Calling all boat builders

Captain Coochie

Captain Coochie

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Theres a 45' boat that needs some structual work , stem post has rot and a few rotten planks below the waterline . Ive not seen the boat yet just been told about it so i dont know the extent of the rot . But as a carpenter and Joiner i cant see it as a hard job to undertake , ok a big job but no bigger than a loft conversion , cutting and fixing a roof or making a staircase . Im not a boat builder so am i thinking beyond my skills here ?
If the rot in the stem post is surface rot or a little more can sisters be put alongside and treat the rot ?
Thanks in advance ,
Jason .
 
Ahhh but i know what im looking at regarding timber . A bit of wood is a bit of wood , doesnt matter if its in the water or tucked under your floor boards ...... Does it ?
 
Do you want a 45 foot boat,just because its cheap or are you envisaging selling it on.The repairs are not too difficultas you have appliable skills,look at overall project..imvho.
 
Its cheap and im not looking to sell it on , its more of the boat i would like to end up with when im an old salt . So repairs can be done when i have the time and money over the next 30 years if need be . It also would give me the chance to rent my house out and live aboard .
 
More info required?
Materials involved,esp the planking.And caulked/splined.
Heavily built or lightweight on steamed timbers,rivets etc..A piccy maybe.
Where you going to moor this 45' for less than the cost of a monthly house mortgage.Can you get it on a trailer to your back yard for now?
I am of course playing it down.Could be the ideal project for you ,no?
 
Hi Jason,

Been there !! At the moment !!
Buy a boat with a pretty good survey (??) and end up rebuilding her !! 40% of the hull ,the whole deck !!....
If it needs structural work ,you better have a very good look at it !! It might be so much work to get her back in seagoing state that you are better off building a new one !!
Now with experience, I recon that any woodenboat over 40 years old need almost a complete rebuilding !!!
Bear in mind that they were not built to last that long !!
So my advice is this :
1) Is the boat worth saving ?? ie: by its design and historical value ??
2) Is the amount of work needed worth the effort ??
3) Investment ?? Budget ??
IF YES , THEN DO IT !! Just for the fun and satisfaction of it !!
Priceless !!!
Being a carpenter/joiner is definitively a bonus !!
But bear in mind that boats are differents in the way they work structurally !!
See my website to give you an idea : www.mavourneen-mary.com
I have plenty more pictures of the work on my PC !!
Good luck with the project and will help you if possible !

Alain.

I am a sucker for old wooden boats needing rescuing !!!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
The Stem post on the Susan Constant a 55' 23' beam and 9 1/2' draft had a stem post made of 12 parts with 10 joints holding them all together . A staircase with a turn has far more parts curves and joints than that . Two turns it becomes fun , three turns you wonder where all these bits of wood are supposed to go .
 
The planking is 2" Larch cauked on heavy timber ribs . I cant see the ribs as a problem as the ones i looked at today although had a little rot where not compleatly shot so a sister and rot treatment could be the solution . The ones i didnt see could be worse . The Stem post was very rotten at the bottom but looking at the construction of a few stem posts it could be just the top peice of timber in a layer timbers .
A few pics .....
Image015_sized.jpg
 
I went to see this today with Jason. There is undoubtedly a huge amount of work to do in the way of rib and plank replacement. The question is "How Urgently?" It certainly needs to be moved prior to the Thames Draw-off in November.

The question that I would like answered is, roughly how many man-hours are we talking to replace, let's say, 50 planks? Would it be easier to replace all the planks below the waterline? Is there a specific reason that it takes 10 years to get these boats back in the water? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Re: How long to replace 50 planks ???

While replanking about 40% of my boat in 2004, we replace 2 plank a day !! (3 persons working !!)
They were 21/2" thick Douglas Fir ,lengh between 10 and 20'.
That was drawing the plank,cutting it,planing and screwing it in position !!
So 50 planks is a month work for 2 persons 8 hours a day !!
Doing it in California was great as the sun shines !! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
If you need more tech details PM me !!

See for yourself : www.mavourneen-mary.com
 
Re: replanking all under the water line ??

Yes I will do that if I were to do it again !!
I didn't do it on mine and I already start to regret it !!!
And the boat is not finished yet !!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
In 5 years time, my new planks will be 5 years old and the other one 75 years old !!! So it's look like I will have to change some more !!
Mind you I stripped my woodmerchant in Oakland of all his douglas fir in the thickness required !!
By redoing all the planking underwater you know you will be OK for the next 20 years !!
/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Almost nothing is beyond a keen amateur,you will probably develope all the skills needed,Just one point there not ribs they are Frames which are made up of several parts each with their own name,if you become the owner of this craft it will help to get the nomanclature correct.
 
Hi Seaspray,sorry not to get right back to you...Interesting pic
From my extremely amateur point of view that looks like a big project already,you may well find suspect areas between the faces of the frame components,(tap with a hammer may help)also questionable fastenings there...And the hugest(?)expense will be to find really nice lengths of Larch if you really have to replank.Is the hull/deck sheer still without distortion?
Check further down the stem,-any Apron fitted,plank ends?..how many pieces pieced together before it attaches to the keel(and keelson if there is one)Any further rot or coming apart and you have a lot of dismantling and pattern making to do.Just takes time,so eyes wide open and don't do boatyard rent,get it home!
 
If yyou are a competant carpenter then I dont see any problem. You allready know about timber and tools, its just a matter of scale I suppose. It might be no more complex than a loft conversion or a spiral stair case , but it some time seems like it is impossible to work out the sequence of jobs.
I'd go for it just double both budget and timetable. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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