Epoxy Sealing of Lapstrake

[62cruiserinc]

On my 16' 1962 cruiser inc there are 8 rows of lapstrake (plywood) and the rest is plywood sheet down to the keel. I just finished reading the West System guide to wood boat renovation and they recommend using epoxy to seal the lapstrakes from the outside. The procedure is to remove the paint, scrape out the overlap area down to a small depth, and then apply epoxy along the length of each lapstrake edge with a fillet.

Is this worth it? It seems that by applying epoxy this way it removes the need to soak the boat to make it watertight (this boat has been out of the water for almost 20yrs).

Has anyone actually done this? How well did it work?

The boat is now painted white above the waterline and antifouling paint (copper) below.

Thanks
Steve

 

[DJ]

Re: Epoxy Sealing of Lapstrake

I completely agree that a wood boat needs to "soak" a bit.

A wood boat with NO water in the bilge has other issues.

Plus, if you seal, from the outside, there is no way that epoxy is going to stick, due to swelling/contraction as wood moisture level changes. Your only choice is to COMPLETELY glass the hull. That is far too expensive and heavy.

Actually, the worst thing you can do to a wood boat is pull it in/out of the water.

As a youngster, we had a '57' Thompson lapstrake. After it sat in the water for a week, the bilge was nearly dry. The first dunking, after a winter out of the water, it leaked like a seive. For a day or two.

 

[Shife]

Re: Epoxy Sealing of Lapstrake

Go direct and call the guys at West. They will happily guide you even if you're not using their product. Anything you're thinking about doing they've already done.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Epoxy Sealing of Lapstrake

Be certain IF you call West Systems to mention that this is a restoration and not new construction....