There are many options for joining the adjacent edges of plywood sheets and Dudley’s covers the options pretty comprehensively. The choice of join depends on many factors and I have used butt joins with plywood backing, taped joins, flush taped joins and scarph joins in various locations. Even the butt joins with plywood backing will have flush tape on the other surface if they are exposed or under load.
Today I prepared deck joins for both scarph joins and for plywood backed butt joins. The scarph joins are on the aft deck where it was convenient to do the scarph in situ. The plywood backed butt joins will be used to join the bridge deck to the two sides and for some of the joining panels along the deck where the joins are quite close to frames. In these cased one edge of the plywood backing piece will be fitted against the frame and the other edge will be beveled 45 degrees.
Preparing the scarph join for the aft deck around the gas bottle locker
Plywood ready for gluing around the gas bottle locker
A plywood backing piece ready for a butt join across the bridge deck
Close up of the full 45 degree bevel on the edges of the plywood butt join backing piece
Scarph join ready for gluing on the starboard quarter of our Didi 40 Cr Wide Stern version.