Edge Glued Carvel?

[Ifraser]

You will see from my previous postings that i was looking for a boat.. well I found one...She's a Storebro Royal Cruiser 27, twin diesel lovely condition. Anyway I saw a survey report that says she is Edge glued Carvel construction. She has traditional oak framing. I take it the planking is glued edge to edge..and does that mean there is no caulking. If that is the case do I have to be extra careful about whether she dries out if I have her ashore for the winter. I know traditional caulked seams tend to open....I'm a bit concerned what will happen to a glued seam if it tries to open? Does anyone have knowledge or experience of such. Thanks Iain

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[tillergirl]

Do you know what glue and how old she is? A chum of mine has a ketch built of iroko edge glued using epoxy which is now at least 25 years old. He did lay up in the early years in dry dock but now I believe uses a mud berth. He claims that he still only dusts the bilge and there is no question of failure! I think some of the glues used before epoxy could fail eg resourcinol glues after a substantial period when they reached the end of their natural life. My memory is foggy on the period of time and I haven't heard of this problem since epoxy arrived in common usage. I suspect the boats that had this problem are all now in the past but it is perhaps worth checking with a surveyor unless anyone else on the forum can assist.

If the glue fails it will separate from the wood leaving the wood fine for a repair. If the edge of the wood fails because of shrinkage ie the wood cracks, that could be a bit nasty to repair. Well maintained caulked carvel boats that are not kept out too long don't tend to open their seams - the clue is good maintainance (ie a sound paint job) and sensible laying up - no longer than necessary with an eye on how the vessel is exposed to wind and sun (that's a nasty spring combination to a wooden boat left out too long).

Check the frames for fractures. Obviously it would be nice to have none broken but one or two are capable of repair. If the frames are doubled in places where cracks have occured in the originals, the cause would be worth investigating. But if you have frames in good condition, no signs of the paint cracking at the seams and she is glued with epoxy, I would be relaxing a little.

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[Ifraser]

Thanks....I believe she's 1960...not sure what glue has been used but she does look in fine condition. There were a few cracked frames that have been very nicely doubled up by the owner, who is an ex-boatbuilder. He says the boat was dropped of her blocks causing the damage. Anyway at the price I've had a real close look and taken a chance!. I'm a keen woodworker it'll just remain to be seen how much i need to indulge my hobby....any other views about her construction etc will be gratefully received.....Iain

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[Strathglass]

Iain
I once owned a one rater which had butted planks with no caulking.

You have not said what timber is used for the planking.

My planking was half inch yellow pine on oak and had been out of the water for four years when I purchased her. There were gaps of up to half an inch between some of the planks, all the floors were split at the middle and half the ribs were cracked.

I laminated new floors, replaced the broken ribs, removed every plank below the waterline cleaned it up and re-riveted it and replaced one plank at both sides.
I left a gap of about 1/8" between planks.
I then chickened out from traditional convention and put a NON SETTING mastic between the planks. Launched the boat in shallow water and let the hull settle down to give about six inches of freeboard then pumped to maintain the hull at this level. After a week she stopped taking water so it was back out. By this time all the mastic had been squeezed out by the wood expanding I then cleaned and sanded the hull before painting / antifouling. When I was working on her out of the water I kept seawater impegnated sacking in the bulges to keep the wood damp.

She was an Alfred Mylne design built in 1898 and it was intended thet the swelling of the planking would eleminate caulking. On a swinging mooring she took about a gallon of water a week.

I have only writen about the work I did on the planking I also did a lot of other work on her.

I may be wrong but you may find that the planking was never intended to be glued.

Some important things are :
Keep the bilge damp inside when out of the water. using danp rags to maintain the moisture.

Use salt water not freshwater in the bilges.

Do NOT fill the hull with water to swell the planks, the hull will just split. Hulls are designed to sit in water not hold water.

Best of luck

Nice to see your name spelt correctly

Iain


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[tillergirl]

A few cracked frames is not a problem provided you know the reason - I think if she was going to come apart she would have done by now, the 60's were before epoxies though.

Enjoy

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[Ifraser]

Thanks everyone....she certainly seems solid and unless the engines don't work, then I'm comitted as we shook on the deal. She's one of those boats where everything just looked and felt right so hopefully she'll just need routine care and minor works. If not I guess I'll be learning even more about woodwork!! Anyway I pick her up Tuesday for passage back from Southampton to Poole and I can't wait!! Thanks again, I'm sure I'll be posting again for advice in the future....Iain

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