Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
restoring an oldie
Good evening everyone. Well I have an interesting project. A friend of mine, well ithink he's a friend I'll let you know after this restoration project. Just kidding, my friend gave me a very, very neglected drift boat that was growing trees on the inside and was three quarters full of water when I picked it up. Good thing my wife didn't see it in this condition she would've surely beaten me. One of my fishing partners decided to help me restore this boat. Lucky for me he cleaned it up before my wife seen it. The boat and trailer were free so I'm grateful for that, but neither my friend and I have ever done a project like this before. We have sanded the inside of the boat completely to bare wood some dry rot and some damage has occurred. I'lldownload pictures soon. we think that we need to epoxy the inside and strenghten the bottom on the outside.
What is the chine that I've read all of you guys talking about? What is the material on the outside of the boat? Were thinking about a spray on truck bed liner material for the bottom is that a good idea?
What is the chine that I've read all of you guys talking about? What is the material on the outside of the boat? Were thinking about a spray on truck bed liner material for the bottom is that a good idea?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on
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Hello Mark,
Thanks for joining and good luck on this adventure. There is plenty of help here so just keep asking questions.
AJ DeRossa has been refurbishing old boats for years. He is likely the most experienced at the type of project you are starting. Check THIS LINK for a thread on last years project.
The chine is the part of the boat where the sides meet the bottom. In a framed boat this joint is supported by an inside chine log and an outside chine batten which is a straight board that covers the end grain of the bottom that shows along the side of that joint. In a stitch and glue boat the bottom is glued to the sides and the inside is filled with a fillet, epoxy and strengthening fibers, instead of a chine log and the outside is usually rounder over and the seam taped with epoxy + fiberglass cloth to protect the joint and the end grain of the bottom.
Make sure to poke any soft spot with a screwdriver. Your boat should be kept inside for a number of weeks before you start to work on it. All of that moisture needs to be removed. Then you can pick at the soft spots until you get to wood that if firm. If you can't find firm wood you might have some other decisions to make.
Post photos and you should be a lot of response.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Manyen on
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good evening randy thanks for replying. I'll be posting pictures soon this boat doesn't have a frame but it does have bottom peices of wood along the bottom and sides of the inside. none on the outside of the boat. I'll keep all of you posted soon thanks again mark
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Permalink Reply by AJ DeRosa on
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Mark,
Restoring an oldie is a noble project and a good way to get a serviceable boat for cheap. The price comes in time spent. Do it right and you will have a happy ending. Any dry rot needs to be found and fixed either by replacing the piece (best) or using a product designed to fix the rot (questionable). The first step should be removal of the chine cap to examine the integrity of the chine joint, where the side panel meets the bottom. This is the most probable location of a leak that can eventually lead to rot problems. If the joint is good a new properly bedded chine cap will make it water tight. The chine cap is a sacraficial piece and should be installed with a polysulfide bedding compound like 3M 101 and mechanical fasteners, screws or ringshank nails. If rot is found along the joint in either side panel, bottom panel, inside chine log or frame members the job becomes more involved but still very doable.
If the interior wood is in good shape it can be painted, oiled or epoxy/varnished/painted. Epoxy alone will not strengthen ply wood panels. If the bottom appears to be weak it might need to be replaced. If it is OK then coating it with a 20oz. triaxial cloth will strengthen it and provide a very tough, slick bottom. I would never consider using truck bed liner on a framed boat, either inside or outside.
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