bonding wood to fiberglass

[michaelmrc]

is there a special blue epoxy ?? etc that i can use to bond some teak strips to the outside of my boat? these will be 1/4 trim strips that i want to attach but dont want to use screws or anything else visible. any ideas. thanks

[pressuredrop]

nothing special about blue epoxy, mix up some epoxy, add cab-o-sil/colliodial silca to almost peanutbutter consistency and glue em on... made sure you abrade the areas where they will be bonded well for best results

[tager]

I would not be surprised if they pop or peel off at the worst moment. I guess it's not a big deal, since they are trim. I would make sure the wood is good and clean, even a solvent wipe might be a good idea. A roughing with 100 grit should help them stick.

[CDunc]

dont forget to put a slight concave surface to the side you are bonding so the strips will lie flat against the curved surface of your boat it makes for a more bristol look.

[Capn Morgan]

Would it not help to use Sikaflex or 5200? It will flex more with temperature changes etc and probably last longer.

[barnakiel]

And work clean - epoxy darkens in the sun.

b.

[Prerequisite]

I think the toughest part of this job will be clamping the trim to the hull while the epoxy sets. If you can come up with a good way to do that, I see no reason why epoxy wouldn't be perfect for this application.

[boatman61]

If I may make a suggestion...
give the side thats being bonded to the hull a few really good wipes with Acetone then a rough sanding and wipe clean again with a final wipe of Acetone... obect is to degrease that side of the teak as much as possible...
then a coat of clear epoxy to pre-soak the teak...
When dry wipe off the waxy deposit till well clean, sand, acetone again then do your bonding...
The reason I suggest this is teaks an oily wood and if not primed well into the grain it'll pop off in a year or two as the bond looses adhesion...

[James S]

Originally Posted by CDunc

dont forget to put a slight concave surface to the side you are bonding so the strips will lie flat against the curved surface of your boat it makes for a more bristol look.

Good advice.
Even if the surface is flat this exercise can help prevent the edges pulling away later due to cupping.
Look at how the backside of a door jamb is grooved length wise...this also helps prevent cupping.

I would be more inclined to use something like 4200 rather than epoxy.

[smallyachts]

I would recommend using 4200 (semi permanent) or 5200 (permanent) instead of epoxy.

Should you, or the next owner decide to do something different in regards to trim it will be a much easier job to remove it or change it.

4200/5200 can be released with a release agent.

Epoxy requires to be ground/sanded to remove it, then of course, if trim is not going back in that particular location you have a larger repair project on the fiberglass surface.

Just remember, someday you will be referred to as the PO. It can be a positive reference, or can resemble (censored) PO.

Just my 2 cents.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by boatman61

If I may make a suggestion...
give the side thats being bonded to the hull a few really good wipes with Acetone then a rough sanding and wipe clean again with a final wipe of Acetone... obect is to degrease that side of the teak as much as possible...
then a coat of clear epoxy to pre-soak the teak...
When dry wipe off the waxy deposit till well clean, sand, acetone again then do your bonding...
The reason I suggest this is teaks an oily wood and if not primed well into the grain it'll pop off in a year or two as the bond looses adhesion...

Good advice...it is often suggested to not glue teak for the oily wood reason...

[michaelmrc]

Good answers so if teak is considered to oily what about mahogany?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by michaelmrc

Good answers so if teak is considered to oily what about mahogany?

Mahogany is good... I'd still follow the same priming process though...
just sticking bare wood onto the bonding wont be long term... especially if theres concave curves following the hull..
But what do I know....

[Bergovoy]

i would think that it may still be prone to 'popping off' at some time as the materials are different... some will stretch, and expand and shrink with temperature, and humidity and all that.

what about encasing the wood in epoxy, even maybe using some fabric/cloth to wrap them...

the epoxy will shrink and become tight around the wood strips, and even be mostly transparent.

you can sand them smooth, then epoxy the 'wrapped' sticks to the hull..

the wood will never come off after that...and will be protected against the elements...

[panglao dave]

Contact Gougeon Bros tech helpline or their website there was excellent article on bonding to teak.....some of the suggestions that the epoxy will "pop" are fanciful to say the least.

Properly applied the teak will be worn down before the epoxy gives up it's grip


Gougeon qualified epoxy tech.