UHMW Chine Caps?

I'm replacing my chine caps.  They we're pretty beat up after only one season.  I used a soft wood instead of a hard wood (or maybe I need to work on my oarsmanship.) 

I'm considering using a piece of UHMW for the chine cap. 1/2" x 2". I can get a continuous piece for each side at a reasonable price.  I think I can fasten it and keep water from getting into the screw holes. 

Anybody have any experience using UHMW for chine cap?  Anything else I should be concerned about?

 

RB

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C. on March 21, 2012 at 10:28am

oops ,meant 1/8" x 3/4" steel

Permalink Reply by Andrew on March 21, 2012 at 1:16pm

Ron, 

I have been toying with the idea of a UHMW chine caps, but have been leaning away from them for the reasons mentioned by others. 

I have been trying to think of a way to use UHMW without the problems.  Perhaps elongated or oversize screw holes? What about a rubber/polyurethane washer or gasket to prevent the screws coming out due to temperature changes?

Andrew

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 21, 2012 at 1:45pm

It's simple. Move to the rain forest where the temperature doesn't have the big swings.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Andrew on March 21, 2012 at 2:09pm

Why didn't I think of that.  :) Problem solved. 

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 21, 2012 at 2:17pm

The tough part is finding work on the Olympic Peninsula her in Washington, especially if you are or were a logger. Lots of rivers to fish however. Perhaps telecommuting or working as a fishing guide!

I understand that titanium looks pretty cool and it's light weight. Online Metals even has some of that.

Good luck in your quest. I think that the idea for the Ipe also has some merit. Much cheaper too!

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Ron Bakken on March 21, 2012 at 2:34pm

I was just on the phone with the manufacturer, Horn Plastics Inc.  He confirmed the expanding/contracting properties of UHMW.  He said for most of all the applications they deal with(primarily dump truck bed liners) are not concerned with water tightness. But he gave some possible suggestions:

-Install in the hottest weather possible. (Kind of a problem this time of year in wisconsin)

-drill an oversized hole in the plastic and fill with silicone.

-use twice or more the amount of fasteners.

- drill completely through the hull, seal with silicone and bolt on the inside. He said this is what his air boat clients in florida do. He has a uhmw capped elevator bolt which is counter sunk and fits flush. 

Any potential in any of this? Or do I move to the rainforest? as Rick suggests.

 

Permalink Reply by Don Hanson on March 21, 2012 at 2:47pm

  If you are building a dump truck, that plastic might be the "Right Stuff"...If you aren't concerned with water tightness, it might be the "right stuff" too.  If you are sticking it on an aluminum hull where you can tighten the s**t out of all the through bolts you want without crushing anything...well, you get the idea...

  The 'oversize hole' idea, that has some merit.   Just make certain you put some caulking or something into each and every screw you use.....no matter what you put on there....nothing kills a wooden boat faster than water getting into a hole with a fastener and rotting the wood....Every screw that goes in  should have a 'dip' of something on it....what you put on depends on whether the fastener must come out ever, etc etc..Even through bolts like on the gunnels, they should get something...though all kinds of famous boatbuilders of dorys never bothered with that.....and when you get one of their 20yr old boats....you wanna dig them up and go....."Look, look, you shoulda put some bedding compound on these, now they are all rusty and the wood around them is soft and punky"....

   BTW, there is nothing wrong with a good wood for chine caps....you may have to replace it sooner than some other materials, but it is cheap and easy and sometimes even fun to do the work....especially if the screws are not all rusty and the wood is not rotten...

  Don Hanson

Permalink Reply by Ron Bakken on March 21, 2012 at 2:58pm

Good stuff Don!  Thanks.  I suppose there is a reason it's been done this way for so long.

 

Always trying to build a better mouse trap with out getting caught in it.

Permalink Reply by Jack Rose on March 22, 2012 at 9:14am

Rick, nice find on that link.  I had been looking at standard stainless rub rail available from the marine suppliers and the price was several hundred dollars (!) which put it way out of my range.

So has anybody gone this route, essentially making your own rub rail from bar stock?  One question is how you keep that bottom edge from becoming a fly line/leader nipper?  Angle grinder?

I've never worked with stainless steel, is it harder to drill and countersink than with the regular stuff?

And do you run it the full length of the chine cap, or just the lower 12' or so of rocker?

Middle of the chine cap or flush with the lower edge?

Any other thoughts, concerns?

By the way, as for Ron's original question, my original build used UHMW chine caps.  They worked well when I first built it (1996), but when I removed them a year ago to replace the bottom, they had broken into a number of pieces, pretty much equal to the number of screw holes, and allowed water to enter and rot out the chine caps.  I'm not going that route, again.

Jack

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