Wooden tanks repair advice

A photo might be good... Tanks are always a nasty fix because of the access. Its difficult to know how much good a hatch will do for you... Has the glue join failed or has the ply delaminated at the edge? How old is the boat? If you think its gone from repeated impact on the deck then the concern is stopping it doing it again... Especially if she's a pretty new boat...

You know I might try a quick and dirty on this one before going serious... Get the boat under cover and really dry out the crack. Put a thin screwdriver or too in to open it up slightly and then use a hair dryer (hot air stripper too vicious, it will take off the varnish of course) to really dry out the crack. Use a scalpel or something to get every bit of rubbish you can out. Now prop the boat up against the wall so that the crack is vertical. Mix up some epoxy with just a tad of microfibres in it and warm it so its runny (v small quantities) and dribble it down the crack. Make a dam or something with parcel tape so it doesn't go everywhere. Once the crack is all wet with epoxy bang a staple or two in to hold the ply down and let it cure. I reckon you've got a 50/50 chance of it holding for a couple of seasons, and its shed loads less work. Getting the boat positioned so the epoxy will dribble down the crack with gravity is essential...

If this doesn't work... If the deck really isn't coping with the loads you are now putting on it then, reluctantly, the best cure is to rip the decks off, clean everthing up properly and put in some extra deck beams. I like to use styrofoam (eg Dow Floormate) to support ply decks these days as it spreads the load so much better for the same weight as ply/timber beams.

You might be able to fiddle in a beam through a hatch I suppose, but it really would be a lot of hassle to get a good fit... I wouldn't fancy it. Maybe a better wood worker than I would be happy to do it.

Edited by JimC

Could you tape put glass tape on the outside too, in a Mirror stylee?

I don't think it matters much how the styrofoam is assembled provided its there and supporting the deck. Obviously its got to make good contact with the tank side and the hull shell to give the most support. I think it would be exceeding difficult to do through a hatch: I's sure I'd lose my temper and start throwing things around if I tried! Doing it in say three pieces epoxied together might be more practical.

You do want something a bit more rigid than the lighter packing grades though, the Floormate seems good. I'd definitely get epoxy in there rather than varnish no matter what, nd gravity really is your best buddy, so position the boat carefully. Worn tyres from your local (motor)bike shop are ideal in the shed I reckon.

Sounds like I sould get him on board!