Wooden Boat Restoration Repair - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

WEST SYSTEM epoxy and repair information is backed by over thirty years of
experience.
Gougeon Brothers, Inc. has been manufacturing WEST SYSTEM epoxy since 1969 and
has earned a reputation for excellence in formulating practical, long-lasting and
affordable epoxies for marine construction. New sail and power boats constructed
with WEST SYSTEM products have dominated many classes of competition and families
are cruising throughout the world in seaworthy craft built, restored or maintained with
WEST SYSTEM epoxy. Gougeon Brothers, Inc. has the construction experience,
research and testing, and qualified technical staff to answer specific repair questions
and provide expert guidance to those using WEST SYSTEM products.
1.4 Key steps in repair and restoration
1.4.1 Bonding for stiffness
The three key steps in formulating a plan for the use of epoxy in the repair or
restoration of wooden boats are:
1 Bonding for stiffness
2 Coating for moisture protection
3 Ventilating for longevity
The issue of stiffness is fundamental in our thinking about epoxy in marine structures.
As mentioned, the loss of stiffness in the original structure is one of the problems
leading to the boat’s deterioration. When you use epoxy to repair or restore a boat, you
are introducing stiffness into the structure. If you are planning an overall restoration of
the boat, the comprehensive use of epoxy as the adhesive and moisture coating will
give you a very stiff and durable structure.
What if you are not planning a total rebuild, but are interested in large or small local
repairs to a basically sound boat? Bonding and encapsulating wood with epoxy can
greatly increase the local or the overall stiffness of a boat. Most of the time this stiffness
if beneficial. Occasionally, if the job is not well planned, the newly introduced stiffness
can have a detrimental effect, usually in the form of stress concentration, on the
durability of the repairs or the integrity of the original boat.
First, identify the structural unit that you want to repair and how it fits in the overall
boat structure. Look for structural units where the newly introduced stiffness will not
work against the original structure. Many times this approach can help you set limits to
the repair job. We suggest that you look for the logical breakdowns in the structure.
Scarfing a plank, rebuilding a hatch, replacing the transom, replacing a frame,
rebuilding the top of a deck house, replacing all of the deck—all of these are
possibilities. Edge-bonding the hull planking with epoxy after cleaning the seams is the
single best thing you can do.
1.4.2 Coating for moisture protection
Introduction 6
Encapsulating offers a valuable advantage to new wooden boats by forming a
continuous moisture barrier over every part of the boat, inside and out. By coating
every surface of every piece of wood in the boat with at least two coats of epoxy, the
moisture content of each piece remains at a constant level far below the fiber saturation
level and the structure is dimensionally stable. Encapsulating is easy to accomplish
while building a new boat because every piece can be coated at the most convenient
point before or after it is bonded in place. Especially important is being able to coat
pieces or surfaces that can no longer be reached once the structure is assembled.
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