Fiberglassing seams

Thanks for your information about bronze screws. Maybe you can help me avoid my next debacle. Would it be appropriate to tape all the outside seams of my flat bottom power skiff with 2" fiberglass and resin. The boat is new construction and will be painted in some traditional colors. I was hoping to add life and strength to the build. I was told the glass would not peel if I do only one side. Any help appreciated.

 

Typical flat bottom skiffs of traditional construction have sacrificial rub strips, along the chines and bottom planking to save the chines and boat belly from wear. This is a tried and true method and doesn't require goo in a can and fabric. You can tape the seams, but they can lift off for a number of reasons. If you go the epoxy and tape route, you might as well do the whole bottom, wrapping around until you're above the LWL. An extra layer (tape) along the chines and keel (if applicable) is a common technique.

 

Great observation Par. I guess if I want a traditional, old school look, I should stick to the traditional methods. Would it be helpful to resin the exposed edges of the Okume plywood? P.S. I have been a woodworker for better than 30 years. But, boat building is a whole different world. I found making compound angles that twist and bend while working upside down to be a real challenge. My hat is off to you guys who do real boat building.

 

Protecting the end grain of plywood is always desirable, so apply as much epoxy as the end grain will absorb (may take several coats). Cover the exposed seam with a length of good looking hardwood, bedded in polysulfide and hard fastened down. In a few years, after you dinged them up good, you can pop them off, an install a new set. Ditto on the bottom. The bottom may have a few as one each side, roughly half way out from the center line or you can have more. A small 14' flat bottom skiff of my design, carries two on each side of the centerline, a single keel batten which serves the same use and of course, one on the chine to protect the joint of bottom to topside planking.