple ways to do that, such as cutting out the rotted wood and graving in new pieces, cutting out the rotted wood and replacing it with epoxy, filler and fiberglass, etc.
Do you have any more pictures? It’s hard to get the context from just that one. That makes it difficult to recommend exact solutions.
As regards the clamping, a temporary screw works well for awkward places. The hole can be drilled out afterwards and filled with a piece of dowel. It ends up looking traditional instead of jarring the way an unexpected metal screw would.
Laszlo
Thanks for the comments. It’s not rot. The photo shows the top exposed edge of the plywood hull with the teak outwale above it in the photo. There are alternating light and dark layers in the edge of the plywood. It’s a high stress area around the bulkheads.
Diagnosis based on a single photo is always iffy, that’s why I was suggesting more shots. What made me think rot was not the alternating color bands, but rather the color and luster of the bands, as well as the dark colors spanning multiple bands. Also, the way that the delamination moves around inside the plies, rather than just following the glue lines.
Most of this can also be an artifact of lighting and exposure, rather than water intrusion into poorly sealed endgrain with subsequent rot, so I’ll defer to you as the one on the spot with access to the actual physical object.
In which case, using temporary screws for clamping and plugging the holes with dowels is all I’ve got. That and a suggestion to use a syringe (with a needle, if possible) to get the epoxy into the crack. Friends with sick pets are a good source of needles and syringes suitable for epoxy repairs.
Laszlo
