Repairing a failed scarf joint on my caprail

Epoxy and all the other super glues won't allow movement. This is a flexable joint and flexible sealers must be used.

There are basically two kinds. Those that adhere and those that don't. What one uses depends on how much movement there will be. If small enough movement then adhering sealer will do. Perhaps a sealer-adhesive. But in this case metal fasteners are holding the parts together so adhesion is not needed. Whatever you put in there just needs to keep the water out. Dolphinite would be fine but probably would ooze out on a hot day or even a warm day and there would be "ooze" everywhere.

I'd find something like Dolphinite that is much like peanut butter and fill the joint w it. Then put something over the outside seam that will always be dry to touch. The two seam fillers must be compatible w each other.

This should be kinda like caulking a hull plank seam. Put something on the inside of the seam (like oakum) to keep the water out of the hull and something on the outside to keep the oakum in and isolate the oakum so it won't fall out, get torn out or come in contact w other boats (rubber duckies) fenders or even human hands.

My joints on the cap rail are close enough that there is little movement. So I use an adhesive sealant ... Sika-Flex 291.

Remove the old fasteners. Saw the faying surfaces of the joint clean. Mask everything within distance of dribble; it's gonna' be awful! Work neat epoxy into the joint and the splits and follow up with thickened epoxy. Clamp with ballast; perhaps you can span across the joint with a chunk of 2x6 supported on the adjacent deck and load the whole thing more heavily and safely. Let cure. Replace the fastenings; where they were in too-thin parts of the scarpf, use Teak dowels epoxied in. (The scarphs on the toe rails of our 1970 LeComte North East 38 were doweled at the feather ends and the normal bunged bronze bolts passed through the middle.) Replace the screws/bolts and bung. The only reasons to repair this non-structural joint is to keep water from lifting the varnish and to prevent rot from starting within the joint where the wood would always be wet.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will send pics when finished.

What epoxy for a repair like this? I need to fix a scarf joint that was torn apart when it struck an object while docking. I definitely will be using a couple of screws to draw the sections back together, but am unsure of which adhesive to buy.

mgdavis said:

What epoxy for a repair like this? I need to fix a scarf joint that was torn apart when it struck an object while docking. I definitely will be using a couple of screws to draw the sections back together, but am unsure of which adhesive to buy.

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West, Fast Tex, Devcon, etc. will work. Anything that dries clear or slightly yellow. If it stays a bit flexible that's even better.