Need to repair ash yoke

The yoke on my Loon 17 project canoe was held under the gunnels with a #10 machine screw at each end and the wood between the holes and the ends is missing.



How do I fix the yoke so that doesn’t happen again?



(Pictures of it are at http://tedhamiter.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-loony-yoke.html)

dutchmen
just cut away a triangle, and glue in new piece to match.

Dutchmen, maybe. Then I would glass
over the ends. Glass and epoxy resin.



I have made sitka spruce thwarts to replace ash thwarts to save weight. I always glass enough of the ends to reinforce the area where the screws pass through.

My experience is that
double bolted thwarts and yokes hold up a LOT better than single bolted. Might consider that as you repair or replace your yoke.

Replace
I would either buy a new one or make my own, which is what I usually do. I like to seal the ends with resin, been using G-Flex lately, to keep moisture out. Any used hull I buy the first thing I do is that the thwarts out and look the ends over. Nothing like having the wood/bolt connection fail when you’re carrying it and end up with a nice heavy hat!



dougd

yeah
I would just replace it. A replacement yoke like that is not terribly expensive and you will probably spend as much or more repairing it.



If the yoke has great sentimental value, you can probably repair it by filling in the crack and missing wood (along with the original screw holes) with epoxy, but I would then definitely glass over the area of repair on both sides. Then just drill new holes for the machine screws.



The glass will be transparent when wetted out and the weave filled with epoxy but the glassed area will be a slightly different color after you oil or varnish the thwart.



The ends of thwarts often rot because any water in the boat runs along under the inwales when the boat is inverted. The moisture saturates the end of the thwarts and the screw holes that the machine screws go through and rots the wood over time.



I agree that it is important to try to seal the cut ends of the thwarts somehow. I also like to drill the holes for the machine screws slightly bigger than needed so I can seal the wood exposed by the hole.



I have just used either varnish or penetrating oil, but Doug’s idea of using epoxy is probably even better.

Yoke
Pblanc knows what he is talking about. Either epoxy with wood dust for a repair, or make a new (and better) one.

yeah, restore the original yoke …

– Last Updated: Oct-12-12 8:56 PM EST –

...... that's what I'd opt. for .

Sure you can get a new one but why , the old one is nice cause it's the "old one ". As already suggested , fill the area completely where the old bolts went through (I'd use epoxy and wood flour or other filler material (silca) in the epoxy to thicken it some) . If you can manage two bolts each side during reinstall , good idea , seal ends well and new bolt hole bores too (I know that's all been said but , can't over imphesize the importance).

Only reason I've posted is that I wanted to saY ... it would be a good idea to do the crack gluing 1st before the epoxy filling . You can use the area where the missing wood is around the old bolt hole to get a wedge into , allowing for some spreading of the crack to get the glue in better . As you spread the crack ever so slightly , you'll notice the crack trying to grow a bit , you might hear it too ... spread slowly with care so you can stop before it cracks too far ... then remove wedge and clamp lightly .

ps. ... very sharp point hardwood wedge is best , harder the wood the better .