Coachroof leaks

[noswellplease]

After the miserable Winter I noticed a few areas inside the cabin where a little water has been getting in. The Coachroof is made of wood and some 40 y.o. but was very well made to start with. I noticed a few hairline cracks in the paint surface on the outside and guess these are the areas where the ingress occours. Question, should I sand down apply some heavy duty undercoat then topcoat. Should I consider having the lot glassed over, which is proably a bit pricey and not look to wonderful after it, or can any forumites suggest new fangled products or methods that might solve this water problem once and for all. Any suggestions or advice much appreciated. .

 

[Tranona]

Almosr certainly if it is plywood, then the cracks in the paint will be over joins in the sheets of plywood. You may well find that water has got into the plies and could have caused rot, but you won't know until you get the paint off and inspect the ply. Repairs could be as simple as raking out whatever is in the seams, drying out and then resealing preferrably with epoxy filler. If you do have rot, which is often not visible from the outside, but pushing a spike in near the seam will tell you a great deal - could be a big job.

 

[noswellplease]

Coachroofleaks

Thanks for the reply Tranona though the postscript does not leave me feeling too wonderful.I guess some further investigation required.

 

[Cliveshep]

Why not do what the old-time builder's used to do before modern stuff became available? They bedded canvas down onto wet paint, stretched it and tacked it over the edges, (copper tacks) covering the turn-down with a thin batten. Then painted the top as normal. Loads of wooden boats still have the same roof 30, 40, 50 and more years down the line! Also used for decks.

 

[Tranona]

Thanks for the reply Tranona though the postscript does not leave me feeling too wonderful.I guess some further investigation required.

30 years of living with a plywood boat teaches one to always think the worst then you are pleasantly surprised when it turns out better!

Seriously, though, you really won't know the extent of the damage (if any) until you get the paint off. You may well find where there are cracks that it will just peel off, but heat or Nitromors will shift it. How much damage there is will depend on the quality of the wood, particularly ply and the amount of time water has been in there.

The style of repair will again depend on the extent of rot, the underlying construction and the skill of the repairer. I have used anything from complete replacement (rare) to patching with laminations, graving pieces and wood/glass/epoxy composite. Generally I use epoxy as there are many techniques that are effective for both small and large repairs. Suggest you get onto the West Epoxy website www.wessexresins.com as there is plenty of material on wooden boat repairs. Even if you do not do the work yourself, you will learn a lot.

 

[Mandarin331]

I'm not sure what your decks are, but I've used the following technique a couple of times with complete success on pine planked decks where the canvas has rotted.

- remove all deck fittings, beading etc

- strip back to the planking.

- Cover with well bedded and fastened marine ply.

- cover the marive ply with woven glass mat (single thickness) bedded and coated with coloured epoxy.

- Replace deck fittings, beading etc

This elminates any problems with expansion of the planking, looks just like the original canvas, lasts for years and is non slip. Its also not that expensive and well within DIY capability.