applying new stopping

[roophap]

hi there
having spent almost two years restoring my 1960,s carvel built motor sailor i am now almost ready to put the old girl back in the water. i have been told i will need to apply new stopping as some of the old stuff has fallen out i have been told to use a linseed oil putty and red lead powder mix to re stop is this correct? i thought that linseed oil putty became very hard quite quickly and i have been told that nothing hard should be used to stop a boat below the water. having heard a story of a man who re stopped his boat and once he put it back in the water it swole and buckled every plank on the hull he ended up cutting here up with a hainsaw!!!.this i want to avoid so any advice would be greatly reeceived.

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[Peterduck]

As red lead powder is unavailable where I am in Melbourne, I have used simple linseed oil putty quite successfully, both above and below the waterline. I raked at the seam first to make sure that there was no dry, hard, loose putty in there before applying the new putty. Before applying the new putty, I added a little extra linseed oil. This is difficult to mix in, and you would need to mix it using a spatula on a glass plate to get it to a smooth consisitency. Doing this makes it easier to spread the putty into the seam, and makes the putty very sticky, so that it adheres well to the cotton and seam sides. Don't forget to prime the cotton before applying the putty; red lead paint above the waterline, underwater primer below.
Peter.

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[LittleShip]

Red lead putty to be used below the water line, is still available and can be obtained from traditional boat supplies here in the UK, they are on the web. John will also pass on many years of experience with wooden boats and he will talk you through what you will need to do. No affiliation with the company??

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by LittleShip on 04/06/2004 10:36 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Mirelle]

Very good advice from Little Ship and Peter Duck.

Let me add my two pennyworth:

First, clean back all the old stopping wherever a seam has opened. It will have gone very hard. the planking may take up beyond where it was and the hard stopping will do no good. The best way to get it out of the seam cleanly without breaking off spinters of wood is to tap it gently along the direction of the seam. If you can get an implement such as the end of a file which is the same thickness as the seam into it and tap that with a hammer the stopping will drop out.

You might take the opportunity to make sure the caulking cotton is sound (if white and like cotton, its OK, if brown and like potting compost, its not!) and harden it up GENTLY; then prime it with priming paint and a narrow brush.

Roll the new putty into the seam with a putty knife, making sure it is getting all the way back and in contact with the cotton.

Use red lead putty below the waterline; above the waterline use white lead putty.

An alternative, below the waterline is Jeffrey's Seamflex, which is a special compound, made for the purpose, that does not go hard, ever - if the boat has been out of the water for a long time I would try and use this.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Peterduck]

Ah. Mirelle, the wonderful concoctions that are available to you folk in the UK! Red Lead putty is not available here, neither is Jeffrey's Seamflex or their No. 1 Glue. There is only one place in Melbourne [pop; 3 million] where I can buy Red Lead Paint, and that is at Hempel's Warehouse. It is actually illegal for retailers to stock it!
On the upside, we have no "off season". Winter Series racing has just begun at my home club.
Peter.

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[fishermantwo]

Peter. An alternative to red lead used in this fishing port is tar and lime. Used underwater it works fine. Buy a tin of Orminoid or equivilent and some common builders lime. Mix the two together to form a thick putty and apply with a spatular etc. Works very well and nothing eats it. Selleys Knead it is another product that works well underwater if you need an emergency repair.

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