Hello,

I am looking for a little help with a repair

I have recently purchased a secondhand wooden merlin #3173, the boat is in reasonable condition but I have noticed that one of the strakes is lose but only towards the front of the boat, most of the strake is glued up ok but has separated at the point where the boat sits on the launching trolley. 

What is the best way of repairing in this? Can I just glue it back together, and if so whats the best glue to use?

Or would it be better to use epoxy?

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Regards,

Steve Mason

Hi, I've found epoxy works very well for most things, so long as the wood is dry and solid.  If the strake is loose because of impact, allowing it to dry out really well might be all thats needed before re attatching it. If it's detatched because of water getting in and the wood being too damp and/ or a little rotten, probably best have the whole thing off and sort out the underlying problem before closing it up with epoxy. Hope that helps