Iron floors

C

clouty

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Shoreham again
janeclout.com
I am considering taking on a mahogany on oak 1950's Buchanan 30' sloop. She's been neglected for a couple of years or so. The main defect, prior to hauling for a look at the underwater hull, is that the iron floors appear to be about 50% rusted out. What sort of job would it be to renew these? Has anyone experience that I can benefit from?. Wondering whether to go to the next stage, haul and survey, or to walk away.

Thanks for reading,

Jane /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
The floors can be re-made and galvanised, not as huge a job as one would first think, if they are cast, they can be fabricated by a good man. My bruve renewed a few of his on his lifeboat, just got them fabricated and galvanised as I said, not a bunch of money either.
 
Hi, depends. If the floors are fastened as is usual, with ferrous plank bolts, the planking can be soft around the fastenings, sometimes to the extent of requiring plank repairs/replacement if excessive. It also may be necessary to remove the ballast keel if the floor/keel fastenings are deteriorated and if the fastening heads are between the lead or iron keel and the underside of the timber keel. Occasionally the keelbolts will be the floor fastenings in which case the ballast keel can remain.
Hope that helps.
John Lilley
 
Many thanks for the advice. Thinking about it, I would be wise to renew floors and keelbolts next winter. Sounds like the floors are the least of my problems then. I have helped renew keelbolts before. Thanks again.
 
When you do replace the floors it would be good to have them galvanized and then coated with epoxy tar, so as to electrically isolate them form the (presumably ) copper or bronze fastenings in the rest of the hull. Be warned though, taking out the floors might expose or lead on to all sorts of other fun stuff....planking, frames, fastenings, keel/hog. Its a pure joy
 
The floors may be less of a worry than the planking

John Lilley's advice is very much to the point. If, as is rather likely, the floors are fastened with iron bolts through the mahogany planking, the planking will probably have softened around the bolts and you may be looking at a very serious situation.

I have seen a nice Buchanan sloop, so constructed, in a very parlous condition because of this. There is really a limit to what can be done with graving pieces and if you start renewing planks the cost will be staggering as you will need long lengths to keep the strength in the boat and retain the correct shift of butts.

If on the other hand the underwater planking is teak, as is the case with some of these boats, you are laughing all the way to the bank, as teak resists the electrolytic degradation far better and teak planks will be fine. However, be warned that many boats of this era are described as having teak bottom planking when only a couple of strakes are actually teak, so the iron bolts go into mahogany planking.

My boat is a generation older, with iron floors and teak planking; several floors have been replaced - no big deal and as CC Scott says not so expensive as you might fear. But she has teak planking.

My advice would be to look very carefully indeed at the planking in way of the floor to frame bolts and if in doubt, pass up the boat.
 
Teak - Wonderwood?

Shockingly, as a wooden boat owner, I know virtually nothing about timber. Having now owned Crystal for almost two years since her last survey, I am sometimes kept awake by thoughts of rot (and, for some reason, of her suddenly deciding to sink - one night I came home, hopped aboard and thought something was wrong with her motion - she had taken on water almost up to the cabin sole within the space of 12 hours - still don't know why). I am of a clinically paranoid nature (fear not, about to start Hypnotherapy for it), which is sometimes healthy with old boats, but even so...

...I hear lots of things about Teak. In response to a whinge of mine about the difficulties of revarnishing afloat, he told me I needn't worry too much, as Teak could well be left unvarnished if need be. This may well be true, as all horizontal cockpit surfaces are bare Teak. I am also, having read the learned Mirelle's previous post, fairly confident that I shouldn't be overly worried about rot with constantly immersed Teak planking - she has been in the water now since I bought her, in September 2003, though mostly as a result of my appalling disorganisation and a lack of anywhere else to live.

With her cockpit covered when being left for any great length of time, is there anything woodwise I do need to worry about with a Teak-constructed boat?

/<
 
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