Top wood installation

[Fourdy]

I'm about ready to install the new top wood kit from Snyders, in my tall T cpe. From my boat building days (always seal wood) I am thinking of sealing the wood with an epoxy such as West or Titan. What do you suggest for a caulking or seal between the body metal and the wood?

I will use a thickened epoxy for the joints as they are not a super tight fit.

Your help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Fourdy


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[Martin]

I have been using epoxies and various other marine adhesives for over twenty years, and can virtually guarantee you that if you use epoxy to fill a loose fitting joint it will fail. Epoxy is a very good adhesive and if used properly will produce a joint that is stronger than the surrounding wood. A paper thin slice of epoxy is as flexible as a piece of paper, however a fat joint will become brittle. By fat I mean anything more than 15 or 20 thousandths. An exception here would be when used as a fillet that is going to be reinforced with fiberglass. For Joints that are loose or will encounter a lot of movement I use a urethane caulk by 3M called 5200. It is a relatively slow cure caulk, but sticks to almost anything and is much stronger than anything else I have found. It is a little pricey, and may be overkill for your job. I have read of people using liquid nails brand caulk, which would probably work fine, and would still be a better choice for a loose joint than epoxy. Sealing the wood is a good idea, I generally do that last, after the construction is finished. I prefer to have the adhesives stuck directly to the wood and not to the sealer.

 

[Youngster]

Thanks for the info Martin. I would imagine that would aply to reinforcing a glass bucket too?

Ron