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Rough Start

Submitted by zcar - Tue, 6/1/10 » 10:13 AM

I finally unboxed my Shearwater 17 kit and got started. Joining the panels seemed to go smothly until they dried and I flipped them over. I have a few joints that apparently got out of allignment while drying. On those joints, the panels are oriented correctly, but the joints aren't perfectly flush. I'm worried that if I sand them smooth, I'll run a high risk of cutting through the veneer. One potential solution I'm considering is to try filling the low side with epoxy then sanding smooth before assembling the hull since it would be easier to sand while the panels are flat. That would leave the misjoined panel with a skim coat of epoxy over the low side fairing out for about 6 inches. Alternatively, I could just go to town with the sander on bare wood and plan for a painted finish. Any suggestions from those who have gone before? Thanks for any assistance.

-Zach

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RE: Rough Start

» Submitted by twofootartist - Tue, 6/1/10 » 10:47 AM

If you just did this in the past 24 hours or so you may be able to undo the joint with a heat gun. Any other solution will result in an unsightly joint that you will want to paint over. Not that this is a bad thing - I painted the hull on my Merganser and it looks so good that Eric Schade used it in his latest catalog. -Wes

RE: Rough Start

» Submitted by Ralph - Tue, 6/1/10 » 12:01 PM

I had a simular problem on one joint but I ended up painting the hull. However, if it is on the hull bottom (not the deck) most people will not see it - including you when you are in it. They/you will only see the top.

RE: Rough Start

» Submitted by jeffh - Tue, 6/1/10 » 4:41 PM

I had a similar incident with my bottom panels. As twofootartist said, you can use a heat gun or a really good haridryer to heat up the epoxy and pull it apart. Do it within 48hrs. You will need to sand it once you get it apart.

RE: Rough Start

» Submitted by zcar - Tue, 6/1/10 » 5:25 PM

Thanks for the input guys. At this stage, I'd be much more likely to do further damage by pulling the panels apart. I have the problem on one of the bottom panels as well as one of the sapele deck panels. I may try feathering the bottom panel with epoxy just to try it since I'm planning a graphite finish down there anyway. Either way though, I like paint, so it'll be fine in the end. This is supposed to be a "working" boat anyhow - not a showpiece.