I'm very new to boatbuilding, and have just about completed a 14' almost McKenzie style drift boat. I had a problem with one of the sides, where my plywood split on me. i think it was because of my ribs on the inside..anyway, that's not the question. on the inside seam, should i just use fiberglass mat to fill in the seam? would this be my cheapest solution? also, can i paint over the fiberglass? thanks in advance
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There is alot of information you are not telling us. . . . what type of seam? Inside chine? Butt seam? Or are you referring to repairing that cracked plywood panel? Oh well, I will address all three:
1. When reinforcing a seam such as the chine (where you have an inside corner to reinforce) you first have to radius the corner using a mixture of epoxy and filler such as cabosil or micro-balloons. Then you lay down two to three overlapping layers of 4 to 6 oz. glass cloth. Epoxy/glass can be painted but you probably will want to ensure there is no 'blush' left (some epoxy compounds and all polyester compounds leave a residue which is incompatible with paint). The 'blush' is easily removed with cleaning using soap and water.
2. If you are talking about a butt seam, this should have already been reinforced before you put the panel in place. Additional reinforcing would consist of mabey three layers of 6 oz. cloth (overlapping).
3. As for the plywood crack . . . it sounds like you tried to twist and bend the plywood too much at the same time and it failed. You may be able to salvage the panel by heavily reinforcing that area with glass cloth but it will never be fair and it will always constitute a stress concentration (bad). It would probably be better for you to replace the panel now rather than find out later that you should have (at the worst possible time).
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