HELP? Old lapstrake, sealing gaps between planks?
STEVE KAIMMER
I think I know the answer, but wanted to get some opinions. I have a
lapstrake sailing boat, RANA boatworks, Norway, vintage 1960's.
Beautiful boat, excellent gaff headed sailer, good rower
Lapstrake, I think pine on oak, rove and rivet
This was given to me mid 70's, taken back late 80's, and given back to me
last week. The boat is now pretty rough; three splits in plans, a number
of broken frames, planks on one side are pulled away from stem about 1/4".
My question go this way. When I last had the boat, it was in pretty fine
shape. However, I remember being frustrated with having to let her swell
every time I would launch her from a trailer, especially in what passes
for hot weather in Seattle. Most of the time, I would leave her submerged
at a dock, then bail out with a 5 gallon bucket. I am thinking of
repairing the boat, BUT.....................
.......is there any way to tighten those darn seams between the laps. I
don't really want to do a sikaflex caulk, but what suggestions do you
have? Beyond tightening the roves and rivets?
Skiffsalor
Steve:
You said:
>.is there any way to tighten those darn seams between the laps. I
>don't really want to do a sikaflex caulk, but what suggestions do you
>have? Beyond tightening the roves and rivets?
Steve:
You don't want to caulk it and you don't want to tighten it. That leaves
not a lot of options. You plan on sistering the broken frames? Sounds
like the boat needs a refastening. I would probably try to squirt some
marine sealant down in the cracks, liquid rubber, and see what happens.
You didn't say how big of a job you had in front of you...what size boat?
Good luck - wear a PFD.
Mike
Jon Etheredge
IMHO, introducing *anything* into the laps is an extremely bad idea. The
two most common ways to ruin a solid wood lapstrake boat are to put goop
in the seams and to try and fiberglass the exterior. Can you find
someone in your area that is familiar with traditional lapstrake
construction/repair so they can see the boat? This is something that is
very difficult (read impossible ;-) to diagnose without seeing the boat
firsthand.
Jon Etheredge
Mark Anderson
Skiffsalor <skiff...@aol.com> wrote:
> You don't want to caulk it and you don't want to tighten it.
Why not tighten it. That is a time honored treatment. The wood around
the roves may have been compressed past its recovery point and hence
remain loose. Tightening will help. If, however, a good soaking takes
up the leaks, than the tightening is unnecessary.
Putting additional rivets between the existing ones may also be an
option.
I've had fair luck just running a bead of polyurethane caulking along
the outside corner of the lap and running my finger along it to work it
in. Messy, and I'd only suggest it below the water line.
If you're up to significant work, you can turn the boat over, remove all
the outside paint, sand the planking and the exposed edges, be sure the
planks are dry, and run a fillet of epoxy with thickener into the
corners of the laps and then epoxy seal the outside of the boat and
repaint. Don't plan on ever doing a traditional repair after that
though.
--
Mark Anderson
Riparia
"The trouble with good ideas is that they soon degenerate
into a lot of hard work" - Anon.
Nicholas Carey
In article <5j2sal$9...@nntp5.u.washington.edu>, ste...@iphc.washington.edu
says...
>
>I think I know the answer, but wanted to get some opinions. I have a
>lapstrake sailing boat, RANA boatworks, Norway, vintage 1960's. Beautiful
>oak, rove and rivet.
>This was given to me mid 70's, taken back late 80's, and given back to me
>last week. The boat is now pretty rough; three splits in plans, a number
>of broken frames, planks on one side are pulled away from stem about 1/4".
>My question go this way. When I last had the boat, it was in pretty fine
>shape. However, I remember being frustrated with having to let her swell
>every time I would launch her from a trailer, especially in what passes
>for hot weather in Seattle. Most of the time, I would leave her submerged
>at a dock, then bail out with a 5 gallon bucket. I am thinking of repairing
>the boat, BUT...is there any way to tighten those darn seams between the
>laps. I don't really want to do a sikaflex caulk, but what suggestions do
>you have? Beyond tightening the roves and rivets?
Steve...you might want to ring up a boatbuilder named Eric Hvalsoe (he
should be in the Seattle phone book). He's a mighty fine boat builder
and one of his things is lapstrake construction/repair. You don't want
to put stuff in the seams on a lapstrake boat--lapstrake construction is
designed to be watertight *without* caulking. If the laps are leaking, it's
an indication of something wrong. At the very least it sounds like you need
to:
* replace the broken frames
* refasten the sprung planks and loose rivets.
* replace whatever planks need replacing.
The other thing to do is to go over to the Wooden Boat Shop (it's on Boat
Street, right near the UW police department). They have a number of books
on lapstrake construction/repair. So does the Armchair Sailor (Westlake
Avenue on Lake Union). There--that should be enough to get you started.
And by the way, if you want to know more about your Rana boat, call the Center
for Wooden Boats (206-382-2628) and talk to Dick Wagner. He used to import
them into Seattle in the 60s. In fact, he probably brought yours in.
Good Luck.
N.
--
I'll be extremely surprised if the opinions expressed in this message
reflect those of the Microsoft Corporation. I'd be even more surprised
if Microsoft HAD an official opinion on lapstrake construction/repair.
Gerrie Warner
>
> IMHO, introducing *anything* into the laps is an extremely bad idea.
>
The other postings were right on the money - Do NOT calk with rubber
stuff etc!!!
Try melting some heavy duty "Crisco" type of fat - whateevr together
with some Stockholm or pine pitch and some dap on linseed oil. It's ver
runny when warm - pasty when cold. Putty knife it into the crackes . it
will squezze out when the wood swells up in the water leaving only
healthy residue behind ....
Gerrie Warner
PL 4090 Ed
742 91 Osthammar, Sweden
Telephone 0173-108 99 e-mail; gwa...@algonet.se
> Photography Magazine <
http://www.lp.se/gerrie-warner/fotomag/ncp.htm
> Viking and Traditional Wooden Boats <
KWilson800
ste...@iphc.washington.edu (STEVE KAIMMER) wrote:
> . . .is there any way to tighten those darn seams between the laps? I
don't really want to >do a sikaflex caulk. . . Beyond tightening the
roves and rivets?
I'm not sure there are alternatives other than caulking of some type, or
tightening the rivets. I've gone the Miracles Of Chemistry route on a
boat of similar construction - it worked mostly, but I think tightening
the rivets is a better idea - after years of use, the wood will squish
under the rivets, and this will fix it. In addition, it should make the
hull much more rigid, Takes two people, but it's not difficult, just
tedious.
BTW, the Gougeons' book talks about building an epoxy fillet along each
lap - this seems to me to be a bad idea in a boat that isn't plywood,
since the lap joints need to nove a little in shear as the planks swell.
Keith Wilson
JackMorley
My best guesses are (in order of ease):
1. If the boat's been out of the water a while, you could try filling it
with water to swell the wood.
2. Tighten the fastenings.
3. Refasten
Good Luck
Jack