Taking up after 12 years ashore

[Georgio]

Hi Folks,
Related to my last posting about a Hillyard I'm considering and have now seen.

She has been out of the water for the best part of 12 years but kept under a tarp and shielded from the direct sun by nearby trees, however as you would expect the planking has dried out significantly in that time and in places it is easy to see daylight though the planking gaps.

Being realistic, how much are these gaps going to close up on emersion, I am a bit concerned that she gone beyond simply taking up.

There are a few areas where the calking cotton has come out and will need to be replaced but it is largely in place.

Is it just a case of caulking the bad bits, and forcing new putty into the rest of the gaps then chuck her in the water?

 

[jamie N]

With my own carvel Folkboat, she'd been out of the water and under cover for (a mere) 3 years I believe. as far as I could tell, there appeared to be no real areas of concern, until we hoisted her in, and she tried to sink like a stone! I asked the marina manager where she leaked from as we hoisted her out still in the slings and heard "Everywhere Jamie, absolutely everywhere!"
Oops.
We put her back on the trailer and stripped back the areas where it was obvious that water had been escaping from, and then filled those, as well as any seams that looked dodgy. I did use a mixture of cotton and Sikaflex for this. Each evening after working on her, I refilled the boat 'a bit' to check progress, and began to become encouraged by the effect of the sealing that I was doing, as well as the sealing she was doing as she took up. I did put a thick coat of antifouling on, bought a really decent pump and with huge trepidation, relaunched.
A massive anti-climax really! The water very slowly started to come in, but the automatic bilge pump was never in danger of being overwhelmed; far from it as the water would activate the pump once every 8-10 minutes, for a mere 10 seconds a time during the 1st week.
Thereafter, it steadily reduced and now, some 6 weeks later, the bilge pump kicks in every couple of days I feel as I've tested it over a 24 hour period with the pump disabled, and it wasn't even half way up the float arm!
In the early stages, I did employ some 'Monkey ****' grease, an emergency sealer that sticks like **** to a wet sheet, to seal a couple of trickles, but that's all.
I wish you luck, and hope that some of this is useful to you, although I do know that they're entirely different builds.

 

[Eyore]

I'd suggest wide gaps probably need caulking as you suggest Georgio. Another trick is to use cheap nasty silicone filler externally on seams that are too tight for caulking.The silicone will fall off eventually by which time the seams will have taken up. Also as previously mentioned plenty of water internally,better still wetted blankets, old sheets etc below the waterline for a week or so before launching. If you use a hose liberally inside before launching you will easily identify problem areas before it comes to the crunch on launch day.

 

[Georgio]

Thanks Eyore, I was thinking of a load of old blankets on the inside to hold moisture against the hull and a spray down with water a couple of times a day.

 

[PhillM]

Thanks Eyore, I was thinking of a load of old blankets on the inside to hold moisture against the hull and a spray down with water a couple of times a day.

Is she currently is in a place you can work on her easily?

I ask because it might be worth asking the owner if you can do some remedial work and see how it goes before finalizing the sale? if you find she is beyond what you can or are prepared to do, you get to walk away and anything you do is a bonus to the owner if you don't complete. Not sure this is actually a great idea, because it depends on everyone being up-front and honest. Could be a great solution or a can of worms.

 

[pmagowan]

The biggest problem if she has totally dried and is showing light is the strain it will put on the fixings. You need to be pretty careful when recaulking otherwise when she takes up she will put enormous pressure on the fixings and frames and the planks could ping off. You want to get her as close as possible to original condition including humidity. Obviously the more you can do this out of the water the better. You can get moisture meters for wood to find out what the actual humidity of the planks is.

I would suggest, like others, get some water on and in her to start the process. Start replacing caulking that has fallen out but don't be over vigorous. Then get yourself in a position for launch where you have the ability to pump out and also to abort should the pumps be overwhelmed.

 

[SmileyGiley]

Hosepipe inside. Apply liberally. Initially you will just be able to let the hose keep running - the water will drip out faster than you can get in. Same tomorrow, same for the next few days. Once the water starts to pool in the bilges you know you are getting there. Daylight visible thru seams will soon disappear. One year we kept our tub out of the water until June, then launched without wetting down before hand. The ocean came straight in!. We simply sat on the trailer until the tide went out (bailing to ensure she wasnt full as the tide receeced. Next tide she floated, albeit with the puimp on full bore. By next day down to pumping once an hour, few days later tight as a drum.

 

[chinita]

The method we used at the International Boatbuilding Training College was to pour buckets of sawdust around the hull as the boat was launched. A traditional method very much in favour and in concert with the age old ethos of seafarers worldwide.

The sawdust will gravitate to the hull and fill the seams until the wood has expanded.

Well, that was the theory; never worked though :nonchalance:

 

[Capt Popeye]

Errm, should check the fastenings (as has been said above) also determine if the wood is passed it.

Perhaps better to buy such a vessel in the wet winter time when tis easier to thoroughly wet the planks down, shorter daylight also means less sunshine to dry her out (as you are wetting her down) . But might suggest that the dry wind blowing through her will have a big effect on drying her out

 

[old_salt]

There have been a few frighteners made to you but as I have said on the other thread
Quote:-
If she is reasonably tight on her seems.
(You have answered that one She has some open seems and caulking falling out)

Re place the rotten and missing caulk with new "BUT" don't over do it.
I also assume you don't have to replace ribs and a major amount of fixings.
So it is important not to add any extra caulk to anywhere where the old caulk is undamaged and still in place albeit maybe a bit loose, when wet it will take up.
with only a few cracks in the seems avoid recalling unless it is falling out and gone to dust, any new "caulking" don't caulk too hard, if she does not need any urgent remedial work,
The important bit is to get her on a launching trolley or in a hoist supported at her water level in SALT water and let her take up it may take a few hours or a couple of days. Make sure you have removed any venerable items that are low down to above her water line just to save them getting wet if she does take on much water don't worry too much if it gets in just as long as you have a good pump to pump it out.
Also if you wet her down on the hard add some salt to the water or just spread some in around the hull.

One of the big problems is above the water line they are the seems you need to help take up by wetting them before she goes in as they are the ones that take longer to take up.

Please post some photos it will help us to give you better advise other than just random comments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote:- There are a few areas where the calking cotton has come out and will need to be replaced but it is largely in place.

Yes but as I said don't over "do it"

Is it just a case of caulking the bad bits, and forcing new putty into the rest of the gaps then chuck her in the water?

Again don't over "do it" use soft putty the excess will squeeze out.

 

[Gordonmc]

You will be surprised how much the planks will take up so don't go too heavy with the re-caulking. A few light taps with a decent iron should get the cotton in hard enough. On my 8-ton Hillyard I used a mix of red lead paste (white lead above the waterline) and linseed oil putty for the seam filler. About 20/80. The lead is a biocide and will stop the putty from drying out.
A carvel teak boat my dad owned used to dry out in a couple of weeks... she was stripped out and sunk on the mooring, then pumped out after a couple of days at low tide.
Not a very practical solution.
The Hillyard would only take a few hours to take up, but it was frightening to see water gushing through the seams into the bilge in the first few minutes.