New Marine Manufacturing

That's a tall order. I assume you are using something like these? I assume you will bond them on place with epoxy?

I think mechanical fasteners are in order here. Do you plan to butt weld the panels prior to installation?

Hot melt adhesives MAY have a chance. They are mostly PE anyway. Then the problems becomes how to bond a large panel before the adhesive solidifies.

There are some really smart guys here, maybe one of them has an idea.

Good luck.

Is marine grade polyethylene the stuff Windsurfers were made of? Impossible to fix. Maybe ok for panels if you use lots of fasteners, and replacement is kept easy. Didn't know it had antifouling properties, that's valuable. Heat welding might work for it, but don't know how much skill is required.

If you're looking to compete with J boats, are you sure the combination of a box construction and a plastic cover won't be too heavy? I think the J used to have a box construction.

In my experience, based on several years as a sailor, trying to embed anchors into a wood/epoxy laminate is not going to give you a secure fastening over time, because wood end grain is going to be exposed to water ingress around each and every fastener, unless special attention is paid to sealing the exposed wood with a fresh coat of epoxy after each hole is drilled, before inserting the anchoring device. Water can enter from inside the hull as well. Even the best marine grade plywood is going to degrade over time, if the end grain is exposed. In my opinion, one would want any mechanical fasteners to penetrate the hull, with a bearing washer on the inside of the hull. Each fastener could be sealed from the outside using something like 5200 silicone at the time of installation.

Although it isn't clear by the picture I posted, these inserts are encapsulated in place. There is a fill and vent hole in each one.

A clearance hole is drilled and the insert is placed in the hole. Epoxy is then injected into the void filling the entire space with adhesive. The wood is sealed.

Looks like masterblaster may be on to something.

The product you are looking for is 3M Scotch-Weld DP-8005. As a Marine Engineering Tech, I have used it to bond King Starboard together. It is very tough and can be drilled and tapped and machined. The surface prepping is not difficult. With a clean surface you heat the surface with a hot air gun then apply. ( his removes oils and softens the surface) Check out the link below.

Excellent - Thank You.

M.A. Steele

Venture Hulls