Big problem with my build

Some how I messed up while putting down the top .Everything guled up great but I used big file boxes to weigh down the top and ended up with a bent tail.  Its off by half an inch and was wondering if there was a trick to bending it into place before I glass the bottom?


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RE: Big problem with my build

Building the Kaholo 14'

RE: Big problem with my build

any possibility of posting a picture? 

it will make it a lot easier for folks to offer advice.

once things have been glued in place, in general, it's pretty hard to 'bend it back'.   usually you would somehow undue the bond (e.g., cutting it) or sacrificing the piece or part of the piece that is not glued up right and re-attaching a replacement piece that is fair.

but it all depends on where the problem is and access to various corrective actions. 

it's also important to understand that some deviations, while maybe not planned, don't really do any real harm and will likely not even be noticed (except by you).   so sometimes its better to leave well enough alone.

a picture will help us help you sort through the options.

best

Howard

RE: Big problem with my build

It is often possible to use a heat gun to soften epoxy enough to shift things or to pull things apart so that you can clean up and reglue.

Ed

RE: Big problem with my build

Without seeing a photo, I might suggest adding wood to the gaps... or trimming the hull and the deck with a plane to reduce the overlap... until the deck and hull fit again, assuming that won't create a FrankenKayak.

You may end up adding a little wood in one place and trimming wood in another. If you add wood to the fiberglassed top, you can just lay a bit of new glass over the new strip and when you resin it, sand and feather it so it all looks good.

Chances are, your friends will never know when you're done. It's possible you could even add some contrasting color or shade of wood and make it look like you planned it that way.

When I was joining my deck and hull, I messed up the edges in a few spots and ended up spending a few days fitting, trimming and adding small strips until I eventually got it together. I ended up filling some thin gaps with wood flour and resin. It all worked out and, except for those folks reading this, no one knows.

 

RE: Big problem with my build

Based on the problems I had with epoxying the sheer clamp on the wrong side of the sheer panel and having to remove it, I would be VERY CAREFUL if you decide to heat and unglue the piece. I found that it was impossible to not lose at least a few bits of the first layer of plywood. Betty

RE: Big problem with my build

I did the same thing, I used ratcheting straps and instead of ratcheting the top to the the bottom, I ratched the top to the sawhorses.  I had so many weights and things on the top in addition to the straps I didnt detect the "twist", which was about an inch in the tail.  I could not get it out, no real performance issue that I can detect, but it certainly runied the cosmetic effects of the boat.  There was no fixing it in my case, once the top is on, its a done deal.

:(

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