I’m doing my first strip plank kayak- Little Auk 10. Deck is stripped and the top looks pretty good. I’ve flipped it to get the inside ready for fiberglass. I’ve done a rough sanding to remove glue drips and basic unevenness. I’ve got some spots where the strips have some space between them:
What’s the best way to fill them?
hi steve,
for the boats that i build, i fill in these kind of spaces with a mixture of epoxy and phenolic micro baloons Phenolic Micro Balloons – Chesapeake Light Craft
it is very light and easy to sand - kind of like bondo.
trowel it in/force it into the crack with a spatula….and then sand it fare after it cures.
i only use it on the inside because it’s not a good color match but it’s the best way to avoid the weight of raw epoxy filling these voids.
you could also make a thick mixture of wood flour and epoxy…. it is harder to sand but has a better color match. it is important, if you go with wood flour, to clean it up before it cures as it’s very hard to sand compared to micro-balloons. if you want to avoid another purchase, however, it is a valid way to go.
two pictures below. first pic is the application of micro balloons into the spaces and second is after clean up and glassing.
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Good idea. I realize I could do what I did on the outside, use slivers of wood or glue with sawdust, but your technique will be a lot quicker and probably more structural without adding much weight. I have some micro balloons on order that I’m going to use to make a light weight end pour, glad I bought extra.
