The instructions suggest using micro-balloon filler for the bow end pour to reduce weight.....could I also use this in the seam fillets for the same benefit?
The common wisdom on this forum has always been 'no', on account of the reduced strength. Unless you like taking risks, I'd not use micro-balloons in fillet mix.
That said, as with much common wisdom, I've never seen a shred of evidence to support it. Someone sometime has probably tested a microballoon-mix joint to failure and proved the hypothesis one way or the other, but I've not seen the report.
I'm sure that a micro-balloon mix is weaker, but experiments show that the fillets are way stronger than the adjacent plywood, so a weaker fillet may have no practical effect on joint strength.
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RE: micro-balloon filler
» Submitted by Camper - Thu, 3/11/10 » 12:32 PM
The common wisdom on this forum has always been 'no', on account of the reduced strength. Unless you like taking risks, I'd not use micro-balloons in fillet mix.
That said, as with much common wisdom, I've never seen a shred of evidence to support it. Someone sometime has probably tested a microballoon-mix joint to failure and proved the hypothesis one way or the other, but I've not seen the report.
I'm sure that a micro-balloon mix is weaker, but experiments show that the fillets are way stronger than the adjacent plywood, so a weaker fillet may have no practical effect on joint strength.