question.htm question.htm Are there bacteria in the wood just normally? thanks, Kevin Kevin: There are a variety of types of dry rot but the predominant ones are a fungus. The spores are in the air. For the fungus to grow it needs a consistent moisture of fresh water, salt water destroys it, and a fairly warm temperature. It thrives in areas that becomes moist and have no air circulation to dry the moisture. That is why good air circulation to all parts of the boat is so important. Even in your bulwarks you should have vents for the air to flow. Fiberglass, or any wood covering that doesn't let the wood breathe, is only a rot preventative as long as it adheres, as soon as it lifts from the wood and yet stays intact it creates a perfect home for rot. If you box in a structure without air circulation you can get condensation inside the box which will give the rot spores the environment they need. The principal with wood boats is, Keep freshwater out, Get fresh air in. Dry rot is not dry but the aftermath of its effect on wood is a dry crumbly structure. Although the rot spores are not in the lumber itself, there are other types of fungus that are. This is why it is so important that you use lumber that has been properly dried. air or Kiln, because the drying kills the fungus. If you want more info. go to www.rotdoctor.com. Although he is an epoxy nut, there is good information.------------gary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi Gary, \So,........,, would you suggest that After my bulwarks are complete and fiberglassed, that I punch some breathing holes in them? If so, would it be top and bottom ,...or ...??? What do you think? kevin Kevin: Yes, to get the air circulating you need air vents at the top and bottom, alternating every 6 feet or so along the inside face of the bulwark. You can get small round metal vented covers that keep the water out but let the air in. You also should have some drain holes at deck level to the outside to clear any fresh water that works it's way into the bulwark box. In actuality, most bulwarks are not completely boxed in but rather have spaces built in for air circulation, and drainage. To do it this way means you would have to give up the glass from bulwark to the deck and make sure the deck around the protruding ribs is well sealed, but in the long run you may have less problems. Getting salt water to the wood guarantees no rot. Any enclosed sealed area on a wooden boat will eventually have rot problems. Water is the universal solvent so often it is best to accept that sooner or later it will get to the wood. Knowing this, we should build structures that guarantee air circulation.--------g ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JUST BOUGHT AN OLDER EGG HARBOR (31' SEDAN EARLY 70'S), THE HULL IS FIBERGLASS - AND IN GOOD SHAPE BUT THE CABIN WAS MADE FROM 1" MAGHOGANY AND HAS ALOT OF ROT. I WANT TO LEAVE AS MUCH MATERIAL AS I CAN. MY PLAN IS TO STRIP ALL OF THE OLD PAINT SATURATE THE WOOD WITH ANTIFREEZE TO KILL ANY MOLD AND THEN USE THE WEST SYTEM ON THE WOOD STRUCTURE. MY PROBLEM IS THAT I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH WOOD TO REMOVE OR LEAVE. WHAT DO I LOOK FOR WHEN IT COMES TO REMOVING ROTTEN WOOD. THERE SEEMS TO BE ALOT OF ROT IN THE JOINT'S EVEN THOUGH THE REST OF THE WOOD IS SOLID. IF I LEAVE THIS TREAT WITH ANTIFREEZE AND WEST THEN FIR OUT THE INSIDE WITH 1/2" PLYWOOD FOR NAILING ON PANELING. WILL THESE PANELS STILL BE STRONG ENOUGH. YOU CAN REACH ME AT MTIPOLT2@AOL.COM THANKS Treating rot with penetrating epoxy is ok for cosmetic stuff but anything structural must be replaced with good wood---g ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi, Got your name from the Philidelphia Wooden boat factory web site so I thought I'd ask a question of you. I have some dryrot problems on my 1970 Sea Spirit, Taiwan built, home ported in Redwood City. I'm managing to stay on top of most of it but it's a constant effort. There is a shipwright currently working on a Sea Spirit in South Bay Boat Works in Redwood City making major repairs to dryrotted areas in places where I have had similar problems. He has said that the interior of wooden boats should be sprayed with a borate solution which will kill the fungus and prevent dryrot from occuring. Beyond that he didn't know how to obtain the spray solution but he was convinced he has heard enough about it that he's sure it does the job. Do you have any info on this or advice about it? I see you live on your boat in the bay area, whereabout's? Appreciate any help you can give me, my marine surveys give the boat good marks, I want to keep it that way. Thanks, steve steve: I know the maritime museum in SF uses or Borate solution, you could contact them. Also regular antifreeze works well. But it seems you real problem is a design flaw that is not allowing air circulation in those areas that are rotting. I would correct this ASAP. Hope this is helpful. I was living on a 36ft Ketch at Pier 39 but have since moved to a seaside town in Maine, Rockland . The Bay area was just getting to hectic and expensive.