Joining the Panels

Because the panels are only effectively half the length of the canoe they have to be joined. I decided to use a butt joint that would be glued using an epoxy and woodflour mix. So Saturday afternoon and Sunday I spent some time laying the panels out in my garage trying to make best use of the space available whilst making sure they were correctly aligned. I did this using the method outlined by JEM Watercraft which seems to work well until one your kids moves comes in and trips over your work.

I carefully read the instructions for mixing the epoxy and priming the pumps and set about trying to get the peanut butter like consistency required. As this was my first attempt I didn't know how much to mix and needless to say mixed too much. Anyway the goop was pushed into the joint and then smoothed out using a spreader. With a plastic bag under and over the glue joint I put a couple of bricks over to make sure the joint comes out flat. Nothing to do now until the epoxy cures.