I've Got Rot
Tom Elliott
:: suffering from a bit of rot on the topsides. Has anyone got
:: any good tips on how to repair this kind of damage ? If I
:: treat it with epoxy will it last ?
:There are products on the market which use a very thin epoxy to soak into
:the rotted wood to stablize same and then you use a filler mix to make up
:any wood that has gone missing. I don't see why marine epoxy shouldn't
:do just as well.
I used Get-Rot about ten years ago on an older wooden boat. A year later the
joint failed again. When I investegated, I found a ball of rotten wood
saturated with Get-Rot, and surrounded by more rot. The epoxy either didn't
fully surround the rot or more water caused further rot. In any case, I ended
up replacing the cockpit comings entierly and sealing the joint from rain
water. That fixed it for good.
I also had problems with delamanating plywood under a cabin window. All
attempts at a epoxy fix failed and I ened up scarfing in a new peice of
plywood.
Cut the bad wood out and replace it. That's the only method that has any
assurance of holding up. Using eopxy to fix rot has been a waste of time and
money in my experence.
Tom Elliott
Paul Zander
: suffering from a bit of rot on the topsides. Has anyone got
: any good tips on how to repair this kind of damage ? If I
: treat it with epoxy will it last ?
This, alas, is an all too common topic. Recalling previous
threads, the only reliable repair is to cut out the bad wood
and replace it.
The region "infected" by the fungus extends some distance into
what appears to be solid wood. Products such as Git-Rot leave
a hard inflexible area surrounded by wood that naturally has
some flex, so that even if you kill the rot, the repair is
inheriently a weak spot.
Sorry.
RennieArchibald
that sounds, it's not really that bad. The hardest part is getting up
the nerve to start. Good luck. Hey it's a hobby with a learning curve
like every other hobby.
Write me at renn...@server.iadfw.net for specific advice.
Rennie
dfol...@leg.wa.gov
that I might have some revelant perspectives for you since I am a real
skinflint and not one to do anything extra if I can get away with it.
Tear it all out! Anything that is punky, soft or rotten, out with it!
Nothing worse than having to come back the next season and pull up new
work to get at a spot that seemed sort of OK the year befor. If you have
an old piece of junk that you just want to keep alive another season or
two and then burn it, some of these quick fixes will work. If you wan't
to keep your boat a or resell it, replace any bad sections with new wood.
Just do it. I'm a lazy SOB but when it comes to rot, I have learned my
lession. My first boat was a 19ft plywood sail boat. I knew nothing of
surevying or rott. I paid a good price for the craft. I started to do
some minor repairs on her and by the time I was done I had replaced the
whole cabin, 3/4 of the deck and most of the cockpit. Basically what I
had bought for my money was a hull and a few tattered rags called sails.
I hated to tear out so much wood. I kept thinking "this isn't so bad".
Luckily I was moored next to some good boat builders and they would come
by every once in a while and say things like " you'd better take that
next piece out too" or "don't stop now, you'll regret it later". Not
what I wanted to hear but I knew they spoke from experience.
GMcderm104
To origional question. I don't know what responses you have gotten but,
I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. If its a limited area and you really
don't want to tear down you entire vessel to get to it you can scrape off
the outter glass down to wood, drill some holes in the rotten area spaced
kind of equally pour in some alcohol (not what you have been drinking
while looking at the problem) let it dry for oh 6 weeks or longer, fill it
with epoxy and slap it all back together, make sure though you get the rot
good and dry.
Anyway, probably solved the problem by now
caio, Glen