Clever glueing of the hull-deck joint
Latest updated Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 15 comments
I have made an easter egg!
I want to tell you about a successful modification to the standard method of glueing the hull-deck joint. I never liked the idea of reaching far into the kayak with messy glassfiber tape and epoxy. I thought of the flange on an easter egg.
I did this: protected a couple of inches of the hull inside with plastic tape. Then stapled the two first deck strips in place. Next I laminated two pieces of glassfiber cloth over the joint, reaching down an inch on the hull - of course leaving gaps at the molds. When cured I released the glassfiber flange from the tape and finished the stripping of the deck.
Lift the deck and sand the flange. Glueing the joint, I spread epoxy on the flange and the hull. The flange lines up the joint beautifully and keeps the epoxy where it should be. Often a couple of plastic tape pieces are enough to keep the joint closed until cured. Advantages: large gluing surface, perfect fit and no mess to clean up on the inside of the joint.
Gunnar Clarfjord
