Stopping the rot in an old wooden boat!

[Marcus Warry]

Hello Canal World!

Some of you may remember by boat (Fairstar, now Lady Doris), sank last Summer. Thanks in a large part to your amazing help & support, she's floating again, and she's doing ok (touch wood!). And now the serious job of restoring her to her former glory is starting in ernest! And I'm afraid I may be a bit of regular around these parts as I ask (hopefully not too man) stupid/novice type questions...

The first question I'd like to ask, is what is the best possible action I can take in the bilge/inside of the boat to prevent rot?

- She's Larch on Oak construction.
- Last out of the water in Winter 2014, When I replaced about 20m or larch, mainly around the stern/transom.
- I put in extra ribs where needed.

I'm in the process of giving her her a DEEP clean inside, and clearing a huge amount of black oily gunk & sludge from the bilge that's accumulated over many years.

I have heard before that this oily gunk can in fact be good for preserving the wood, and stopping rot?!

That may or may not be the case.. but regardless of that, it stinks, so I'm planning to get rid of it!!

However, what would be the best thing i could do, once it's clean?

I've heard the suggestion of linseed oil for example. At least that smells lovely, so quite keen on that idea?! Is that a good idea?

I'm also going re-paint the entire inside of the boat (including where practical, in the bilge. I'm planning to use a decent grey primer. I'm assuming that if the wood is "sealed" with a top coat on the inside too, that you're asking for rot issues? Is that correct? What would be the best primer to use please?

In the past, I've heard that putting large bags of salt in the bilge can help prevent rot? Is that true/worth doing? She's sat in the non-tidal River Thames at present...

The other question I have, is not about prevention of rot, but about stopping the existing rot spreading.. or whether there's even a way of curing it?

There are a few bits inside... non structural I hasten to add, that are a bit flaky. I'd like to at the very least, stop the rot spreading any further... and at best cure it, and neaten it up!

Any wooden boat / rot experts there? I sure hope so!

A pre-emptive thank you for anything you can suggest or advise that would help me to keep this beautiful Lady in tip top condition!

All the best,

Marcus & Lady Doris!

[Guest User]

Possibly not entirely relevant, but you might want to have a look at this thread http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=41409&p=778930 - Chris Collins seems to be something of a miracle woodworker (someone to get in touch with?).

 

LCx

[koukouvagia]

 

There are a few bits inside... non structural I hasten to add, that are a bit flaky. I'd like to at the very least, stop the rot spreading any further... and at best cure it, and neaten it up!

 

 

 

Good to know that things are going well.

 

With large areas of wood on our two boats - none of it structural, I'm glad to say - I find it's a constant battle to prevent and deal with rot.

I've tried various anti rot preparations, but the only real way to deal with it is to cut it out and replace the timber.

 

I've just had to deal with some rot, which I thought was just a bit of flaky paint. I cut out the rotten wood using a Fein multi tool - an essential bit of kit for making nice, clean cuts. I bed seasoned wood in with that gooey roofing mastic. I use good epoxy filler to make good any gaps. Once it's sanded down, primed, undercoated and painted the repair is pretty permanent.

 

 

 

 

I'm sure the wooden boat experts will have other ways of dealing with rot, but the above method has worked for me.

[smileypete]

There's a wooden boat forum that'd be worth a trawl:

 

http://forum.woodenboat.com/

 

There are a few bits inside... non structural I hasten to add, that are a bit flaky. I'd like to at the very least, stop the rot spreading any further... and at best cure it, and neaten it up!

 

Multitool or wood chisels are good for removing damage, shape the new bit with belt sander then bed in marineflex, add brass screws if need be and final sand to match existing.

 

Best drown replacement wood and surrounding timber in wood preserver, after repair is let in protect with a coat of paint or protective stain on all sides if at all poss.

 

Wood hardener and 5 star wood treatment works for wood that's a little spongy but looks OK, though the hardener won't restore all structural strength by any means.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited April 5, 2015 by smileypete

[SamKingfisher]

Rodents love linseed oil. I'd avoid for that reason.

[John Williamson 1955]

Not very practical. maybe, but back when I bought my first boat, I was told that fresh water kills off marine life on the hull which grows in seawater, and salt water kills the fungus that causes rot, so alternate between the two. I suspect my leg was being pulled...

 

Slightly more seriously, any decent wood preservative on the wood will slow down the rot. The problem is that wooden hulls live in an ideal place to encourage fungal growth. Whatever else you do, though, don't even think about applying fibreglass or any other resin based treatment to the hull.

[Phil Ambrose]

Not very practical. maybe, but back when I bought my first boat, I was told that fresh water kills off marine life on the hull which grows in seawater, and salt water kills the fungus that causes rot, so alternate between the two. I suspect my leg was being pulled...

 

Slightly more seriously, any decent wood preservative on the wood will slow down the rot. The problem is that wooden hulls live in an ideal place to encourage fungal growth. Whatever else you do, though, don't even think about applying fibreglass or any other resin based treatment to the hull.

There is a saying on The Broads that the last thing you do to a boat before it dies is fibreglass the hull.

Phil

[MtB]

And I have a saying 'if you want your boat to rot more slowly, build it from steel'.

 

 

MtB

[Arthur Brown]

As Fairstar (or whatever) is currently about 70 years old I suspect that some steel boats of that age are suffering too.

 

Good plan would be to pull a mold off the hull and make a replacement in Lloyds rated GRP, These old hulls do look rather good but do absorb money readily.

[West System International]

Hi Marcus,

Coating your boat with epoxy is a great way to prevent water from seeping in and causing damage.

To help repair sections that have already been damaged, there are two methods that can be used depending on the size of the cavity. It's really important to assess the damage first to decide whether you think the cavity could simply be filled with epoxy or whether you need to cut out the damage and replace the rotted section.

This article gives more details about these two methods and tips for keeping your boat rot free: http://www.epoxycraft.com/trade-secret-better-than-new-repairing-localised-dry-rot-with-epoxy/

 

Hope this helps and good luck!

[DHutch]

The above is in effect spam, however its quite polite and the company does make a good product, I have used West Systems and SP Systems epoxy for making and repairing wooden parts of the naorrowboat as well as sailing dinghys.

 

Daniel

[Arthur Brown]

GRP coating a timber hull is definitely a last resort, it will always look like a GRP covered boat.

 

The first thing you need to do Marcus is to get a list of really good specialists with classic construction wooden boats. The Little Ships register may be a good starting point.

 

I assume that you have discovered by now that a classic timber boat is beautiful but very heavy maintenance.

[larkshall]

Rodents love linseed oil. I'd avoid for that reason.

People also forget linseed oil is highly flammable

[Bee]

I should think that modern cuprinol or similar would be a good bet, these things are very 'thin' so will penetrate better than linseed oil, many applications over weeks. Not sure about painting bilges at all, primer is not waterproof so maybe not a lot of point using it? I think you are right about gloss, just keeps the wood wet. if you can keep the water away from existing rot it should stop it spreading, If you want to keep that wooden boat smell just keep a big heap of old tarry hemp rope somewhere, don't smoke it though, it'll make you cough. good luck with the boat.