Gorrilla Glue for leak-proofing

- the mixing tips are great for long runs like fairing or gluing on entire planks, but they are single use; I haven't tried refrigerating them to see if they'll last a day or two. There is a plain measuring tip (reusable) handy for small batches - mix yourself. There is also a reusable cap. You get one of each with a tube and can buy extra mixing tips. All tips can be exchanged and removed, but obviously you have to be careful to put a previously used one back the right way around! The most annoying thing other than the price is the fact that the tubes run out before you expect them to, because of the internal construction I assume. One is usually enough for one of my small boats so the cost per ounce is justified for me.

- for me, your entire post hit the nail on the head. I'm an engineer but 40 years of designing digital communication and robotic control systems doesn't exactly give me a head start designing boats. Which is probably why I decided to do that when I retired.

For our friend RG it's all about whether this is his only boat or the start of a series, as it was for you and me. Of course this post is as much for him as for you and me . . ..

 

I also happen to like Gorilla glue. If you have tight wood-to-wood joints that you can apply decent clamping pressure to, it works better than anything I used before it came along. I'm repeating myself here, but the mistake I think most people make is slathering it on too thick. You should apply a thin layer to one side of the joint, dampen the other side with water, and clamp the pieces firmly until the glue sets. You don't have to go nuts on the pressure; it's no big deal. But if you don't have enough, the Gorilla glue will foam and push the wood apart.

Of course, it isn't a substitute for epoxy. It isn't a sealant, it isn't a gap filler. It's just a glue that when used properly bonds wood to wood.

That said, I see no reason to use Gorilla glue on nailed joints. I've built small boats before (pirogues or bateaus, really) out of 1/4" cdx plywood, nailed to 1 x 2 chines and logs. I used acrylic adhesive caulking; the sort designed for bathrooms and kitchens. The boats floated and stayed watertight -- until the plywood rotted out, after a few years of dry-sailing in the weather.

 

Mmmm food for thought --might give it a go on my non structural inside furniture joints, convenient to use. That is if I don't die from old age before I get there

 

OK, here's my 2 cents. I've used gorilla glue and thought it was gonig to be strong and waterproof. Wrong. It didn't live up to it's promise.

What I found and for me works very good and is waterproof, strong, gap filling, and above all,,,,cheap, is a tube of urathane adhesive that comes in a caulking tube and you get it at Lowes, Home Depot, or places like that.
I've built a small 8 foot runabout for my grandson with this glue. The boat is rated for a 10 hp engine. I have also built a 3 point hydro with this and fastened it together with an airstaple gun.

 

Are you talking about PL Premium? I used it on Blue Rose (the boat in this build thread: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/wo...ation/building-flat-bottomed-canoe-33266.html) when I nailed the pine sides to the transom and stem, and the plywood bottom to the pine sides. Those nailed seams have stayed as watertight and strong as the Gorilla-glue scarf joints.... that isn't necessarily a ringing endorsement, though. My earlier boats using household tub and tile caulk also stayed watertight....

Unlike Gorilla glue, you can slather PL Premium on thick, and the heck with it. The squeeze-out is easy to deal with, if you use a putty knife or some such while it's in the rubbery in-between stage.