Hi Rehd,

I think I'd use a spline if I do another Pygmy boat. In this case, the spline joint isn't meant to be stronger than the regular butt joint... it's meant to avoid the color banding that the normal Pygmy butt joint can cause. Since Pygmy's instructions have you create the butt joints long before the panels are coated with epoxy (well.. long before if you build as slow as I do), the uncoated wood tends to darken more than the epoxied joint. Also, the tape used over the butt joint is hard to saturate well. I know some have said that this is an old problem and the newer tape Pygmy supplies doesn't have a problem, but I had problems with mine just last fall... So, this spline joint isn't meant for added strength, just a more asthetically pleasing result. And it should still be plenty strong enough, if you're careful handling the joined pieces. It certainly will be strong enough on the finished boat.

Others have suggested alternate ways to avoid this color banding. One way would be to epoxy pre-coat the entire panels before creating the butt joint, that way the panels' color will remain more consistent. Another suggestion, is to use the glass tape for the butt joint, but then sand it off once the panels are stitched together... thus eliminating any problems with poorly saturated tape.

- Keith Marsh

: I think this would possibly weaken the outer sides of
: the joint and mot give much more strength than a regular butt joint.