New topic: taping and/or filleting

[Peter Nobes]

Hi all
I've been admiring the photos of Harry Holman's Greenshank build.  He's taped the rear transom to the hull on the outside and may well have on the inside too.  I just glued mine in and then put an enormous epoxy fillet on the inside.

Is my transom going to fall off when I hit bumpy water?

Thanks
Peter

[Frogsider]

Hi, Peter.  I did the same as you, and my transom didn't fall off - even though I sailed the boat hard in bumpy, strong wind over tide conditions, in which I managed to snap the rudder blade clean off.

I reckon the transom join I made, with an enormous fillet of epoxy and no glass tape, is one of the strongest parts of the boat.  In fact I used relatively little glass tape in the boat, especially where joins were at angles nearer 90 than 180 degrees, once I realised how strong epoxy fillets can be without it.

I did put in a sort of wide circumferential belt of glass on the interior of the hull in way of the mast.  This was to try to eliminate the hull being twisted by the leverage of the rig.  

I did this because I remembered once sailing a 12' lug rigged clinker dinghy in a strong wind in the Solent.  I was sitting out as hard as I could to keep the boat as level as possible, but the forward end of the boat was sailing at about 15 degrees more angle of heel than the aft end!  

[Port-Na-Storm]

Hi Peter,
No it won't fall off.

John Welsford, in his Backyard Boatbuilder's book says that he stress tested epoxy fillet joints by driving his pick-up truck  over one. The ply broke but the joint didn't, good enough for me!

Enjoy your boat without worrying its going to fall apart.

Cheers
Graham

[Peter Nobes]

Thanks for the reassurance - it feels very substantial and strong to me.  This Sunday the boat is being moved to Erith Yacht Club and I'm finally going to have to learn to sail properly on tidal waters.