Caulking???

Beth_1934

Beth_1934

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Good Morning Everyone /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Had a breif chat with my mum last night, lol, regarding beth and basically with her exstensive years of service with my dad antifouling re caulking and god nows what else! Let me into the fact that i may need to recaulk beth /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Beth herself has been out the water now for just over three years and for what i can see has one or two small (and i mean small) gaps of light coming in.

What im wondering if what to do about them?? Is it worth getting her in the water now before i start any interior or exterior work and get the boards swelled up?? or fill her up with clean tap water until the boards swell?? or even worse strip all the paint off and re caulk her??

Ontop of that ive never caulked a boat and wouldn't even know where to begin /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Can anyone (pardon the pun) but shed some light as to what to do for the best??
 
Recaulking before the planks have taken up may well cause damage. If the planks swell and have nowhere to go they will cup.
"or fill her up with clean tap water until the boards swell??
No. Filling her with water will spring the planks. The hull is designed to withstand water pressure from the outside, not the other way. Tap water, or any fresh will hasten rot. You would be better to get some old sacking or hessian backed carpet or similar and lay it in the bilges and keep it soaked in seawater. You can hang similar material from the toerail and tie it round the hull and do the same on the outside.
Of course, you could put the boat in the water and keep pumping until she takes up but she will probably need to come back out for caulking and painting.
Either way, tackle the caulking once the planks have taken up, not before.
 
first off don't panic. It doesn't sound that bad. My old blackwater sloop spent five years out of the water before I bought her and she had so much light coming in I thought she'd never float! All you need is red lead putty and a bloody good pump. She'll take up after a couple of days and after a week all will be well. I'll leave the detail to the more expereinced bods on here but I very much doubt you'll need to recaulk. Putty will fill the gaps until she takes up

Best of luck.
 
If you're going to fill the gaps with putty, soften it first by adding more linseed oil to it. When you do this, the putty becomes very sticky, which is a good thing. Then when the planks do take up, it will be easier for them to squeeze the putty out. You could alternatively try adding mineral grease to the putty for a putty which doesn't harden completely.
Peter
 
If that's a launching trailer in the pics, I would get her on the slip at low tide , make fast so she doesn't go anywhere and let a tide or two wet the hull-- be prepared to pump if it's pissing in-- and see what happens.

You would be amazed how much some woods, eg larch, will expand when wetted. If she won't take up, okay, you may have to look at caulking. But I would be surprised if she doesn't.

I should point out that I follow the rule "Do the minimum required to get sailing." Others may differ.
 
Thanks guys im going to get her stripped back this weekend well paint anyways and see what she's like underneath.

I quite like the idea of the carpet wrapping might give that a try first
 
"OLD"

Now I'm confused as I have spoken to him and found his information very useful in the past. Is this a tongue in cheek post or misprint.

I cant understand why you say "don't speak" and then post the web address???

Totally confused

Old Tom!

PS, Peters advice re mineral grease is a good one and will help keep the putty soft for a very long time.
 
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