JEM Watercraft

I did an end pour today. All did not go well. I raised the opposite end of the canoe, I made a damn of cardboard, covered it with plastic, taped it all around using duct tape. Mixed the epoxy and added wood flour. After pouring the mix into the end area the tape did not hold, the mix flowed out at the bottom and along the lower portion of the sides . I was unable to contain it so I scraped it out before it had fully cured. It had a consistency about like Styrofoam. I expected it to be as hard as the seam fillets.

Once I had the mess cleaned up, I stood the canoe on end, not quite vertical and filled the end seam without damning it. This worked pretty well except that as the epoxy cured the deeper portion doubled in size creating a rather large lump that I will have to take down with a rasp or small grinder .

What did I do wrong and how can I avoid this when I do the other end of the canoe?
"to soon old to late smart"

It takes a LOT of tape, as even the mild pressure of the fill will force the resin into the seam between the wood and tape, and want to separate them. I once had about a pint of epoxy mix pour onto my garage floor from a burst fill seam on a powerboat project. Ooops.

mix and pour in smaller batches. Takes more time, but prevent the heat from concentrating and rapid curing.

I normally make the dam from a spare scrap of wood that I want in the bow or stern , epoxy it in place and then run a fillet along the sides and the bottom to make sure it is sealed off .no epoxy will leak out.
After that sets up then the left over epoxy is dumped in there to fill it and reinforce the ends of the boat.
Either for drilling threw to attach a line or a rudder if one is needed later. Easier doing it before the boat is completed then trying to do it later on after it is made and you want to add a rudder to the stern.

Chuck.

Thanks everyone. Since I've already started, I think I will use smaller batches to layer the end pour rather than spend time grinding out the bulge. Standing the thing on end makes it pretty simple if you have the space to do so. I will use filleted wood on my next boat to be sure.

Gunnels are next. Someone either here or on the pinoyboatbuilders site mentioned using vee shaped wedges for spacers on the inter gunnel. I like that idea and will use it. It seems good for drainage. I plan to scarf the outside gunnel joints. So my question is " should the scarfs of the midships piece ends be against the hull so the end pieces will lap over them or should the end piece scarfs be against the hull? Does it make a difference?

Fair winds

Some folks use the rectangles as spacers , some the modified "V" design and a few have used pieces of wood doweling cut into chunks about a 1/4 inch thick. One even takes the rectangle and trims the ends into a sort of modified V shape and then drills a hole threw the center of it to save on weight and create little ( trapped ) air pockets along the sides.

I'm No help about the scarfing , I use a solid ( continues ) piece of wood.

Chuck.

Dan0 wrote:
So my question is " should the scarfs of the midships piece ends be against the hull so the end pieces will lap over them or should the end piece scarfs be against the hull? Does it make a difference?

Fair winds

Doesn't really make a difference if you make the scarfs correctly.

Thanks Matt! Six to one I think but I will read up on Scarfing.

Fair Winds

8:1 is the general rule of thumb for scarfs.

Thanks Matt. I plan to scarf 6" for a finished 1 X 2. I think that should be about 8:1 or a little more.

Fair Winds