Okay, so how the heck does one get tack welds up in the bow of a Wood Duck 12?

The deck is wired to the hull for the last time -thank goodness, and it's all looking as it should. I want to remove the copper wires at some point and I read where Lazlo (thanks for your blog by the way) did tack welds, then after they cured he pulled the wires and put the FG tape in as instructed. I followed this process on the hull and it worked perfectly but, well, how does one reach way the heck up in the bow and apply just enough resin/wood flour to make the joint without making a mess? 

Oh wait, my petit daugher who studies dance at college in Boston comes home tomorrow for two weeks - cool, "right-size-helper"! (not sure she'll go for that though...)

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Rob

 


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RE: Okay, so how the heck does one get tack welds up in the bow of a Wood Duck 12?

Rob,

Glad you found it some use. As far as attaching the deck, first off, be aware that because of the curve of the deck you can't get glass tape all the way to the front. It says so in the manual and they're absolutely right. The last foot or so is unreachable. But that's OK. That part is a low stress area and doesn't need the full fillet and glass tape treatment. All it needs is a reasonably strong seam that's watertight. The rest of the deck holds it on and the curve of the deck is exerting a downward force which resists removing the deck.

The solution is to use a continuous tack applied from the outside. That's plenty to stabilize and hold the deck in place. I know that it may not seem like enough but it's been 5 years and my boat's still got its deck :-)

When you've applied the fillet and tape to the rest of the deck joint, 11 out of 12 feet will be joined for eternity. That last foot will be fine with the continuous tack. If you've picked up on my suggestion to use a solid stem piece, a glob of epoxy/woodflour mix on top of the stem will only add to the attachment.

Once the rest of the deck is attached, you just touch up the external tack and sand it smooth so that there's no holes or voids. The deck cloth will drape over it, follow the smooth curve and seal that joint, as well as protect it from abrasion. If you overlap the deck cloth onto the hull for at least 2 inches, nothing will pull the deck off without destroying the boat first.

So the short answer is use the brushes and putty knives on a stick to apply the fillets, clean up any mess and apply the tape, don't worry about filleting  the part you can't reach because of the deck curve, seal that from the outside and let the deck cloth finish the seam for you.

Have fun,

Laszlo

Building a Wood Duck 12 - Attaching the Deck

 

RE: Okay, so how the heck does one get tack welds up in the bow of a Wood Duck 12?

As always, Laszlo's advice is spot on. I like to use the caulking gun technique to apply the fillet between hull and deck. It has the extra benefit of extending my reach about a foot. You can also see a photo of how I pre-glued the ends on my Shearwater 17 at http://twofootartist.com/shearwater-construction-notes/ -Wes

RE: Okay, so how the heck does one get tack welds up in the bow of a Wood Duck 12?

Thanks very much for your replies Lazlo and Wes! It's so great to be able to ask others who've done this before -great example of a quality learning community. 

I'm probably making more out of this than is needed, but if you don't mind a question or two more... can you tell that this step has me a little concerned? I really don't want to have to wire this deck on again! :)

Lazlo - I took such great care when mitering my panels that when stitched together there is, in most places, almost zero gap in which to "squeeze" some resin for the tacks (from the outside of course). I'm wondering if a small tack weld applied from the outside will hold I guess? 

1. If I have this right, what you are saying is that if the tacks are minimal in "thickness" (not too high or proud off the surface of the wood - keep the material only where it is needed as much as possible, then when the interior joint is fiberglassed and cured I'm to simply sand smooth (feather) the portion of the tacks on the outside of the hull, leaving a nice smooth surface for the glass to wrap over? I'm wondering if the wood and fiberglass tack will sand well at the same time, and not end up with an odd surface variation between the two? Hopefully that makes sense?

Wes - tell me more about the caulking gun technique please? I didn't know, but is it possible to purchase tubes for caulking guns that one can fill with whatever material they want? If so, cool, I was unaware of such a thing and it sound like it would be quite handy

Thanks for your help and advise!

Rob

 

RE: Okay, so how the heck does one get tack welds up in the bow of a Wood Duck 12?

CLC sells West empty caulking tubes http://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/boat-building-supplies-epoxy-fiberglass-plywood/marine-epoxy-fiberglass/west-system-810-fillable-caulking-tube.html 

They will hold about four to six ounces of thickened epoxy without it kicking off. They can also be cleaned and reused. I drill a couple of 1/16" holes in the plungers to let air escape. They lay down a nice even bead using a conventional caulking gun. Then smooth it out with a plastic spatula and lay on the glass cloth while the fillet is still soft. Saturate the cloth with unthickened epoxy before unrolling it onto the seam.

-Wes

RE: Okay, so how the heck does one get tack welds up in the bow of a Wood Duck 12?

Rob,

Your tight fit is indeed different from my boat. I beveled my panels only enough to have them rest comfortably on each other. There was a v-shaped gap at the edges which I used for the tacks. Once everything was sanded, glassed and finished there was a thin dark line. I don't think it's objectionable, but since you're going for the joinery effect that won't work for you.

You could just leave the wires in at the bow in the area where the fillets & tape won't go and not apply anything there for the moment. Once the decked is taped to the hull and properly cured, take out the wires, gently lift the front of the deck, apply glue and clamp it back down.

Lift very gently, there's going to be a lot of resistance.The overlapping deck glass will finish the joint nicely.

Have fun,

Laszlo

 

 

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