Re: stitching wire

Posted by LeeG on May 3, 2004

I bet it's just that you didn't wait long enough. I've seen a few hatches that the ribs were attached with just unthickened epoxy and not glass. They didn't last long. Interestingly enough the wood delaminated right at the edge of the rib as there appeared to be a stress riser where the straps pulled the hatch over the rib. In that case a crack appeared in the top of the hatch above the rib. The delamination of the first layer of okkoume at the edge of the rib underneath is caused by the substantial pressure presented during rescues as the downward pressure on the hatch would force the edge of the hatch up and off the end of the rib. The ripped/delaminated underside of the hatch was proof the glue was holding,,but the area was too small for the wood to handle the stress. That's why the 3" tape is under the rib extending to the edge of the hatch. You can sand it down a bit without losing the benefit of spreading that stress riser out.

In Response to: Re: stitching wire by Joe Lombardo on May 3, 2004

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