Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

I'm not sure what I did, or what if anything I need to do about it now. After the initial  float of my Auk in November I put the boat in the basement and put 4 coats of varnish on it. After the first two times I paddled this year, I checked the bottom of the boat for marks, and found what I expected, scuffs, and light scratches from launching and returning. I checked the bottom today to see if I had many new marks from Sunday's paddle. I didn't expect to find what was there. On the keel joint there is a raised weave pattern about 20" in length, varying in distinction. Two seams over there is another raised weave pattern about 4" long. There are two end scarf joints the same way. Nothing visible on the inside, and it didn't leak. I don't think it could actually be the glass cloth, just the pattern in the epoxy, but not sure.

 Before I took it out, while it was sitting on the grass, I carefully! stepped in it to adjust the position of the foot pegs. I didn't hear or feel anything, but that is the area of the bottom where the weave pattern shows. The only other thing that comes to mind is, I didn't realize it when I put the boat on the truck, but the roof of the dark blue truck was painfully hot when I went to put the foam under the boat before cinching it tight. I'm looking for info on what somebody thinks I did, and what I should do??????

Thanks for helping.


9 replies:

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RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

It's hard to say for sure without seeing it, but you probably didn't do anything wrong, and it's not likely you have any structural damage. One idea that is becoming more common and that saved the bottom of my boat is to sand off the varnish in the vulnerable areas of the bottom, and apply a coat or two of epoxy resin mixed 50/50 with graphite powder. The graphite is very slippery and seems to fend off scratches like magic. -Wes

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

I will try to get a picture posted, in the next couple of days...(lent my camera to my son). I can only guess what caused it. I have two glassed pieces that I ended up not using for cheek plates. When I show friends how strong the peices are by pushing them against the edge of my work bench, any flex I'm able to get, doesn't cause any change in the appearence. I think the graphite idea is great, but the look of the wood is what made me want to build one. I guess I'm leaning that way.     Thanks!

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

This is most likely the result of the smoking hot pick-up roof. Sounds like the epoxy melted. It is possible your roof approached 140 F & that is the about the melting point of epoxy. Broke? Maybe only need to sand & re-coat w/ new epoxy to assure water will not get under the glass. The graphite bottom is a good idea, but avoid the heat on the roof. Water the truck before you load up. Graphite/epoxy will melt, also.

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

Duuane , bear in mind I have no boat building experience yet, Im still working on my fist one, but I did build fishing rods for years thus working with epoxy , obviously with different properties to boat epoxy though, But Dirk has a good piont, when epoxy heats up it can go very soft , Is it posible that the pattern is a imprint of the foam you used on the roof, where you tied it down , I dont think it would be from where you stepped into the boat, because the problem has occured in other areas as well, also maybee you could check if the glass has lifted by putting thumb pressure on the araes , there could be movement or trapped air under there, If it is melted epoxy you could try a gentle heat with a heat gun and see if it lessens the problem , epoxy is amazing stuff goes rock hard in the cold and can go gel like soft in extreme heat. I should not be even trying to give any advise but I thought Id just throw in a couple of long shots , good luck with the prob and I hope you can solve it.

Kind Regards Locky from west oz.............

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

I hope these pics turn out. They give some idea of the length and width of the affected area. I happened to have a jeweler's style magnifying glass, and when I looked at the spots close up, they look like the white spots or spot pattern, are in fact bubbles that appear to be sealed. It's hard to tell by looking, but they are about as raised as two or three thicknesses of writing paper. I checked the temp of my truck roof today, a day similar to the day this happened, it got as high as 151 degrees. Could those bubbles be trapped air that tried to escape when the epoxy heated up, or blister bubbles?, and if the bubbles are sealed, do you think I could paddle without water exposer to the wood?  The fact that it looked like the glass weave pattern is what made me think glass damage.   TKS    Duuane

http://s1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc409/duuane/?action=view&current=DSCN0468.jpghttp://s1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc409/duuane/?action=view&current=DSCN0471.jpghttp://s1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc409/duuane/?action=view&current=DSCN0467.jpghttp://s1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc409/duuane/?action=view&current=DSCN0466.jpg

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

It looks like you might not have thoroughly saturated the cloth with epoxy, and now - as you suspected - the air bubbles are expanding in the heat. I suggest you put away the jeweler's loupe, pick up your paddle, and enjoy the boat. If the condition worsens over the summer, sand the bottom down next winter and add another coat of epoxy. -Wes

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

most of the bubbles seem to be inbetwine the stips so I wonder if its from the wood expanding and contracting with the different temperatures. by the way it dosnt look that bad, exceptional looking boat anyway and its on the bottom so personly I would just enjoy it and not worry.

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

I was ready for scratches, but not these. I might have over thought things...again!!  If nobody thinks it's broke, then I ain't fixin it....That's what god made winter for..   Thanks for the input.!!!

RE: Exposed Weave Pattern (is it broke)

Wes is right in that they look like spots caused by not saturating the cloth, but I've also seen similar spots at the joints of the prototype WD10 several years ago. It was after some years of demo use (with literally hundreds, if not thousands of people having taken rides in it). John Harris pointed out that the cause was fatigue flexing of the glass causing micro cracks which reflected the light the same way as unsaturated cloth.

The fact that yours are also happening at joints seems to hint at the same phenomenon, especially since the pictures show that you did a good job saturating the the rest of the glass.

The good news is that you can ignore it. The WD10 prototype was at O-fest again this year with no repairs having been made since I first saw the specks.

Laszlo

 

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