oak rub strips and epoxy/fiberglass

Greetings. This is my first post to this forum though I have been lurking for a while and found a lot of useful information here. I am about to start my first boatbuilidng project - a 14 foot plywood/epoxy flat bottom skiff. I've noticed that many skiff plans call for a couple of white oak rubbing strips on the hull bottm and I'd like to put these on my boat. I assume that they go on after the hull bottom has been fiberglassed (right?). Do I glue them on or just screw them so they can be replaced ? Should I encapsulate them in epoxy first or leave them uncoated?

Thanks,

Brian

 

Hi Brian. Welcome.

I'd use white oak or purpleheart, and screw them in from the inside of the hull using truss head or flathead screws, bedded with Dolfinite. Install them after glassing the hull. They can be finished with antifouling like the rest of the bottom if you choose to do so, varnished if you feel like you need something to do and the boat is not normally kept in the water, linseed/turpentine oiled, or just left bare. These are generally regarded as sacrificial; let them do their work, but allow them to be removed for replacement. Have fun building.

DC