Thanks Jeff. To my eye the hull is already true. I’ve checked through various means and it seems okay. In fact flipping it now could actually cause an unplanned twist that is harder to see when it’s upside down.
The build manual is awesome and I’m glad I have it. So far I’ve followed it closely and tried to avoid deviating. Since I did get carried away with epoxy tack welds I’d guess the plank seams are probably already very locked in and strong. They have gaps that water could get through but strength wise are already well on their way.
I dabbled a little with CA on the puzzle joints and couldn’t get a favorable result. I haven’t tried it again.
Puzzle joints wouldn’t be a good candidate for CA. There you are joining parts, and need the strength and volume-filling properties of epoxy. The CA tacks are just substitutiong for wires when you pull them to get them out of the way prior to filets.
2-3 thin coats of epoxy on, while green. I probably should add one more coat today then walk away. My back is talking to me!
I’ve been wondering about epoxy in puzzle joints. I’ve found that the CLC puzzle joints are very tight and epoxy is good for joints that need filler. I’ve been wondering if CA glue or Titebond would be better since they are good at close joints.
Adhesives for boatbuilding conversations can go on forever! I don’t know if epoxy is optimal for tightly fitting puzzle joints but I can say it’s definitely good enough.
Ha, I guess it’s like asking a vintage motorcycle group what engine oil to use!
Epoxy has definitely worked for me, but I can see where it’s a bit tricky for first time builders as it’s one of first things you do in a build. It can be easy to not get things flat and perfect, and with the plastic layers and all it is hard to see what’s going on. Then the clean up afterwards. Just seems like other glues would be easier and possibly less error prone. Had anyone tried an alternate method?
TiteBond obviously works for hand-assembled glass-covered strippers. I think that the big question is the individual variation in pre-cut puzzle joints. If they are tight, no problem, but if they are a bit off in the match of the 2 pieces, there may not be enough clamping pressure. That would not be an issue for epoxy but could be one for TiteBond.
I guess it all depends on your experience (recognizing when the gap is too much and being able to do something about it), but in my mind it comes down to TiteBond can work but epoxy will work.
Laszlo
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Although the Tightbond should be fine for a puzzle joint structurally (assuming a tight joint as noted by Laszlo), I wouldn’t use it (assuming a bright finish). Unless you sand well enough to be sure any wood anywhere in the vicinity the joint seam itself that got touched by Tightbond is well sanded back down to clean wood, you’ll end up with a splotched appearance when you go to coat with epoxy. Anyplace the tightbond remains (even little drips you wiped away far from the joint) will become a splotch when the epoxy hits the wood. And in most all cases, even in well-leveled puzzle joints (at least those I’ve made) after sanding some of the epoxy squeeze out in the vicinity of the joint ends up remaining on the flat surface as a fairing compound for the joint in a least a few spots.
I saw the rubber hatches in the other thread, they look a lot more practical than the square plywood hatches that are on the stock SW Dory design. I wonder if putting the largest rubber hatches available on the fore and aft locker would be a sensible choice?
Puzzle joints for the foot well sides are in the clamps and the temporary brace is removed.
Oof, the foot well sides don’t fit. I see a lot of trimming in my future.
Test fit in the photo. I’ve since stitched and put a few epoxy tacks in.
Styrofoam ughhh. Oh well, at least it will float. If I was building his boat again I think I would have filled the space under the seats with ping pong balls or empty water bottles or something.
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It’s a wooden boat. Unless you’re hauling car engines or something else heavy and dense, it will float even when full of water. If those compartments under the seat are watertight, they will provide more buoyancy empty than full of styrofoam. The fore and aft storage compartments by themselves provide three times the hull weight of buoyancy. The foam is a regulatory requirement and not needed to make the boat float unless you’ve packed all the storage spaces with heavy stuff and somehow managed to puncture all the underseat compartments (I’ve often thought that those regulations were written by gunrunners working off of rockbound coasts).
Personally, I’d feel totally comfortable leaving the foam out, but it’s your boat, your decision.
Laszlo
The nanny state hard at work Laszlo. Since I’ve already spent entirely too much money on styrofoam ($50 a sheet locally). Guess I’ll leave it. I am planning to add the motor well and an outboard. The winds in East Tennessee are fickle.
Hi John, I’m actually dealing with an issue with my SW Dory finished in 2019. I’ve got a bond failure under the fillet between the deck and floatation voids. I didn’t notice it until getting ready to sail this summer. I wouldn’t have known that void isn’t water tight if the paint wasn’t chipping so bad. I’m glad the foam’s in there in case I needed it.
I’m also not sure how I’m going to dry it to repair it now.
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I’d probably cut a hole and scope it out. I’d also tent the boat in plastic and put a dehumidifier in there with it.
Now that I’ve seen photo’s of what Gene is going through I think I should pull all this foam out, cut limber holes in the frame that bisects each flotation chamber. Add glass tape reinforcement to the fillet and a couple of clear plastic inspection hatches. This is literally my second boat and very first stitch and glue lapstrake boat. I know foam flotation is a point of some debate. I’m happy to learn from both sides. If I decide to abandon the foam altogether that is $200 wasted, but if it means I don’t have to rebuild all this in five years, might be best to waste $200.
I’m not sure, but I want to check with CLC before installing hatches. The walls of the voids might be giving some longitudinal strength, so I want to make sure this idea doesn’t compromise the structure. Abundance of caution
Good idea to check with CLC, but with the modern plastics that hatches and inspection ports are made of there probably shouldn’t be a problem. If there is, a plywood doubler will take care of it.
Laszlo
