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Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
By:Marc Upchurch
Date: 5/22/2014, 4:50 pm
In Response To: Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates (Ben Alexander)

My concern was needing to put bolts or screws thru the skin not supported by the longerons or gunwales.
You don't want the skin to stretch when you tighten up the bolts, because the coating (paint, etc) will stretch and crack allowing water in the boat, even if the cloth does not tear.

If you put screws into the wood you can wax the threads of the screw , soak the hole with unfilled resin, coat the bolt and hole with filled high strength epoxy, and let it sit.
You will have epoxy threads that will protect against water and rot, which will improve the pull out strength of the screw a great deal.
It will stick, but if you put a soldering iron on the head for a minute or so, you can break it loose with moderate torque.
This lets you reinstall the screw.
A bolt all the way thru will be significantly higher strength, if you again coat the wood with epoxy before installing the bolt. you can again take it out with a little heat and torque.

I use a syringe from a feed store or a pipe cleaner to put the epoxy deep into the hole.

Good luck.

PS, all the epoxy tricks are available from the book "Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction" which has been provided as a free download pdf here: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/HowTo-Publications/GougeonBook%20061205.pdf This is the 5th edition and has been the bible of epoxy construction for a long time.
Also there is a tips page at the West System web site.

Messages In This Thread

Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Ben Alexander -- 5/21/2014, 5:49 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates *PIC*
Marc Upchurch -- 5/21/2014, 7:40 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates *PIC*
Marc Upchurch -- 5/21/2014, 7:48 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Ben alexander -- 5/22/2014, 9:43 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Bill Hamm -- 5/22/2014, 10:17 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Marc Upchurch -- 5/22/2014, 11:20 am
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Ben Alexander -- 5/22/2014, 1:38 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Marc Upchurch -- 5/22/2014, 4:50 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Bill Hamm -- 5/23/2014, 4:35 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Marc Upchurch -- 5/23/2014, 4:43 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Ben Alexander -- 5/27/2014, 3:41 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Ben Alexander -- 6/9/2014, 1:12 pm
Re: Skin-on-Frame: Stern/bow plates
Marc Upchurch -- 6/9/2014, 3:07 pm