Look Mom ! No Screws !

[Jim Dodd]

That statement is not entirely true ! I use screws and Filled Epoxy for the inwhales, and the Outwhales are glued with just Filled Epoxy.
By Filled Epoxy I mean mixed epoxy, that I add Cab-O-sil, ground fiberglass, and wood flour to thicken and color the Epoxy for gluing.

The Clamps at the decks are aided by Dragons Teeth. The Teeth are wrapped with packing tape to prevent sticking when in real use.
This makes it easy to hold the Outwhales tight to the hull and deck.

Jim

 

[Alan Gage]

It takes a bit of a leap of faith to just rely on the epoxy, doesn't it? I can tell it makes my dad a little nervous every time he thinks about.

Alan

 

[Jim Dodd]

I have been tempted to go straight epoxy, and I'm sure it would work, but the screws save clamps, and make holding the inwhale where I want it without slipping as the epoxy sets.

That's is truly the biggest benefit.

I've never had any trouble with the glued outwhales coming undone.

Jim

 

[Muskrat]

I like those dragons teeth Jim. I'm going to have to try that next time. My next boat will have glued on gunwales. Less holes for rot to get a foothold and with the weight I save on screws I could probably glass sleeve the gunwales so they are truly sealed and much more abrasion resistant.

 

[TerryJames]

Jim,

where did you get those dragon teeth? They look incredibly handy and can’t seem to find any online anywhere.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Hi Terry

Boy this one goes back aways ! Good you dug it up !

They are easy to make with scraps. I painted them to make them easy to find.

Just cut some wedges and glue to a stick.
The idea is to clamp them to the gunnel before the deck. the wedges hold the clamps from slipping off the ends.

Just be sure to tape the Hull side of the teeth, to prevent gluing them to the hull.. Blue masking tape works fine.

Stick with screw clamps, either C- clamps or F-clamps. Squeeze clamps don't hold tight enough in my book.

 

[TerryJames]

Ahh yeah they do look pretty simple to build. Reading through some of these older posts, I’m not sure there is anything that you haven’t thought of. Truly a great resource to have, and I’m sure you’ve saved a lot of headaches to many frustrated builders.

 

[Jim Dodd]

An old thread ! But I realized I forgot to add a finished product pic.
Sorry !