Soft Pine or Rot

[Ifraser]

Hi, I have just looked at an ex fishing boat which I am considering using for family cruising. She is 30' long made of Red Deal on oak. I believe red deal is a form of Pitch Pine?? Anyway she is at least 40 years old. The Planking is 1 1/4" thick but on the underwater area I found that in numerous places I could easily push a screwdriver blade in about 3/8" which gave me cause for concern. She is wet ie floats every high tide. Does anyone know whether this is normal on softwood planking or is it rot?? If they were hardwood planks I'd immediately say rot I'm just wondering if softwood is different?

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[tyger]

Hello Iain,
When I hear the word "deal" I am always suspicious. Typically deal is taken to mean some unspecified cheap softwood - eg pine or fir. Pitch Pine on the other hand is a durable softwood: used in many cases as a substitute for oak (eg in boat building and fitting out churches and chapels). Pitch pine is both durable and hard to work.
If the boat is around forty years old (ie from the 1960s) I would be surprised if she was planked with pitch pine since it was already fairly scarce. On the other hand if her frames are oak would the builder have used a cheap softwood? - more likely would be the use of (then) relatively cheap tropical hardwoods such as African Mahogany or Iroko. Or is she quite a bit older?
If your screwdriver enters into some areas much more easily than others then the soft spots are almost certainly rot.
As replies on another thread point out the real enemy for wooden boats is rot from inside caused by fresh water comming through deck leaks. Is this boat in salt water? If so rot below the water line from the outside is likely to be a slow process. If the planks are 1 1/2 inch there may be a lot of scope for further rot before the rot is a danger to the boat's integrety. IMHO the condition of the caulking on the topsides, the through hulls, and the fastenings are much more serious risks to a boat'safety.

However extensive rot will affect her saleability. Having owned wooden boats, my advice is: if you like her, buy her, but be prepared to keep her - don't expect to find a ready resale market.

I hope this ramblings help...




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[Mirelle]

Not good news

"Red deal" was a term used to describe cheap softwood planking on fishing boats, and it has nothing in common with pitch pine. I would be very cautious about this boat, because this is indicative of a very cheap spec. Expect to find iron fastenings, etc. Most cheap fishing boats were built to be firewood after thirty years or so...



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