Growing Mushrooms...

[nick_theboatman]

Hello 43 ft 110-year old sailing boat owner here seeking a bit of help....
The transom in my boat was replaced - looks like in the 1970s sometime.
The original hull (Admiralty spec) is double diagonal pitch-pine on oak.
However the transom has started to go a bit, at the top and is growing mushrooms quite well.
Does anyone have some advice for what
(1) I can inject into the old wood to kill off the fungus and
(2) also inject in, to strengthen the timbers
until the spring when I can rip out the dodgy wood to replace it?
For (1) I have been suggested bleach or PEG 1000 (poly-ethelene glycol) and for (2) I was going to use runny epoxy...
Comments?
Thanks!!

 

[sarabande]

my first thought is a borax compound to stop the rot going any further.

http://www.boron.org.uk/boron_in_water.htm

Prevent any water, especially fresh (rain) from falling on it if poss.


Dunno about part 2.

 

[Niander]

poor little mushrooms...what they done to you?
.....antifreeze btw...

 

[robmcg]

For 2) try http://www.screwfix.com/p/ronseal-wet-rot-wood-hardener-500ml/63540

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

I myself would recommend CPES to stabilise the rot, but it's a US product and I don't know its availability in the UK. It's a two-part epoxy that has the viscosity of water. Dry out the woodwork as much as possible, then just paint on the CPES wet-on-wet until the wood won't take any more. (This is a far better solution than thinning or heating ordinary epoxy to reduce its viscosity, by the way.) But while CPES or glycol (and no doubt Ronseal) will kill rot (and mushroom) spores and stop the rot progressing, they won't impart much in the way of strength to spongy wood.

So while this sort of treatment should achieve your first temporary goal, I don't there's anything that will really achieve the second. The only real solution is to dig out all the rotten wood (and then some of the surrounding sound wood, just to be sure), treat with CPES or whatever, and replace the removed gunk with new wood -- which I note is what you're planning for Spring anyway.

Mike

 

[121]

There is a CPES equivalent in the UK - WRA System 200 Epoxy. Available from Marine and Industrial.

Re: the rot - as per WBF above; why bother "treating it"; only storing up problems for the future and condemning the boat.

Trace it back +1ft, rip it out and replace. A stitch in time and all that.... I speak from experience.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Please forgive the drift, but I couldn't help a smile when reading the first line (pedantically noticing no commas....)
viz. A very tall, exceedingly old owner of a sailing boat...........

Again, sorry for the drift.

 

[DownWest]

Resoltech, which has a UK agent, make a water based époxy that can stiffen up punky wood ( as a tempory fix) it can be applied to damp wood, too. Re.1010, a 50/50 mix and is thin, to get well in. I use it as a primary coating on all my ply. After three coats it looks like a decent varnish, but needs protection from U-V.

 

[LittleShip]

Try this....

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

Tom.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Hh'mmm.... Whatever it is, applying it wet-on-wet until the surface will take no more will be the way to go. But I'd be a bit suspicious of something that builds to a 'deep gloss surface on wood', as that tells me it's not soaking in as well as I'd want it to.

As has been pointed out, epoxies of any sort are not UV resistant, and if exposed to sunlight will degrade if not provided with a UV-protective layer of something else.

Mike