Subject: Replacing bent oak ribs w/laminated ones
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999

Thanks for the great web page, it has so much excellent information. However I didn't see a lot about laminating wood in the q/a section, so here goes.
I have a 34' c1931 Elco Cruisette in reasonably good condition and am in the process of getting her certified to carry passengers. The OCMI says I need to bring her up to Lloyds scantlings, this mean adding some new ribs and replacing some that are rotten. The original ribs are bent white oak. I want to laminate in new oak ribs because I believe it will be easier because of the tight curve in the bilge and because I don't want to take the deck apart.
What are your suggestions about how I can use your products in this project?

Thanks again for your assistance.

MARK H.

Mark,

Well, the key to laminating white oak is to use the proper adhesive, since white oak can be difficult. We suggest our All Wood Glue, which is a thick, very strong epoxy glue formulated to stick any wood together without any advance preparation of the wood. You just leave it as cut and apply the AWG, which is thick enough to fill any slack up to 1/8". And it's pure epoxy -- no additives or fillers. That's about it.

We would further suggest that after the ribs are formed, cut and trimmed for installation you apply a coat of CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) to the wood, ESPECIALLY the cut ends. This will penetrate sufficiently to give the wood considerable protection against future rot or deterioration. In fact, we -- and a lot of boat builders/repairers -- use CPES generously about the boat interior. It results in a very thin epoxy surface, through which the wood can still "breathe". Very desirable, especially on an old classic like yours.

Stay in touch and let us know if we can be of help.

Doc