. Rob Macks mentioned that he used polyurethane glue on his decks
: because heat doesn't soften it and make joints creep, so I tried it. This
: stuff bubbles and foams and expands by a factor of 2 or 3, as can be seen
: in the pic. No nasty surprises, and the glue though expensive
: goes a very long way.

The following is an excerpt from my instruction book;

I like using yellow carpenter’s glue for stripping my hulls. I have switched to using Franklin’s Titebond II, which is a cross linking polyvinyl acetate, or PVA for stripping my hulls. This glue has the highest temperature tolerance as well as being water resistant. I have not had any problems with hulls stripped using this PVA.

This glue has a higher creep strength than the regular PVA (aliphatic resin) yellow carpenter’s glue. Although it does not develope a high tack strength as quickly as regular Titebond.

Pros – It is one part, ready to use and cleans up with water. It dries fast and has high tack strength after a ten minutes. It’s cheap and readily available. Non toxic, and odorless.

Cons – Like all PVA glues it is reactivated by heat and will clog sandpaper if not scraped off thoroughly. I’ve had problems I suspect are related to PVA glue. I have noticed small white specked areas of fiberglass lifting on the decks of some of my kayaks. I believe heat from the summer sun hitting the deck has produced enough heat to reactivate the glue, especially on dark colored woods. The glue could become soft and creep, causing the deck strips to shift. This could cause the fiberglass sheathing to be stressed and turn white.

I recommend not using PVA (yellow carpenter’s) glue to join the deck strips.

An Alternative Glue for Deck Stripping
The deck receives much more heat than the hull. This comes from
summer sunlight and the fact the deck is isolated by the air chambers of the storage compartments from the cooling effects of water on the hull. So it is important to use a glue OTHER than PVA yellow carpenter’s glue.

Polyurethane glue, Excel or Gorilla Glue the available forms of polyurethane glue.

Pros – It’s a one part glue, water proof and sands easily. It expands as it sets so it fills some gaps. Less glue is used in joints because of the expansion. It requires only low clamping pressure.

Cons – These glues cure in the presence of moisture. Overly dry shop conditions can cause wood to be too dry to work with polyurethanes. Under such conditions surfaces to be joined need to be misted with water to prevent glue failure. It is especially important to have a humidity gauge in your shop if you use this glue. Rubber gloves must be worn to prevent brown stains that can’t be removed.

All the best,
Rob