battening out narrow boat

[gloswood]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

[mrsmelly]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

 

I lined a new shell in 1999 and used no screws I fitted all battens on hull, bulkheads and deck head with " Grip fill " Last saw the boat 2 years ago and it was still sticking like you know what to a blanket !! Its muck cheap now adays Screwfix sell it for peanuts.

 

Tim

[sharpness]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

 

Hello there & welcome to the forum.

 

I stuck all my battens on with Gripfill 10 years ago and have never had any problems.

 

Steve

[steelaway]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

 

 

 

I used This - It does what it says on the tube.

After 7 years nothing has moved.

 

Alex

[Ex- Member]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

 

Use Tek screws, these will secure in one drill operation by drilling and tapping a thread instantly. I used around 1000 of these for fixing battens and floor bearers.

 

http://www.rjfixings.com/timberfix-tfm70.html

 

Glue as well if you like, not really necessary but you're pretty much guaranteed a good fixing throughout.

 

I'm a fan of Stixall, but Marineflex is highly rated as is Aquaflex

 

Also consider a thermal barrier between batten & steel, It can help with insulation efficiency. We weren't aware of this when we fitted battens but would consider some kind of thermal barrier would we do the same again.

[ditchcrawler]

I lined a new shell in 1999 and used no screws I fitted all battens on hull, bulkheads and deck head with " Grip fill " Last saw the boat 2 years ago and it was still sticking like you know what to a blanket !! Its muck cheap now adays Screwfix sell it for peanuts.

 

Tim

I also used Grip Fill with great success. I changed the side door linings a couple of years ago which were 18mm ply stuck to the steel doors and had to work it off with a chisel, took ages to clean it off the steel.

[gloswood]

Thanks for your help i was thinking of gripfil but i wasn't sure but i think thats what i will do,then its onward & upward.

[GSer]

Take your time getting them all level, it might seem a bit of a faff, but later on in the build you will appreciate a good job done earlier on.

 

I used Marineflex for mine on the cabin sides and just screwed the rest to the tags.

[koukouvagia]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

 

You don't say what type of insulation you intend to use, but if it's cavity insulation slabs (not the floppy roof insulation stuff) then make sure the battens are spaced at intervals just slightly less than the width of the slab. If you do this they'll stay firmly wedged in place. I then staple polythene building plastic to the battens, over the slabs, to form a vapour barrier. The result is a bone dry, well insulated boat.

[bizzard]

The Tech-screws that Julynian mentioned are very good, so is Gripfil.

[keble]

Hi, new to this forum tonight,i am hoping some one can help me out, iam refitting my 57ft boat from scratch after a slight fire,

not to much fire damage but a lot of smoke damage,so we are back to bare shell, most of the battens have came loose as the were

only screwed about every six or so feet, so intend to fix every couple of feet but thought a dab of glue inbetween wouldn't go amiss

anybody got any idea as to a good one to use, martin

Welcome - I can't help with your query but just to say I moor at Saul Marina, may see you around?

[bigste]

This thread could well have been started by gripfill themselves, what an advert. lol

[Ex- Member]

This thread could well have been started by gripfill themselves, what an advert. lol

 

Personally I wouldn't rely on it or even better adhesives like Stixall and other recommended adhesives like marine flex & Aqua flex.

 

I screwed the lot but used gripfill as well but not everywhere, usually blobs where advantageous, ceiling battens were glued all the way though and screwed. Our fitout has been a long process and I have on several occasions had to remove battens that were glued and screwed, some had stayed stuck and some when unscrewed came away. Some batten I glued under the gunwale and was supported by uprights came away on both sides of the boat full length, and this was within a year of fixing.n I ended up using small wedges and filling the gap with Stixall, it's been fine ever since as Stixall can cope with expansion & contraction.

 

You also have to bear in mind the glue can only adhere as to how well the primer is adhered or what ever pain is on the inner shell, it's likely that the paint will come away in some areas with glue attached.

 

Tek screws are quick and easy if you use a good quality drill. in addittion you can easily remove any batten you fix if you don't glue as well. Like any good quality construction it's foundation is the key. Glues like Gripfill are quite brittle and will fail eventually due to expansion & contraction, screws cope with this much better and will probably last longer than the steel they're screwed in to.

[ditchcrawler]

This thread could well have been started by gripfill themselves, what an advert. lol

Strange as when Black Ibis was asking about gluing wooden blocks almost everyone po-poed it

[gloswood]

Thanks for the latest replies, after a bit of investigating today i think i shall go with a pu adhesive/sealant marineflex/ tigerseal

or the like plus tec screws as sugested as i think this will cope with the expansion & contraction,as it will give a bit of flexibility

once again thank for your help MARTIN

[sharpness]

as i think this will cope with the expansion & contraction,as it will give a bit of flexibility

 

Just like Gripfill really but 5 times the cost!

 

Steve

[Malarky]

Something that people forgot is that you can also "bond" constructions with dark matter such as wedges and pockets. If you aquire these by increments through the build you could end up with everything easy to remove. That is working narrow and in the box for you! The last piece you fit will possibly need screwing down to prevent anyone picking it apart; but this can be incorporated into the chandlery fixings.

I used This - It does what it says on the tube.

After 7 years nothing has moved.

 

Alex

Common problem; sorting it all out then never going anywhere!

Edited March 26, 2013 by Malarky

[larkshall]

Speaking of Gripfix, is there a solvent to remove dried on excess?

[bowten]

Personally I wouldn't rely on it or even better adhesives like Stixall and other recommended adhesives like marine flex & Aqua flex.

 

I screwed the lot but used gripfill as well but not everywhere, usually blobs where advantageous, ceiling battens were glued all the way though and screwed. Our fitout has been a long process and I have on several occasions had to remove battens that were glued and screwed, some had stayed stuck and some when unscrewed came away. Some batten I glued under the gunwale and was supported by uprights came away on both sides of the boat full length, and this was within a year of fixing.n I ended up using small wedges and filling the gap with Stixall, it's been fine ever since as Stixall can cope with expansion & contraction.

 

You also have to bear in mind the glue can only adhere as to how well the primer is adhered or what ever pain is on the inner shell, it's likely that the paint will come away in some areas with glue attached.

 

Tek screws are quick and easy if you use a good quality drill. in addittion you can easily remove any batten you fix if you don't glue as well. Like any good quality construction it's foundation is the key. Glues like Gripfill are quite brittle and will fail eventually due to expansion & contraction, screws cope with this much better and will probably last longer than the steel they're screwed in to.

Stixall I agree is good but how are you using Tek screws to batten the steel sides above gunnel?

[stuart]

I used gripfil and most has failed

 

The glue has set into a crumbly power and the wood simply popped off the steel.

[Ex- Member]

Stixall I agree is good but how are you using Tek screws to batten the steel sides above gunnel?

 

The upper sides have proper structural ribbing 1 1/4 inch steel square tube. You'll notice it fixed horizontally on the engine room door. It's also used all around prothole areas hatch doors and side doors. Of course roof too.

 

 

The bottom structure was much bigger 3 or 4 inch boxed angle, it was a good 5mm thick too which fortunately wasn't battened but a stud wall built under the gunwale to the floor.