Faux Wooden Transom

[Plymouth Sailor]

Dear Fellow Sailors:

I have a Lloyds of London certified eighth of a inch teak plywood I want to place on the transom of my Hunter 25. I'm thinking that trying to clamp a piece of veneer to my transom either by vacuum bag or otherwise will be dicey at best. Does anyone believe that a supreme, outdoor contact cement will work? Gorilla glue makes one that will make tacking a piece of wood almost instantaneous.
Your wisdom appreciated.
Mark

 

[rgranger]

5200

 

[sailnoproblem]

Just a thought. I am not familiar with the Hunter 25, but if it has a curve to the transom how will you hold it in place? while the 5200 cures?

 

[py26129]

...and be aware that 5200 has a full cure time of 5 days. The fast cure stuff cure time is 24 hours.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

5200 wont work as the wood needs to be tacked down immediately and contact cement would do that. 5200 takes days or weeks to dry, albeit the best glue.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

I use 5200 all the time, good stuff however it won't work in this case.

 

[sailnoproblem]

5200 fast cure is the best for bonding wood to fiberglass. Holding it in place seems to be more of a problem.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

Fast cure is preferable however fast for 5200 is 24 hours. I still need instant tack. Gorilla glue may be the answer.

 

[rgranger]

Gorilla Glue requires pressure to get a good hold. I've done a lot of work with polyurethane glues.. Gorilla glue will foam and if there is no pressure, it will push the teak out while foaming and you will get a very weak bond..and it will foam out around the edges and make a mess. So if you go that route, you will need a way to apply pressure to the teak while the glue sets.... and make sure you take some paraffin (wax) and mark around the edge so the glue that foams out around the edges will not stick to your boat. Once it is dry you can take a box cutter and trim around the edge and peel off the dried foamed glue.

You will also have to find a way to apply pressure. You might be able to take a few 2"x4" boards, and lean them up against the teak on the transom and then apply weight to the boards and that will transfer the pressure to your teak. Or if you are on a trailer, you might be able to back up to a wall and have the 2"x4" boards wedged between the wall and the teak. Sounds tricky.

 

[Gunni]

I believe the answer is a 10 day charter in the BVI where you can reflect on your many boat projects, life priorities and lime away some peaceful sunsets as you come to your senses.

 

[philwsailz]

I would save that spendy piece of nice wood for a real project and paint a faux wood finish on if you have to pretend to have a woody. no open time for any glue, no veneer edges showing, no de-laminating, no splinters, no varnish, The end result will be much more convincing as well... What you propose will look like what it is: a hunk of plywood slapped on the back of a plastic boat.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

You've got to be retired! Kids in college, one still living with me... no liming away for me for sometime.

 

[dlochner]

I would save that spendy piece of nice wood for a real project and paint a faux wood finish on if you have to pretend to have a woody. no open time for any glue, no veneer edges showing, no de-laminating, no splinters, no varnish, The end result will be much more convincing as well... What you propose will look like what it is: a hunk of plywood slapped on the back of a plastic boat.

Couldn't agree more.

Also, think about the next owner or trying to sell your boat. 5200, gorrilla glue, or thickened epoxy will make the plywood a permanent fixture or cause a fair amount of damage to the hull if it is removed.

While you own the boat, the transom will get nicked and dented, the plywood will have a very thin veneer of teak making it difficult to repair. And then there is the annual maintenance of varnishing every spring.

If you do decide to go ahead, thickened epoxy is probably the best choice. Be sure to seal the edges and put a nice trim to hide the edges. You will need to apply clamping pressure, be creative with boards and ratcheting cargo straps.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

Eh..., yes and no. The plywood I use is marine quality teak veneer and looks gorgeous when polyurethane is applied. It's also very thin so gives the appearance of being part of the vessel. Paint, yeah, maybe, but that can also look too faux, but thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

This is my faux teak and holly cockpit floor using the same material I'm thinking of using.

 

[JRT]

So what exactly is a "Lloyds of London certified eighth of a inch teak plywood" mean? I'm assuming ridiculously expensive, I'd use it for a new finish on my old bulkheads first.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

It's marine plywood certified below the waterline, i.e. it won't separate like some compressed lumber which means it's safe to use to make boats. Not too bad in price considering it's resilience.

 

[rgranger]

.... and looks gorgeous when polyurethane is applied.

Polyurethane is not recommended for wood that will be exposed to prolonged direct sun. Polyurethane is impermeable (good for waterproofing wood) but that causes problems when the sun shines on it. You will get out gassing from the wood as water evaporates and/or oils in the wood evaporate... and since polyurethane is impermeable, you will get a bubble of gas between the wood and the polyurethane and that will cause it to flake off within a season or two. You will then need to sand it ALL THE WAY OFF before you can refinish. You need to use marine varnish on wood exposed to the sun. It is semi-permeable and tolerates out gassing. And when it needs a touch up, you can sand lightly followed by a fine grit sanding and a buff with a soft cloth... then apply a new coat of varnish. You don't have to sand it all the way down to touch it up.

Save polyurethane to wood that is on the interior of the boat and away from direct sunlight.

 

[Plymouth Sailor]

Huh, I’ve been educated! I have used polyurethane on boats since the 70s. I’ll heed your wisdom, thanks.

 

[jibes138]

Thickened epoxy and a vacuum bag should work.