Banning, welcome to the Wooden Boat People! I have had much more experience with boat deconstruction than construction. However I learned a great deal from the people on the site and my recent trip to the Wooden Boat show last weekend.

From looking at your pictures I can see you have found damaged wood and old fiberglass. If the repairs were done in the area of the chine cap and the edges of the bottom and the sides I would have to assume that is is still some problems lurking behind the wood you have uncovered. Have you exposed the chine log on the interior of the boat? have you removed the paint from the long piece of hardwood that runs on the inside of the surfaces between the bow and the stern. Several names exist for this piece but chine log is the one I will use. The chine log serves several purposes, both structurally and as a surface for sealing the boat from water intrusion in this area.

When the chine log mates well with both of the sides and is attached with a sealant/adhesive such as 3M's 5200 the boat is held together properly and the 5200 allows a minimum amount of movement yet doesn't alow water to move past it. This sealant has exceptional gripping power and remains flexible. When I removed parts from my boat the 5200 like substance actually pulled wood fibers off the plywood when I removed frames and other plywood like the rubbing strake.

So what you must do if you want to fix the problems rather permanently is to remove the bottom and see what lies beneath. I had to grind the covering off the bottom and unscrew each of the screws and carefully pry the bottom away from the frame members and chine log. you can then determine the condition of the parts and find out if you need to replace any parts. While you are there you can remove a sufficient amount of surface to obtain clean, parallel surfaces for rebonding. 3M 5200 spread on the surfaces and then replacing the screws with a dollop of 5200 on each will provide a quality connection that will last a long time and not require patching.

The purchase of Roger Fletcher's book Drift Boats and River Dories takes you through these construction techniques. It is worth more than it's price and will expand your knowledge of these boats and their history greatly. Here's the link to his book. http://riverstouch.com/origins.htm

After confirming that your boat is properly sealed and strongly fastened you can then refinish the bottom of your boat and attach a new chine cap. Are you using silicon bronze nails or stainless steel screws?

How do you plan to refinish the bottom of your boat? Epoxy and cloth? Are you considering overlapping the chine edge with any fiberglass tape? Are you going to protect the chine edge with a metal strip or a UHMW ultra high molecular weight plastic?

I have read advertisements for the CPES and I have read others questioning it's value. The doubters suggested that the CPES might not have many solids that would be left in the wood when the volatile compounds evaporate. Their suggestion was to use normal epoxy applied to a preheated surface as the heat will draw the epoxy into the wood, hence providing substance. The wood dust and epoxy is a popular fix and is a good one for filling gaps.

Are you going to epoxy the interior and exterior surfaces of the wood prior to painting? Have you planned on how many cots you will use?

Hopefully this wasn't more infromation than you wanted. When I started on my boat I thought that a little bit of patching, some rot fix and a patch or two and I would be done. Once I got under the paint, rusted steel screws, sheet rock screws, soft putty I found out how much of the boat could really be used. Unfortunately not much. The dimensions are still valid and must be recorded. Part of the the bottom is still useable. The two bottom pieces were joined with a butt joint backed up with a 4" wide piece of pine on the inside. Since it was assembled with 3M 5200 or it's equivalent it is still in good shape.

As you look the the other discussions here you will find many photos of boat construction. With several instances of bottom replacements and initial construction you won't have to depend only on words to understand the process.

Good luck on your project. It will super to see your progress and watch your son's involvement.

Rick Newman