Why the ‘Stitch And Glue' Method Is One Of The Most Popular Amateur Boat Building Techniques
The Stitch and Glue' method, or Tack and Tape' as it can also sometimes be referred to
, is one of the most popular boat building techniques among amateur boat builders. This is because it uses relatively little wood, which makes it cheaper, faster and easier. Also because of having fewer joints to make, this means its ideal for novices, whilst still allowing them to be able to get to grips with working with wood and learning some useful skills along the way. These can then be used in other boat building techniques at a later date, if they so wish.It should come as no surprise that the technique involves holding the pieces of wood together with stitches' and then gluing the join to hold it firmly in place. Traditionally the stitches would have been formed with wire, but other recent popular alternatives to this have been cable ties, or even duct tape, which speeds up and simplifies the process immensely.
Previously, small holes would have had to be drilled along the sides of the panels and then copper wire or similar would have been threaded through these and twisted to adjust the fit. With tape it is now more just a case of sticking it in place and you're ready to go. Once held in position, the glue can be applied and nowadays it is common to use a mixture of fiberglass and epoxy resin, which creates an incredibly strong joint and that is basically it.
As already mentioned, tape is now widely used due to it's simplicity, but using the traditional method, copper wire was popular as it can easily be twisted to precisely move the panel into the correct place. It is also a good metal for use in a water based environment due to it's resistance to corrosion. Another good point about using copper in this method is that it is easy to sand down for a good finish once the glue has dried.
A neat little trick that can be applied to boat building technique, is to glue between the wires first to hold the panels in place like the wires do in the first place, but then to remove the wires completely and then glue in between the gaps left. This is again a great time saver as it cuts down the amount of time you have to spend sanding down the wire, although you do still want to take time to make sure you have a smooth finish.
Therefore, in conclusion, as can be seen from this article the Stitch and Glue' method is one of the most popular boat building techniques among amateur boat builders, due to it's easy to manage approach, even with little or no user skill. Also the multiple ways that it can be achieved, especially with new methods such as using tape, gives different options for the novice builder to find their way.
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Why the Stitch And Glue' Method Is One Of The Most Popular Amateur Boat Building Techniques
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