Gluing Forms on Hybrid Night Heron

Submitted by TClark1001 - Fri, 8/30/19 » 10:48 AM

I have completed assembly and epoxying of stitch & glue hull on my hybrid Night Heron and now it’s time to position the forms so I can strip the deck.

Simple question. Once the forms are in place, how much glue am I using the hold the forms in place? Am I applying glue along all four inside edges where the form meets the hull or do I use less?

I just don’t want to overdo it so that the act of removing the forms, once deck stripping is complete, won’t wreck the hull.

Thank you, as always for sharing your individual and collective wisdom.

Tim Clark

3 replies:

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RE: Gluing Forms on Hybrid Night Heron

» Submitted by Anthony B - Fri, 8/30/19 » 1:37 PM

I finished a Shearwater hybrid this past spring. I used generic cheap glue sticks/gun and made globs not beads, maybe 5 or 6 per form. It seems these held better than little lines or spot tacking. Used a hammer and block of wood to remove the forms. It was super easy with very little residue to clean up. On my kayak the epoxy was applied with fiberglass where instructed prior to attaching the forms so this helpd with the glue removal . The one thing I would do next build is to try to clean up glue residue under the deck much more agressively as you go as it will save a lot of scrapping and sanding in the final stages under the deck.

Good luck, Anthony

RE: Gluing Forms on Hybrid Night Heron

» Submitted by Mark N - Sat, 8/31/19 » 4:59 AM

I'd suggest hot glue only on one side of the forms: on the front side in the front half of the boat and on the back side in the aft half of the boat. When you remove the forms, use a hammer to tap on the side of the forms with glue. This drives the forms towards the wider middle section of the boat and is much easier than the other direction which wedges the forms into the more narrow sections of the hull.

How much hot glue? Enough but not too much. I know this is not a good answer but it is the only one I have. Once the glue cools, check that the form is secure, if it is not add more glue. Once you start adding strips, the strips themselves add to the support and help hold the forms in place. If you notice a form a little loose while stripping, it is easy enough to add a little more hot glue.

Make sure that you tape the top of the forms so that you don't glue the deck to the forms.

On my first two strip builds, I used paper towels to clean up excess wood glue as I was stripping. I then watched Nick Schade's build videos and he suggests not wiping the glue off. He asserts that when you wipe the glue, you are smearing it into the wood which creates a lot of sanding. If you allow the glue to dry in large blobs, it pops off very easily with a scraper.

Good luck!