Eek! Found some rot

erbster

erbster

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My boat has "enough wood to make it interesting". However, I have discovered a little bit of rot on my bowsprit. I don't think it has weakened the bowsprit and the rot is not visible when the bowsprit is fitted (I'm in the process of varnishing it).

I'm not too worried as, being a trailer sailor, Aurora spends a lot of time in the dry. I think the rot occurred during the tenure of the previous owner, who kept the boat on a mooring.

What would be the best way to treat the wood to prevent (slow down?) further deterioration?
 
+2.......

But if you really want to slow it down and you feel replacement isn't necessary, thin epoxy.

I've posted before that I use a penetrating epoxy on all my wood now it prevents any water ingress in the future, look up some of the old threads on treating wood.

Tom.
 
Don't think there is anything that can stop the rot, but it is quite possible that it can be repaired. The normal way would be to cut out the rotten section and glue in a graving piece. Whether it will work depends on the location and extent of the rot.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not sure if it is economical to repair the 'sprit, so perhaps I'll compromise and replace it at the end of the season. Meanwhile I'll pop some epoxy resin on the damage and varnish thoroughly.
 
There is absolutely only ONE way to deal with rot, and that is to cut out ALL the rotten wood (and then some more for good measure) and complete a proper repair, as Tranona suggests. The only use for epoxy at this stage is to prime the entire cut-out surface with CPES (clear penetrating epoxy sealer -- note, this is not thinned epoxy, it's its own product) before completing the repair. CPES is as thin as water, and you keep painting it on, wet-on-wet, until the wood will accept no more. It soaks into the surrounding timber and its purpose is to stop further rot forming inside the repaired spar. (If you do attempt to repair the bowsprit with a graving piece, then you might well want to use ordinary epoxy to glue it in with, but this is a different issue altogether.)

As Rum Pirate implies, bowsprits carry significant bending and compression loads, and if you lose one in a blow you'll lose your outer forestay and it's quite possible you'll lose your mast as well.

Only you can make the judgment as to what to do about the bowsprit and when, but please don't expect a coating of epoxy to do anything for it at all -- covering the outside of a rotten piece of wood with epoxy is to simply throw your money away. It adds no strength, and it doesn't stop the rot progressing.

You might want to consider using a temporary sister bolted alongside the rotten part to get you through the season.

Mike
 
Points taken.
On my cape cutter, the bowsprit only carries loads to do with the Yankee and does not support the mast. The mast is supported by a forestay attached to the (fibreglass) hull. Furthermore, I do not tend to use the yankee in anything other than modest breeze (ie Yankee and staysail not often used together, more usually staysail as the only foresail). The damage is minor I believe (here's a photo: http://s615.photobucket.com/user/erbster_photos/media/Mobile Uploads/image.jpg.html) and the end of the sprit fits securely still into its stainless bracket.

My concern was to prevent further deterioration, but I am now minded to repair the spar with new wood as suggested or replace it. I'll take advice from the builder, as my woodworking skills do not extend much further than varnishing.
 
It does need a proper repair, ie remove all the decayed wood, plus a bit more, then glue in a graving piece. But looking at twhere it is, this should be pretty easy. You can make it slightly oversize, then plane and sand it down flush. Not scary, not expensive. Promise
 
Glad I read this thread, because I was about to use ordinary West Sytems 104 to 'seal' sheets of ply which I'm hoping to defend against water. I began the year thinking varnish was the answer, then gladly transferred my enthusiasm to epoxy...but is clear penetrating epoxy sealer what I need?

I know I'll still want the regular epoxy for gluing the ply to the rest of the structure, but is the 104 I've bought definitely not ideal as marine 'woodseal'?
 
LittleShip said:
As Wooden Boat Fittings states re penetrating epoxy but......

CPES "isn't" available in the uk and thinned epoxy isn't the same, that said this is available in the UK.....

http://www.mbfg.co.uk/epoxy-resins/eposeal-300-epoxy-primer.html

This is what I use and it smells and works the same as CPES.

Good luck with whichever way you decide to do the job.

Tom.
Click to expand...

I was up with MBFG last week, a good Belfast company. Highly recommended, they don't mind actually talking to customers and they know their stuff.
 
Either cut out the tenon and scarf a new tenon in place or, subject to the outer forestay and the bobstay not being too long, do the traditional quick and dirty repair and shorten the bowsprit, cutting the new tenon where the old one stops.

Looks like the rot started due to fresh water accumulating in the housing.
 
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