Battens and Insulation

I spent this weekend finishing the prep work so battens could be glued to the hull. I used exterior grade heavy duty construction glue. I used this in the Westerly with good results. I think this is what the old battens were held up with too (as well as some staple that had rusted out). Since there is a wood core in the bow area deck, I used a temporary screw to hold the batten in place while the screw set up. On the cabin top sides there is no core so clamps or very small screws were used.

The battens are 1/4 inch plywood ripped down to 2 inches wide. I used the table saw to make kerfs or relief cuts to help them bend. I ended up using a small back saw to make more cuts as needed, which ended up being quite a few. But, the battens laid down well and after the glue set up overnight I was able to remove the screws.

Next I made patterns and cut 1/4 inch cork to fill in the areas between the battens. On the deck area where there is a core this is not needed, but on the cabin sides it will add a layer of insulation for year round cruising. It will also make a more solid under surface for the finished wood.

The cork was bought for the Westerly on ebay. It is 4x300 feet and only cost a couple hundred dollars. A pretty good deal. I used 3M super 77 because it will be covered by finish wood so I don't have to worry about it falling off. For the areas where the cork will be exposed, like in lockers, I'll use the Super 90, it has a little more hold.