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Permalink Reply by lhedrick on July 18, 2010 at 6:14am

Before we can offer any recommendations, what is the boats Construction?

Frameless stitch and glue
Traditional framed with chine caps

Has the boat been covered with fiber glass cloth
if so was it glued down with epoxy or polyester resin

What is the finish
oil
paint

The good news is there isn't much that can't be repaired on a wood boat. You can replace the entire bottom if needed. The only bad news is that it takes some time. For many of us that's not a problem either. I like working on river boats as much as I do rowing them.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Richey on July 18, 2010 at 9:16am

Thanks for the reply Ihedrick.

I am pretty sure the boat is traditional framed with chine caps.

It has not been covered with fiberglass cloth.

It has a paint finish.

A friend and I got the boat in hopes of restoring it, but then we had a boat restorer take a look at it and he said it was beyond, "reasonable salvage". So our current state of mind is to keep the boat floating as long as possible until we can build or restore another boat. Thanks again!

Justin

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Permalink Reply by larry Hambley on July 18, 2010 at 9:35am

Justin: Did "beyond reasonable salvage" include him doing the work, and therefore, having to add a substantial labor charge that might indeed exceed the boat's worth? If, as you say, the only rot is in the bottom (and not sides, frames, or transom) you and your friend should be able to repair it your selves at a reasonable cost in money and labor. You will almost surely need to fiberglass the bottom when repairs are done. There are many past forum discussions regarding salvage and restoration and you should study them to get the benefit of others experiences.
I hope you give it a try. Good luck!

P.S. If the rot turns out to be a lot more extensive than you first thought, all bets are off. Build a new one.

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Permalink Reply by lhedrick on July 18, 2010 at 2:30pm

Not seeing the boat it's difficult to help here but, I would use a knife or ice pick and probe the wood and make a good evaluation.

I can build a stitch and glue boat for around 2500 - 2700. If the frames on your boat are solid and it's only the bottom which has rot, it's no big deal to replace the bottom. Remove the chine caps and remove all the screws you can find. If they won't all come out just cut things out with a saber saw chisel out the rest of the wood and try to remove the screws with a vise grip. If you can get them all out cut them off and grind them flush. All you do is join 2 sheets of plywood with a scarf joint, cut it to shape, screw it in place and lock it on with new chine caps.

A small amount of rot on frames can be stabilized by drilling lots of small holes in the wood. Next heat it up with a heat gun and soak it with epoxy. Keep doing it until the soft section will no longer take any more into the wood. you can scab a piece on the side if needed

It's a judgment call but if the frames and sides are okay I would fix it.

L

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Permalink Reply by Justin Richey on July 29, 2010 at 11:46am

thanks for the help. I am going to take a closer look and go from there.

justin

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