unsightly rust streaks on my fine wooden boat.....

[yourmomm]

hi-my boat is curtis and pape iron-dumped, built in 1970, iroko on oak ketch. recently, about 4-5 fixings on each side are causing external rust streaks on the hull. she does not make much water, on any point of sail-certainly more through the leaking deck after it rains than through the sides after a sail...do i need to worry....? should i pull these specific fastenings and replace them? or are these initial rust streaks a portent of doom, meaning much more extensive (tens of thousands....) fastenings' replacement and work is required...? gulp. thanks for your help to a novice classic wooden boat lover....

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I think you'll find your boat is copper fastened as far as the plank to frame fastenings are concerned. The rust streaks you refer to may well be from the bolts securing the chainplates (shroud attachment points). If they are weeping rust I would remove them and consider replacing with stainless.

 

[yourmomm]

thanks mariposa but no-definitely iron-dumped...i think....why are you sure its copper?! do you know something i dont?! now im REALLY starting to doubt things....and its definitely plank-to-frame fastenings which are weeping the rust, not the chainplates. thanks

 

[Gordonmc]

If its of any comfort the rust starts appearing on the hull of my Hillyard a few months after a topside repaint.
I found that at some point the rubbing strake had been fixed with mild steel screws and while they have been replaced, there must be some that broke off.
The remnants will be dug out, but it will wait until the rubbing strakes need to come off again.
Meantime its out with the caravan cleaner on a regular basis.

 

[Mirelle]

I certainly would not worry. The life expectancy of a hardwood planked iron fastened boat is at least 100 years. The rust streaks are coming from the few fastenings that the water is getting to; the several hundred/couple of thousand that are NOT showing rust streaks are therefore not getting wet.

Dig out the stopping over the nail heads next refit. Give the "weeping" dump a good bang (using a drift!) with a serious hammer, then renew the stopping.

 

[vagabundo]

It is a ongoing battle to track bleeding fasteners on an old wooden boat. Logically water is getting to the fastener. So a deck or covering board leak so water is getting to the fastener. OR perhaps the Bung or plug, many used putty for plugs in the early past, has failed an water is getting in from there. I like to get out the plug, try to maintain a plug shape to replug with wood, reset the fastener deeper and descale with drift, coat with OPSHO, then coat with penetrating epoxy several coats.... replug. If it is coming down the frame, find the leak from above.

 

[yourmomm]

thanks as ever to the knowledgable forumites....will replace plugs as advised this winter....

 

[lisanne]

I am the owner of a Curtis and Pape fishing boat, built in 1973,you may find that the rust streaks are from broken bits still in the wood from building. I have the same problem.