Subject: [baidarka] cracked gunwale repair
From: Harvey Golden (qayaq@pacifier.com)
Date: Thu Sep 20 2001 - 15:43:04 EDT
Dear All,
I quite recently experienced a cracked gunwale. It happened during
construction (the best time!!!), and essentially was my fault: I had a very
tight bend, and in the middle of it was a deck-beam (thru-mortised). I went
upstairs one day, and admired the kayak from afar, when I noticed a bit more
of a kink than should be in the right aft-sheer.
I was well-along with this kayak-- it was done except for oil and skin. All
the ribs were present and lashed, as was the keelson. Removing the entire
gunwale was not an option for me (stubborness, stupitity-- whatever reason.)
Anyhow, I got it entirely fixed and strongly so in just a few hours. I
un-joined the gunwales at the stern, took a Japanese razor-saw to the
gunwale just ahead of the break, and sawed a well-ratioed scarf. Then I
took the remaining three feet of the stern gunwale (that had been cut off),
and sawed a scarf through it. Now all I had to do was find a piece of
scrap to scarf in between the gunwales two scarfs-- essentially a fill-piece
where the break had occurred.
First, I scarfed the fill-piece onto the loose portable gunwale piece, and
after the poly-glue dried, I scribed a scarf-cut that would match the one on
the gunwale end that was still attached to the kayak. Once this was cut and
glued, I re-sprung the gunwales back into shape, lashed evertyhing back
together, and more or less went on my merry way.
Two important points, though: I drew a scaled-line and took measurements of
the aflicted area of the gunwale just to ensure everything would align
properly (i.e., not make the keyed piece such that the repaired gunwale
would be 13 inches longer than the other gunwale. Also I took special
precautions such that I wouldn't glue the gunwale back on uspide-down.) The
second point is: I made a slightly less-acute bend in the gunwale this
time.
Good luck on repairs; better luck on simply not breaking them in the
first-place.
Harvey
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