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Old 04-08-2012, 07:52 AM   #55
Portuguese
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City: Salvador - BA
Vessel Name: Rainha Jannota
Vessel Model: Curruira 46
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 667
Wood epoxy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tidahapah View Post
I really shouldn't get involved here as for me boats are made of wood and I mean solid wooden planks not strip plank or plywood.
All other vessels are just containers that keep the water out.
I still have my adze, caulking hammer, caulking irons , clinching tools for carring out the odd repair.

Now don't take me too seriously all you owners of waterless containers.

Benn

Last week, I was invited for lunch in a 35 years old 47' sailing catamaran made in Germany by its owner. The boat, as a multihull, was constructed in wood epoxy, which is the technique used to built my so known by now, Rainha Jannota. Although the catamaran has been around the world several times and now residing in the calm and protected waters of Bahia, the owner showed me the original sawdust still existent on the bottom of the hull. He also showed me a 1 ˝” diameter disk recently cut from the hull to install a new depth sensor. The wood was absolutely dry after 34 years on the water. In time, the wood was red cedar from Brazil.

Wood epoxy, Mr Tidahapah, is a modern form of wood boatbuilding. It is the best of both worlds, you have a boat with “soul”, the wood, protected and reinforced with high tier resin/glue technology. They don’t come cheap, I agree, but they will cost the same as an high tier vacuum bagged, cored fiberglassed boat.

Rainha Jannota does not have 10 or 12 “solid” 5” x 5” frames. She has 22 X 1 ˝” X 3” frames, but the first boat similar to mine, has been “rallying” on top of some rocks for two days, pushed back and forward by the tides. Once in the shipyard, all they did was to put some epoxy past and paint over.

This is all I have to say about wood epoxy boats.

Regards

Fernando
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