-------gary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gary, I have a circa1930s, wooden Oconto Cruiser. It is 14 ft. long and was used as a row boat by the original owner. It was restored to floating condition and fitted with a 40hp Merc about 15 years ago. The boat was passed down to me from my father who made the last restoration. My problems are: dry rot in some areas along the keel, many gashes along the water line and it is in great need of some new bottom paint. Are there any products that I can use to get rid of the rot or firm it up? What is the proper product to fill in the gashes? Is there a bottom paint that will help stop the rot or slow it down? Almost forgot...The inside board that runs the length of the boat (i don't know what it is called) has a lot of rot near the bow. I was thinking it might be better to replace it. Is there a supplier for parts like that? Any type of help or ideas would be great. This boat is my winter project and is currently on saw horses in the garage. The winters in Wisconsin are long and boring at times, not to mention really cold so I am itching to get started. Thank you very much Greg Reinke Greg: Nice project and kind of a family heirloom. Of course the fix of choice with a wooden boat is to put in new wood where necessary, but for many reasons this is not always possible. Where you have rot there is a product called penetrating epoxy which impregnates the wood with a resin that hardens and also kills the rot spores. There are also epoxy fillers and putties used to fill dings and dents. The long board you speak of is called the keelson and is structurally important to the boat. If the rot is too deep into this you may have to cut out an area and glue in a new piece, this is called a "dutchman". Because of the boats age, I would strip the bottom, only the part that gets submerged, down to bear wood and give it a coat of penetrating epoxy. This will inhibit future rot which no paint can do. To become familiar with these products and ask an expert how to use them go to www.rotdoctor.com. Good luck and I hope your working on the boat inside.-----gary ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have a 1978 Checkmate Enhancer. I was getting it ready to go into my boat slip yesterday and noticed I have some mushy floor areas by the rear seats. After ripping up the carpet I was able to rip open a 6" square area by hand. I'm wondering if there is any way I can fix this cheaply so I can get a few more years out of this boat. I'd prefer not to replace the entire floor. Are there any major problems that would arise if I were to put a pressure treated plywood flooring on top of the existing flooring? If I do this, I would at the new flooring with fiberglass and whatever else is necessary. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kieth; I happened to be online. Yes, you can do that, just remember unless all the rot is removed it will continue to get worse. A quick fix for now is OK but down the line, especially if your going to sell the boat, you will have to bite the bullet and fix it properly. You might delay the rot a bit by soaking it with antifreeze before you cover it up. Antifreeze kills the rot spores. Good luck----Gary ~~~~~~~~~~-~~ MAST TABERNACLE 1 Dear Gary This is Alex from the UK, I am currently building my first boat, a roamer sea cruising dinghy, (plans available from the dinghy cruising association of the UK). Upon consulting with other roamer sailors I wish to change the plans to include a tabernacle for the mast to enable it to be lowered at sea or for trailering. Would you know of anywhere I can obtain a diagram of a mast tabernacle on the web Regards Alex. Alex: Sorry I don't know of any sites that would show that in detail, although the principle is pretty simple. It is basically a three sided open ended box with two bolts athwartship through the two sides of the box and the mast. The lower bolt locks the mast in place when up and the top bolt is for the mast to pivot on when raising or lowering. The higher the pivot bolt the easier it is to raise and lower the mast , also the two sides of the box should extend higher than the fore and aft third side, so the mast has clearance when lowered. Assuming on your small boat the mast will be lowered to the stern, the 3rd side of the box would be aft, the fore side remaining open for the swing of the foot of the mast. Almost all the stress on the base of the mast is downward ,so it is most important to extend a support piece under the tabernacle to a stout block on the keelson. This way the stress is transferred to the keel, the strongest part of the boat. It probably would be easiest and strongest to construct the tabernacle out of metal, but you can use wood. Hope this helps, you also can get advise and maybe even a drawing at www.boatbuilding.com. Good luck and feel free to pick my boatbrain---------------------gary ~~~~~~~~-~~~~~ TEAK SOLE 3 CLEANING TEAK 1 The teak and holly sole in our sailboat needs to be refinished. In some areas, the seam between the teak and holly strips is separating ever so slightly. Do you have any ideas on how best to refurbish this? Thanks so much for your help. Susan Susan: The best bet is to strip the wood thoroughly of the old finish, sand well and apply several coats of

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