Re: Bubbles in the cockpi

Posted by terry on Jan 10, 2005

Sounds like you have voids - a very common problem with 9 oz. tape and hard to avoid completely.

If they're large, maybe sand or scrape them down to expose the wood underneath and then fill with thickened epoxy. Since these voids are along the stiffer taped seam, you may wish to put a layer of 6 Oz. cloth over the void to avoid a weak strip along the taped seam that could be prone to cracking - a much better approach than using more of the 9 oz. tape, which, among other drawbacks, is prone to causing even more voids along the raised selvage at the edges.

I've yet to be convinced of the need for this unwieldy 3", 9 oz. tape on seams. It's a pain to fair if you use it on the outside, in addition to the tendency to cause voids. I've been using 2" 6 oz. on my last five boats and it seems to be plenty strong, as well as lighter, cheaper and much easier to fair.

Or maybe I'm just too fair-minded.

terry

In Response to: Bubbles in the cockpit by Brett on Jan 8, 2005

Replies:

• Re: Bubbles in the cockpi by Brett on Jan 10, 2005