Wooden Boat People

By McKenzieDriftBoat.com

fasteners and waterproofing..

Greetings all,

I'm a first time boat builder and tend to read myself stupid before I begin any endeavor. Having just begun construction on a 14' driftboat, there is one question (of many, I'm sure..) that I have yet to find an answer for:

When you are building your boat, inevitably you would get to a point where it would make more sense to finish the hull BEFORE building out the interior and/or finishing the exterior. My question therefore is, how to you properly seal fasteners and the holes they make that have been put in AFTER the glass and epoxy?

Example : upper and lower rub rails. It stands to reason that they aren't glassed with the hull, so when you drive that screw through to the frame, what's keeping that water from wicking into the hole you just made?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on February 7, 2012 at 9:16am

I have spent considerable time in driftboats and especially rafts and enjoyed that greatly. However I do have to say that I am also enjoying the build of my boat. Someday I'll share stories of the history of my build and all the things I had to do before I could even work on it. I believe I have had the Tatman kit now for three years. 100 more hours and it should be floating! The previous owner had it for four years and all he ever did was drive down to Vida, buy a trailer to haul it home and then store it in a barn for three years until I bought it.

Rick Newman

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Permalink Reply by Michael Rosso on February 7, 2012 at 9:38am

Do you have any pictures on this site of your project? I'd love to see them!

As for my own, I've given myself a deadline (trust me, it may sound like a bad idea but I NEED a deadline to see anything through) of mid-May for the completion of the 'Trout Wagon'. Nothing would please me more than to be in time for the huge Caddis Fly hatches this summer.

My wife is an angel. She agreed to an 800 square foot addition to our home for my workshop. Complete with a potbelly stove. I can only assume alterior motives (my power tools taking up 1/2 our garage, and the distinct possibility that I would go insane and drag her with me without any creative outlets) were at play. So I'll be able to come home and work on my boat in comfort every night.

Cheers and happy building!

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Permalink Reply by Don Hanson on February 14, 2012 at 1:55pm

Every screw should get something, if that fastener leaves access for the water. Many use 5200 or some of the caulks available. If the fastener will be left so you can remove it...I use Dolphinite, an old school goo available from marine supply stores. If the fastener is never to be removed and the parts are saturated with epoxy, epoxy is good to use, it adds strength to the fastener's hold. 5200 or the other adhesive caulking compounds make it difficult to remove the fasteners.

A hint for cutting wooden plugs: Use a drill press and run a bunch of the cuts into the stock you want to make plugs from, but leave the plunge cuts a little shy of the other side of the stock...Do a few more than you will need. Then when the holes have been cut, take some good masking tape or even duct tape and tape across the surface, covering all the plugs and making sure you have them stuck to the tape. Then use your band saw to cut them at the bottom of the plunge cuts.....You can then pull the tape, and all the plugs will remain stuck on it, with the grain aligned properly and everything. No need to examine every single plug to get the grain right, and if you use a champhered plug cutter, you will have the same end each time you pluck a plug off the tape.