> Dave Kruger wrote: >> Doug Lloyd wrote: > > > > 1) I can repair the inside seem with cloth tape and epoxy, but does anyone > > know a good way to stiffen or strengthen the joint so it is better than > > before? > > I fixed an Eddyline Wind Dancer which had suffered a similar seam > separation on both sides of the cockpit. Basically, you need to hog out > the old seam tape and resin (scraper, chisel, right-angle high-speed > grinder with 80-grit on it -- a truly ugly task -- and wear a dust mask > *constantly*). Take all the old seam tape out -- right down to the top > surface of the main hull layup material, *but not into the layup glass!* > This is tricky. You probably won't get the joint to "being better than before", but you should be able to make a functional and durable repair. It is not really necessary to remove the old seam tape, unless weight considerations are of paramount importance. It also depends on how the seam came apart. All you really need is to provide a flat surface for the rebuilt seam. If the old seam splintered and there are frayed edges sticking up from the break, those need to be sanded flush to the surface - and the edge of the old seam tape should be sanded a little smoother. It doesn't hurt to rough up the surface to provide for better adhesion. You should also clean out the seam break so that the hull and deck mate as tightly as possible, as it's difficult to patch/repair over large holes/cracks in a simple manner. Another thing to consider - since the boat is 20 yrs old, there may have been previous impacts that weakened the seam tape before your 'log-dancing' episode finally did it in. Since you have to do a repair on the one side, it might be worth reinforcing the other side with maybe 2 layers of seam tape insurance. It will also help balance the boat weight-wise :-), and besides, glassing over an intact surface is much easier than repairing a broken boat. > > I used polyester resin and mat on the Wind Dancer, but now I would use > epoxy and mat sized for use with epoxy. (System Three out of Seattle, WA > [http://www.systemthree.com/index.html] is a good brand, and they will ship > you a useful, free booklet on epoxy.) The epoxy is stronger, remains > pliable longer, and is less stinky. It is critical that you avoid skin > contact -- the resin is not horribly toxic, but sensitization is probably > inevitable on repeated contact, and can occur after just a few exposures in > sensitive individuals. > If you don't know what type of resin was used to build the boat, it's best to use epoxy for the repair. Epoxy resin will stick to any other type of resin, but polyester resin will *not* adhere to epoxy resin. For this reason, I use epoxy exclusively in boat repair work. DO read all of the technical and *especially* the safety information that comes with the epoxy resin - you **definitely** want to avoid bare skin contact. > It is important to maintain a high glass/resin ratio (though you do not > want any "dry" glass), so you will have to figure out some way to squeeze > out excess resin from the layer(s) you put in. If you speak nicely to > someone who does this sort of repair professionally, you might get to use > their vacuum bag arrangement. I used lots of smallish lead bars, but > multiple bags of lead shot would be better. > Vacuum bagging is a pain in the behind to set up (caveat: I've only tried a jury rigged vacuum bag setup once for a paddle repair, and it didn't work well at all). For such an old boat, just laying in the glass and resin is the easiest way to go. If one is careful and takes time, a hand applied seam will not have lots of excess resin, and if the surface is fairly flat and has no extremely sharp contours, weights should not be needed. If weights are used, lay a sheet of polyethylene plastic or a sheet of Handi-Wrap on the wet fiberglass before using weights. (Dave - instead of lead shot, try bags full of dry sand) I'd suggest the use of woven seam tape rather than using fiberglass mat - it's easier to work with and results in a stronger repair. You will also want to use at least three (maybe four?) layers of seam tape for this repair, as then you will be most likely to have a water-tight repair and may be able to dispense with doing the outside seam. In laying in the three layers of seam tape, lay the first layer in so that the boat's seam is about an inch from one edge of the tape. Lay the next layer of tape in so that the tape is off-set to the other side by the same amount. And the third layer is centered over the seam break. This provides three layers of glass over the seam break, and staggers the edges of the tape so it lays flatter and there are no stress risers. Using three layers also helps guarantee a water-tight repair. With only one or two glass layers, the epoxy can run out of the glass into the seam break, resulting in a seam with pinholes in it and, in the end, a leaky boat. With three layers, the surface tension of the resin keeps it in the glass's interstitial spaces, and there are fewer voids/holes in the finished product. If a fourth layer is desired, use 1 to 2 inch seam tape as the first layer, and center it over the seam. Four options for doing a seam repair: #1. Apply the three layers of seam tape inside the boat one at a time. First paint epoxy on the inside of the hull two inches either of the seam. Lay the first offset seam tape in this painted epoxy, and using a disposable paint brush, dab epoxy on