Setback, or the Fancy Butt Joint

Well, I did exactly what I said I wasn't going to do; I rushed and made a mess of things. I was so excited about the rubrails that I decided to test the joint before it had had time to set. Of course, one split. So I did my best to sand away all of the glue residue and tried to re-glue the fresh ends, but I don't think it's going to work. I decided I'd probably have to re-cut both sides of that joint and re-glue next weekend.

Then I got this from Fred:

There may be a slight problem with your scarf joint. Usually the angle is very extreme, to maximize the gluing surface and contact area between the two pieces to be joined. In material of that thickness, one might expect the scarf cut to run four to six inches along its length. Your picture, unless I am misinterpreting it, shows what essentially amounts to a fancy butt joint. It may need reinforcement, which can probably be accomplished when you attach them to the rest of the structure.

I had thought about this before making the joint, but as I have a cheap mitre box, I decided to risk the 45 degree angle. I was very discouraged last night, as I received Fred's well-intended criticism of my joint immediately after one failed. But I consoled myself with the thought that the fiberglassing kit should arrive today, and I can simply reinforce the scarf fancy butt joints with a thickness of fiberglass and carry on.

This was never going to be the most perfect and beautiful boat. All I ask is seaworthiness.

My fourth rib is on its way to me, and I'm pleased about my decision to increase the displacement. I'm a bit concerned about how heavy the finished boat will be, and how I'll get it onto the car for transporting to the mighty DuPage river. But that is presupposing I will actually end up this project with a finished boat, which is far from guaranteed. So I'll have to leave my concerns about the weight for another time.