Christopher_B
New member
The previous owners of my Kestrel 22 had her for 40 years. They kept her ashore in the winter and treated the interior of the hull, which is unpainted, with a mix of wood preservative mixed with some sort of wood oil. All the timber is completely sound, so their method obviously works.
I want to keep the boat in the water all year round, antifouling and repainting on the scrubbing posts between tides. Wisdom has it that clinker boats are best kept wet. But there's always water in the bilge - a few pints get in between visits every couple of weeks. So the keel and lower ends of timbers are now well-soaked and likely to stay that way. Other wisdom has it that wood shouldn't be left completely soaked or it will certainly rot.
Obviously I can't treat the wet bits with preservative and oil. Is the only solution to go back to drying out for a few weeks each year?
Any ideas please!
I want to keep the boat in the water all year round, antifouling and repainting on the scrubbing posts between tides. Wisdom has it that clinker boats are best kept wet. But there's always water in the bilge - a few pints get in between visits every couple of weeks. So the keel and lower ends of timbers are now well-soaked and likely to stay that way. Other wisdom has it that wood shouldn't be left completely soaked or it will certainly rot.
Obviously I can't treat the wet bits with preservative and oil. Is the only solution to go back to drying out for a few weeks each year?
Any ideas please!