the tape until it becomes saturated (turns translucent from a white color). Using the paint brush in a dabbing motion (like you're trying to 'stab' the seam tape with the bristles of the brush) speeds the wetting-out process, but be patient - this takes time to have a joint that has a maximum glass-to-resin ratio. After the first tape is wetted out, lay the second tape over it, and repeat the process. The third seam tape goes on the same way. This method, done carefully, IMO (and all other things being equal), results in the best repair. The downside is that this method is difficult to do inside the boat and not end up with epoxy all over your clothes, skin, and hair. Creative use of hand extensions (sticks with various affixed 'tools') makes this process more user-friendly. #2. Lay out all three tapes dry (inside the boat), and then saturate them all at once with the resin. It's harder, though, to wet out three layers of glass at once, and you want to be sure that there are no bubbles/voids between the glass and the boat (painting a layer of resin on the boat helps prevent this, in addition to providing a sticky surface so the seam tape doesn't slide around too much) With this alternative, it's easy to get impatient and use too much resin, and is hard to keep the seam tapes from shifting before/as they're wet out, especially with hard chines. #3. Wet out the seam tapes with the resin outside the boat (on a flat surface!), and then place them in the boat all at once. Lay the pre-cut lengths of seam tape on a sheet of polyethylene plastic and wet them out with resin as described above. Then pick up the sheet of plastic and *carefully* place the entire assembly in the boat in it's proper place (ideally on a painted-on resin coat). If done carefully this can sometimes be the easiest way of dealing with glass repairs, but if the saturated glass slips off the plastic while trying to place it inside the boat, this can also generate the biggest mess. In such an indirect wet-out method, you've got to work *fast* to get the entire patch/seam wet out before the epoxy begins to gel. It's also a challenging to place the stack of pre-wetted seam tape in a hard chine boat. #4. Precut the seam tapes, and roll them up. Then contort yourself into the boat, and slowly work from one end to the other, laying out and wetting all three tapes in small increments (maybe a foot at a time), and slowly work from one end of the split to the other. This is probably the best method to use from a neatness point of view (minimizing bodily contact with epoxy), but it's hard to keep the seam tapes rolled up and out of the way Which of these methods works best depends on the boat, the break, the repair facilities, the skill of the person doing the repair, and many other factors. What works best for me may not work at all for someone else. The challenge in all of these methods is to work inside the boat and not get epoxy all over yourself. I have one of those non-woven white painter's jump suits that I wear for working with epoxy. You'll find that this whole process works best if the seam being repaired is the lowest point inside the boat. This can be easily achieved by hanging the boat inside two rope loops suspended from rafters in the garage/basement - you can easily adjust up-and-down height, as well as rotational orientation (if you do this, beware of epoxy drips through the seam break). Also keep in mind that the epoxy has a limited 'pot life' - mix only small portions of epoxy and hardener at once. Epoxy will wet out the seam tape better when both the epoxy and tape are warm, but warmth also speeds the setting of the epoxy - so you end up juggling variables. It's possible to buy a slower-acting hardener which provides more leeway in pot life, but whether this is called for depends on where the work is being done (temp considerations), how fast one works, how big the repair, etc. etc. etc. To all who have never done fiberglass repair work, I'd strongly suggest finding someone who's done it before to work with you. If this isn't possible, practice some/all of the above alternatives with small pieces of seam tape *before* you committ to the boat repair itself. Read all you can on the topic before working, paying particular attention to the safety cautions, and be sure to get everything ready and laid out BEFORE mixing the epoxy and hardener. As soon as the hardener touches the epoxy resin, the clock starts ticking.... > > 2) Should I run an outside seam? <snip> > > 3) I have a custom $400.00 epoxy paint job. Will I have to sand that and > > then the underlying original gel coat to make an outside seam adhere properly? > IF you're careful and thorough with a multiple-layer inside seam job, that should be sufficient. Epoxy *may* stick to epoxy paint (rough the surface first), but to effect the best repair, you should sand down to FG. > > 4) My boat is kept outside, upside down. Has UV damage weakened the > > fiberglass? Does fiberglass have a lifespan? > UV degrades most anything, given enough time. Gel coat protects the resin from UV, although the gel coat then takes the UV 'hit' Paint adds yet another UV protective layer. Most man-made things have finite lifespans. Forgive the verbosity, and the stating (to some) of the obvious. All of the above is my opinion - it's worth what you paid for it. Erik Sprenne *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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