Are you using the new bi-ax tape? Your tape looks a little diffrent than mine.
Yes, I am. Six inch biaxial. Is your's the older tape?
Yesterday I had problems with one of the fiberglass splices. I'd finish stitching the upper panels at the bows. Even though the lower panels were also stitiched at the keel, I had not attached upper and lower panels together. I opened the stitched upper panels to put in the Mold C batten. I had already done that several times (at least 5) before with no ill effects. But that last time I did so, a crack sounded and the inner splice of the panel I had in my hands (see stick drawing) gave way. Instead of the nice curve I used to get when I opened the panels, now I had a very wide angle at the seam. The panel just above my feet was ok. The fiber in the inner splice that gave way was not broken or separated. It only seemed bent out of its rigid shape.
Given that these splices are supposed to be stronger that the wood all by itself, I was opening the panels vertically instead of horizontally. I never opened the panels beyond the lenght of the batten. Heck, I never got the chance to put the batten in.
Now I'm trying to figure how to repair this. I'm thinking of laying it flat again, spreading some epoxy on top of the failed splice and then fiberglassing it with 8" long strips laid lenghtwise or at 90 to the orientation of the original failed tape. This way I put to work the logitudinal fibers that hold the biaxial pattern together. I would also have one inch of fiberglass going beyond the width of the original tape in each of its two sides.
I'd have to repeat the same process on the opposing panel in order to keep the boat symmetrical. I was thinking of only sanding the epoxy coated area right beside the tape but not the fiber in itself. Will I have any problems if I do it that way? Or should I just sand out the fiber completely and try to start "fresh"? My concern with the latter option is that the opposing panel will have a different flexibility and I'd end up with an asymmetrical boat. The opposing panel is ok. Why should I sand the fiber out. I'd rather just lay more glass tape on top of the good fiber.
Jacques or Shine, why would this have happened?
I follwed the plan and the instructions without deviating, splice the panels together with one strip of fiberglass tape on each side of the panels. I just wanted to install the batten pulling the panels vertically. Once the batten was in place, but not secured, I would lay the panel opening horizontal to the ground and let the springing action make it symmetrical, and then I'd secure the batten in preparation to affix lower and upper panels together. While the opening was vertical, I never stepped on the panel, I only allowed gravity to pull it down as I pulled up. The wood never broke nor suffered any damage, but the splice, that's supposed to be stronger, failed.
. I thought maybe I should have slattered on more resin to end up with a thicker splice that would seem more sturdy 
. But luckily I resisted the temptation while splicing the second face of the panels.
