Cedar strip - crack repair

[Kodaska]

Greetings from a newbie. I have a 16' Prospector-type stripper that has a 2-foot long crack starting behind the bow seat. I have a general idea of how to fix it - epoxy the crack together, put two layers of fiberglass on both sides (1st layer 4" wide, second layer 6"), then varnish. Not having worked with fiberglass much, I'm looking for suggestions on both my plan and any technique issues I need to be aware of.

This boat, by the way, seems unique in stripperdom. It doesn't have a "football" because it seems to have been built from the center outward. It was built in 2002, supposedly by Dave Fisher of Ontario Wooden Boat Works (or one of his classes), but I can't find out anything about him or his outfit, which I thought closed up in 2003 or 2004. Can anyone provide any leads? Here's a web page describing it before the crack happened.
http://www.codabone.net/canoeing/canoes/rosie.htm

Thanks for any feedback.

Dave

 

[pklonowski]

Crack repair

You'll need to sand the glass around the crack, to remove the varnish and provide a good gripping surface for the patchwork.

The patches should extend 3-4in. beyond the crack.

Make sure the wood underneath is DRY before you start 'glassing.

Do you have the book "Canoecraft" by Ted Moores & Merilyn Mohr? It has everything you'll need to know. There are other strip & glass books out there, but I haven't read them, so I don't know if others are as good, better, or worse.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Dave,

To add to what Paul said,

Be sure the area you plan to put the resin is both clean and sanded.
Clean 1st with soap and water, and then sand it with say 100 grit.

I'd make the patch at least 6 inches past the crack on all sides but that's me.

For a small area like this, you can put down both layers at the same time.
I would probably use a fine weave 4 oz but it doesn't matter much.

As it already failed once, I would also consider adding another full layer (of the 4 oz) to the football on the inside just in case.

As for resin, I'm partial to System Three or MAS, because they are a bit lower in viscosity then West (better for wetout) and they don't blush.
Raka would be OK too.

If you haven't already, get a resin manufacturers instaruction book, doesn't matter much who's, West, MAS, System Three, all will tell you how to work with the resin.

This is a common and typical failure of strippers, as the "standard" layout, 1/4 strips with 6oz in/out really isn't up to rough use and/or hard landings. Multiple layers on the inside in the center strengthens this a lot.

BTW, the football is the reagon towards the center inside of the chine, yours just happens to be stripped parallal to the centerline, which is one of several ways of laying the strips, here in MN it's not uncommon, as is stripping parrallel to the waterline. As you get east, it's likely more common to strip either parrallel to the rails or waterline.

Dan

 

[Kodaska]

Thanks for the feedback

I appreciate the feedback. Thanks.

I'll use two layers on both sides, maybe a third on the outside. Then I'm putting on brass end strips (which I have). I have to admit the crack wasn't caused by a hard landing but by riding up on top of a small stump that I thought would give way and didn't. I can't fault the boat.

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Yup, that will do it.

That stump is harder on the canoe then pulling it up on shore, but in a different way.

The shore is abrasion on the outside, the stump is a high tensile load to the inside glass.

It's on the inside that you need the extra layer.

Dan