UJ Pirogue repair

[skiwright]

Hey guys, I need some help. Some water worked its way between the rub rail and the plywood side. The glue started to fail which allowed more water to enter. I now have a soft spot of ply abut 3/4 inch in diameter adjacent to the rub rail and the rail is separating from the boat in several spots. Can I fix the problem by sanding the paint/ epoxy off, letting the wood dry, reattaching the rail with epoxy, and then glass and epoxy like hell to strengthen the spot? I did not originally glass the rub rails but plan to do so now. Note to self "do not use tightbond II to build next boat use epoxy".

Thanks for any advice.

Tom

 

[seedtick]

i would cut a hole big enough to get back to good wood - maybe 1" or slightly larger

put a plug in the hole, then back the plug and area around it with a piece of plywood - kind of like a sister

then glass the whole thing

BTW some builders put a thin rail on top of the plywood edge and rail to cover the plywood edge and rail seam to prevent water from getting in. A small flaw in an exposed vertical seam is an open door for water.

 

[oldsparkey]

The glue is nice to use when holding things together but epoxy is 100 times better.

Several ways to correct the problem..........Seedticks , mine and I am sure more will be posted. ( It's hard to say what to do without knowing the exact amount of damage , a large amount , replace the wood. )

You could remove the rail , epoxy saturate the wood and the rail or install a new rail with epoxy. then epoxy saturate it and if you want to , glass it.

The soft spot in the plywood could be epoxy saturated , after it dries , which would reinforce it and give it's strength back. If it has started to deliminate then it needs to be held together as the epoxy cures. Some plastic over it and something to hold it together , a couple of boards and clamps but make sure the epoxy is not touching them or they will become a part of the boat.

Soft wood can be brought back with a diluted epoxy mix so it soaks all the way into the soft wood , usually a little acetone in the epoxy does that for you.

Chuck.

 

[Paddlin'Gator]

Soft wood can be brought back with a diluted epoxy mix so it soaks all the way into the soft wood , usually a little acetone in the epoxy does that for you.

There are a couple of epoxy products that are specifically made for that application. Smith's Penetrating Epoxy is one. Git Rot is another. I have not used Git Rod, but have had good luck with Smith's.

Joe

 

[tx river rat]

With a name like Smith's it has to be good.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

With a name like Smith's it has to be good.

Yep, I remember the Smith boys, Trade and Mark.