What is Stitch and Glue
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Stitch and Glue
A boat building method combining plywood, fiberglass and epoxy,
used mostly for small boats. Also named taped seams.
First generation stitch and glue boats were made of plywood
parts glued with fiberglass tape and resin. The panels were
stitched together with copper wire to keep the assembly together
during the resin cure. The wire was removed later. Many stitch
and glue designs still rely mostly on wood framing for structural
strength and are not true composite boats.
More recent designs use fiberglass boat building engineering
techniques: the seams are structural and replace the wooden
framing. Not only are those boats stronger than wooden boats
but lighter and much easier to build. All beveling and wood
joinery work is eliminated. The stitches are few and made of
plastic ties.
In even more sophisticated stitch and glue designs, the plywood
is sandwiched between layers of fiberglass, usually directional
glass. Only the assembly method is left from the early stitch
and glue hulls: these are true composite boats. The plywood
is used only as core and for strength, the structure relies
on resin and fibers.
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