rotten plank

[Guest]

i have found some soft wood which i have scraped out still it seems damp so i will get an electric heater on it to dry it out .the plank is i believe called the larboard plank the one next to the keel.Replacing it at the moment is not an option so a repair is in order the rot goes about 1/3 into the wood so i thought about slapping in plenty of red lead putty priming and antifouling any ideas

 

[chippie]

As you are after a temporary repair you might try this: Dry it out (perhaps with a heat gun) wash with fresh water , dry again and then mix epoxy resin and add up to 50% methylated spirits. Paint in and keep painting on, let soak in and keep painting as much as you can. The meths evaporates off and the resin has hardened up the spongy stuff. Once it has gone hard any more applications just sit on the surface. You may find that this temporary repair is more permanent than you expected.

 

[graham]

Plank next to keel is called the "garboard strake or plank".Difficult to say if a temporary repair will be safe without seeing it.

On a carvel planked boat sometimes the edges of the planks go soft leading to a situation where the caulking will come out easily and possibly disastrously. So have a good look at it before making any decision.

Epoxy will add some strength to the temporary repair but red lead putty will just fill the hole .

 

[spark]

Without seeing it's hard to give definitive advice but if the plank isn't going to be replaced then I would chop out ALL of the rotten stuff and glue in a graving piece ( a bit of wood shaped to fill the hole) using Balcotan 100 glue rather than epoxy (the former cures in damp wood the latter likes the wood to be dry). Ideally you should taper the edges of the hole you chop out (i.e. make it narrower at the bottom and wider on the surface, giving more surface area for the glue.)

 

[peterk]

hi graham,

Two part underwater Epoxy Putty
should do the trick for you.

Many of the BIG names make it -
I remember it under the brandnames 'Splash Zone'
and 'Underwater Poxy Putty'

before you use this just clean up the aera
- it does not even have to be completely
dry

...peter, www.juprowa.com/kittel

 

[EASLOOP]

I agree with Spark. I am in the process of re-building my East Anglian Sloop built of Mohogony on Oak. When replacing or mending any plank use a good scarf length to get maximum strength and glue area. Patching up rarely does the job properly and as your garboard strakes are always below the water you will need a good repair. Also worth remembering is that the garboard strakes take a lot of stress while in a seaway, which is why many boats are fitted with iron/steel/s.bronze floors that are bolted through the strake. Good luck
Rgds
John

 

[muchy_]

Again, all you have to think about is sitting in that inflatable, watching the upturned bow of your boat slip beneath the waves and thinking "BO**OCKS" wish I'd done the job properly now:-(

 

[peterk]

hi muchy,
I dived professionally, including some salvage.
Managed to save three wooden sailboats from sinking(further)
with underwater epoxy putty.
One of them was mine, after I'd been run into at anchor.
I bronze-nailed a patch of plywood,
liberally coated with the epoxy goop over the
2 inch hole right on the waterline.
Of course this is more in the nature of a temporary solution.
though I had that patch on for 3 1/2 months
before I could haul 'Lumpazi' out
Andy1 said that the rot went only 1/3 into the garboard strake,
not more.
I wouldn't trust read lead primer very far...

Epoxy actually firms up soft spots
and keeps the rot from spreading.
I have lived on boats full time since 1971
and ALWAYS carry UW epoxy aboard,
including on deliveries.

...peter, www.juprowa.com/kittel