Repairing cracks in lapstrake planks with West System Epoxy

🔧 Repairing Cracked Lapstrake Planks with Epoxy | Traditional Wooden Boat Repair In this episode of Nomad Boatbuilding, Mark Reuten tackles cracks in a traditionally-built Acorn dinghy using time-tested techniques paired with West System epoxy. This classic wooden boat, once built at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, suffered sun damage during dry storage—leading to several split and cracked lapstrake planks. Mark walks through a careful repair using Dutchmen (splines), epoxy filling, and heat-assisted saturation for tight hairline cracks. With a blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern epoxy methods, this is an excellent deep dive into wooden boat repair for anyone restoring or maintaining traditional planked hulls. ▶️ In this video, you’ll learn: When and how to use splines to reinforce cracked planks How to flood-checks with unthickened epoxy Tips for using heat to thin epoxy without weakening it How to stop cracks from spreading When to choose spline vs. fill-and-seal techniques Smart clamping and jigging techniques for awkward repairs Why grain orientation and end-grain saturation matter This video is the first of a two-part series focused on bringing this traditional dinghy back to life. Stay tuned for Part 2! 🎥 Watch more videos on traditional boatbuilding: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnOoJJKdbR4Lk9QaAMWkjBHCzF1Nto2Um&si=g1004uIALSvgEzpV 🛠 Sponsored by: https://www.westsystem.com My website: https://www.nomadboatbuilding.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomadboatbuilding/ It's not about the money but living isn't free... Here are some ways you can support this channel. Buy some merch: https://www.nomadboatbuilding.com/shop/ Support these videos with monthly or annual pledges at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nomadboatbuilding Or make a one time donation: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/nomadboatbuilding Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:06 Roll the hull and plan the repair 06:46 Making the router template 08:36 Using the router template 10:00 Double sided tape tip 13:44 Cutting the dutchman slot 14:21 Inspect the progress 18:18 Make and fit the dutchman 20:07 Marking the length with a masking tape trick 23:59 Gluing the Dutchman 35:10 Fairing the dutchman 39:35 Outro #WoodenBoatRepair #Lapstrake #WestSystemEpoxy #TraditionalBoatbuilding #EpoxyRepair #BoatRestoration #NomadBoatbuilding #AcornDinghy #WoodworkingTips #SplineRepair #DutchmanFix #BoatRepairSeries #CedarBoat #HeatGunEpoxy #LapstrakeRepair #CowichanBay #EpoxyHowTo #MaritimeRestoration #WoodenDinghy #DIYBoatRepair