Wooden boats and moisture meters

[Bassplayer]

Ok one for you clever people! I have been looking at a Fairey and decided to buy a moisture meter to check moisture levels. The boat in question has been out of the water and in a modern industrial unit for over 3 months. I took some readings from the decking at home (5 years old and untreated from new) and got a reading of about 13-15% to give me a starting point to work from. On the boat the readings for the deck were about 15%. Inside the saloon and aft cabin below the windows between 20 and 30%, with a couple of places off the scale at 45%. The bilges taking a reading from the keel hog 25% and inside the hull 25%. Being a bit worried by the relatively high readings I tried the outside of the hull above the waterline and got a reading off the scale all round (over 45%) Much the same below the waterline, although that was a bit better in places. The hull has been expoxied below the waterline.
Now I know that there is some controversy regarding meters, but does anyone have any thoughts on this before I walk/call a surveyor? Is the paint holding in the moisture on the outside or is the paint "confusing" the meter?
Over to you!!

 

[sailorman]

Ok one for you clever people! I have been looking at a Fairey and decided to buy a moisture meter to check moisture levels. The boat in question has been out of the water and in a modern industrial unit for over 3 months. I took some readings from the decking at home (5 years old and untreated from new) and got a reading of about 13-15% to give me a starting point to work from. On the boat the readings for the deck were about 15%. Inside the saloon and aft cabin below the windows between 20 and 30%, with a couple of places off the scale at 45%. The bilges taking a reading from the keel hog 25% and inside the hull 25%. Being a bit worried by the relatively high readings I tried the outside of the hull above the waterline and got a reading off the scale all round (over 45%) Much the same below the waterline, although that was a bit better in places. The hull has been expoxied below the waterline.
Now I know that there is some controversy regarding meters, but does anyone have any thoughts on this before I walk/call a surveyor? Is the paint holding in the moisture on the outside or is the paint "confusing" the meter?
Over to you!!

Kiln dried timber will be 8 > 10 %
carcasing 15%

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Bassplayer,

If the timber has been epoxy coated you are reading surface moisture, you need to get through the epoxy to get the timber moisture.

Also not a good idea to epoxy only below the waterline on timber boats, the moisture will work down from wet timber above and be trapped below.

My advice would be walk away, it takes a very special type of person to run a timber vessel, very appealing but a lifetime of care and maintenance.

If you are happy to spend an awful lot of time maintaining when you could be cruising, then perhaps you are one of the chosen.

Me, I would not walk away, I would run.

Good luck......

 

[Bassplayer]

Thanks. I understand the responsibilities of a wooden boat well enough. Shhh but dont tell the owner I used a meter with spikes through the paint to get the reading, so I reckon I got a pretty accurate reading of the wood - especially as it's been indoors for 3 months!!
I'll just get my running shoes......

 

[Seanick]

I would judge the conditiom by sounding and movement of surface coatings as those meters do get confused by paint. If you take a reading, then remove ALL the coatings, then stick your probes in again you will get a different reading.