Huge screw up

Submitted byBrad Grimm onThu, 07/02/2020 - 21:20
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Kayak Building

Yesterday I made a grievous error on my Waters Dancing Trillium 21.  My workspace is small, so I took the deck and hung it from the ceiling of the garage.  Seemed like a great solution to get it out of the way temporarily.  But I forgot to figure in the garage door opening.  The result is a full fracture on one side of the stern deck.  See photos.  EDIT:  Turns out I can't post pics, so here's a description:  The fracture is adjacent to the stern hatch opening, on one side only.  It is full thickness and the edges are separated, ie. completely broken.

I epoxyed and clamped the fracture last night, let it cure 12 hours, then sanded the top and just applied a patch of 4 oz cloth.  It looks reasonably good.  Once that's cured I'll turn it over and be able to put a more solid patch on the underside.  So question:  What will be best to apply to the underside?  Fiberglass tape, a couple of layers of 6 oz cloth, or maybe a piece of plywood?  I would love your thoughts on what to do to the underside of the deck in order to fix my serious screw up.

Brad

JohnAbercrombie

Thu, 07/02/2020 - 22:32

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Plywood is rugged - and repairable, too.

:)

I'd just add a layer of cloth (or 2 layers) on the inside. 

Tape tends to have raised edges (selvage) which just needs to be sanded down - more work.

You can always do more reinforcement later when you join the hull and deck.

BTW, make sure the deck doesn't change shape when it is 'away' from the hull. I'd double check before further reinforcment/repair of the broken area.

John provided great advice.  I agree - use a layer or two of fiberglass. I would use whatever weight glass I had "in-stock". I think that a  layer of plywood might distort the shape.

If the crack it too distracting, you could apply a piece of artwork over it using rice paper imbedded in epoxy with a design of some sort printed on it or draw a design directly on the deck with a Sharpe and overcoat that with epoxy.

Keep Smilin',

John VB

Brad Grimm

Sat, 07/25/2020 - 15:45

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Thanks for all the advice and encouragement.  I glued and clamped the pieces together, then glassed both sides.  It seems strong and the fracture is barely visible.  Plus, when I fit the deck to the hull last week it fit well, with minimal force required.  So I guess I got off easy on this one.  Thanks again to all.

Man, I hate to hear that a brand new kayak was damaged before she was completed. I have repaired such damage many times although not before getting the kayak in the water. One layer of 4-oz cloth on the underside is enough, make sure to apply a fill coat to cover the weave and make certain there are no voids in your repair.

Robert N Pruden

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Stitch and Glue