Why the inside is the most important

[tx river rat]

I built the hot air perow a couple of years ago, it was my second boat. I listened to a lot of folks about building lighter and that running tape on the seams was all you needed.
I built a 15 ft long 34 inch wide boat that came in at 42 lbs. I was happy with it and used it for a while until I built the T-V and it became my favorite.
My son in law ( waterbuggy) started using it on the Brazos and the other places we fish. He hung up on a rock a couple trips ago and we noticed it had a crack inside.

Today I cleaned the boat up and inspected it I found three cracks all on the inside ,nothing leaking just the wood fractured. Inspected the outside of the hull no damage that I can find.
I took a dremel tool ran down the center of the cracks ,going about 2/3 of the way through the ply ,fileed that with resin then wet the inside down and put a layer of cloth down. she is ready to paddle again.
There were no cracks anywhere the cloth had been applied inside.
Every fracture I have seen in a wood boat was inside,and in most cases where just a saturation coat and no cloth was applied.
So if you are thinking about building a boat with just tape on the seams BEWARE it is not worth the few lbs you save.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

We milked this goat a few months ago, as I remember. The inside needs glass to prevent splintering and fracturing. You're right.

 

[tx river rat]

Jack
There are some new goats in the herd since we discussed this.
Ron

 

[oldsparkey]

Wood boats and rocks are not the most compatible of items. :roll: If you are paddling in that type of water common sence dictates that the wold boat should be glassed .
As Paddln'Gator told me that about one boat I made .... Make sure you glass the inside and not just the outside since the inside glass offers resistance to the bottom buckling ( oil canning) when it runs up on something.

Down here in the land of sand and mud I have made a few boats without the glass totally covering the inside ( only the center area) and just epoxy saturated the rest of the inside but sand or mud does not flex the bottom like boulders would. When I make one that will be taken anywhere ( out of state) it is completely glassed.

As the Realtors like to say , Location , location , location.

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

Chuck
Yep you is right ,now on the brazos you need the glass solid inside.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

the Brazos has trained rocks. They get up and run forward on a hunter-killer mission whenever a new boat hoves into sight.