dry rot repair?
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13956
Printed Date: November-17-2024 at 5:15pm
Topic: dry rot repair?
Posted By: almabes
Subject: dry rot repair?
Date Posted: June-09-2009 at 9:45pm
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While I had my rear seat out, checking on my fuel tank sender, I noticed what looked like a damaged spot at the aft of the boat starboard of the exhaust tube. Upon further examination I found about 6 to 8 inches of what I believe is 3/8 " plywood covered in fiberglass that has dry rotted from 30+ years of people getting in, and dripping off over the back seat.
I can see an attempted repair, either by my PO, or his PO where he attempted to seal up the area with white silicone. My question is: What would be involved in repairing this rotten area? Is repairing it worth it, since the floor is not soft in the area? Should I just take the back seat cushion out after pulling the boat out of the water to let the area dry out and not worry about it. I'll take a picture and post later... Thanks, Anthony ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Replies:
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 10:07am
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Anthony, Get the picture posted. From your decription, I'm having a hard time figuring out where this rotted ply is. On the inside of the transom? Depending on what the pywood is for will determine if it's worth repair. Yes, silicone isn't a repair! It amazes me sometimes what some people consider a repair!!! ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: eric lavine
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 10:15am
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Pete, I wonder if you can get silicone in 5 gallon buckets, with a dispensor ------------- "the things you own will start to own you" |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 12:24pm
I'm sure 5 gal. buckets are available and a air over hydraulic Graco pump could be rigged up. Of course we don't want to give the "DIY" guys any ideas. They are currently using pickup truck bed liner as the stringer coverup/coating!!! Trust me - take a look at one of the boarding sites sometime. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
eric lavine wrote:Posted By: almabes
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 1:01pm
Sorry, no picture yet. I haven't drug my butt back out to the garage with the camera. I'll do it tonight. In the interim, I'll see if I can more clearly describe the area and nature of the damage... The damage is not in the transom area. My boat has dual exhausts. The hull has "walls", for lack of a better term, that define the area the exhaust tubes live in. The inside "wall" is the stringer, the outside "wall" is where I have noticed the issue. The damaged/rotten area is perpendicular to the bottom of the hull. It is located forward of the fuel tank directly under the starboard end of the rear seat lower cushion in the last six to eight visible inches (before it goes under the fuel tank area) of the starboard "wall" of the cavity in which the starboard exhaust tube lives. Uggh...I'll get pictures tonight. ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Posted By: hasbeenskier
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 1:20pm
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EUREKA! Rhino liner. Why did'nt I think of that.
I would like to see a picture of the rot too. It is just a guess but,I think Anthony is pointing toward his outboard floor stringer. bj ------------- hasbeenskier |
Posted By: critter
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 2:00pm
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Sounds like secondary stringer rot.
Your exhaust tunnel should have drains to the bilge and they sometimes clog. If they did, and your exhaust tubes leak, then you collect water in the exhaust tunnel and it cannot get out. This was happening with my 80 but I found it before rot started. ------------- 1980 Ski Nautique 1966 Barracuda |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 2:30pm
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Anthony,
Yup, it does sounds like you've got the rots! What year is the boat? All you said was it was 30+. 20+ hulls have it so don't be disappointed. Start looking around in other places on the stringers for any evidence. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: almabes
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 5:55pm
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She's a '76 Martinique. Looks exactly like the one in http://www.correctcraftfan.com/reference/1976_brochure/index.asp?page=06 - the brochure.
Only 530 hours on the PCM 351, and she was garage kept since at least 1981. ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Posted By: kapla
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 6:29pm
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The only bad thing I can say even Its garage kept, cancer (rot) can attack for sure....Take my case my boat had never ever sleeped a night out of the hangar (guarderias as we called them here) were is stored, but It was rot to the guts... water attack in variuos ways..from leaking exhaust, rubrail, wave coming in, out of the ballast, etc, then it will make it to the foam, and voila!! it will stay there forever...thats 10-20-30 years and you will have all the unglassed or poorly glassed wood all rot out...beleive me..and in my case it only a 1992 boat!!!!
------------- <a href="">1992 ski nautique |
Posted By: BuffaloBFN
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 6:57pm
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Sure seems like very few of the wooden stringer boats escape this. What happened to the guy with composites? I was looking forward to seeing what he found.
Anthony, Id say it's planning time with the sun out!  ------------- http://correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=2331&sort=&pagenum=12&yrstart=1986&yrend=1990" rel="nofollow - 1988 BFN-sold "It's a Livin' Thing...What a Terrible Thing to Lose" ELO |
Posted By: almabes
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 8:10pm
Here's the long awaited picture of my starboard outboard stringer. When I push on the part perpendicular to the bottom of the hull, its soft. The floor in the general vicinity, however, is not soft.
 ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 8:13pm
Like the guys have stated, the garage kept doesn't make a difference unless the boat has never seen the water. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: almabes
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 9:14pm
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Not trying to argue, or start a urination contest (I highly respect your opinion, Pete), but I would think that keeping a boat out of the elements, when not in use, would help keep it in better shape in the long run, than storing one outdoors.
Regardless, does the picture help? The area seems to be rather small, and has been there for quite a while. So I'm hoping its not an issue I should worry too much about addressing until end of boating season. Thanks, Anthony ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 9:37pm
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Anthony,
Yes, you are correct that keeping it inside instead of constantly being outside wet will make a difference. However, the way you stated it being garage kept since 81 sounded like you thought it would be immune to rot. That's not the case. Just as Seb (kapla) said, water gets in and never seems to dry out. Take a look around wherever you can at the stringers. Look for loose and cracked glass covering them. Under motor mounds and where the cross members are notched into the stringer tops are good spots. Get back to us with anything you find. If there are some bad spots, then it may be time to do some test boring (drilling) into the wood in spots to see what comes out. Hopefully the one spot you do have a problem with will be the only one. At this time, my gut feeling is you don't have to react now but it's inevitable in the future. The existing spot would be tough it do a repair without pulling up the floor. About all you can do now is to clean up the top edge (especially the damn silicone a PO put on it) and give it a CPES treatment. Hopefully it will soak down deep into the bad spot. Drilling some small holes down into the wood would help get the CPES deeper. http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/search.do?freeText=cpes&page=GRID&history= - CPES at Jamestown ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 9:38pm
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Sounds like you got rot. I bet you can get a number of years out of it before you have to do anything about it. Once you dig into it, you'll probably be replacing everything, so I don't see the need to dive into it before it gets bad.
I love Git Rot. It doesn't fix the problem, but it does help you live with it. ------------- |
Posted By: almabes
Date Posted: June-10-2009 at 11:00pm
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Thanks Pete. I thoroughly appreciate your wisdom. Also, thanks to everyone else who has added thier two cents.
I'll drag my butt back out to the garage and poke at my stringers. I'll post pics of anything I think looks questionable. ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Posted By: almabes
Date Posted: June-11-2009 at 10:15am
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I found a couple of other areas on the outboard stringers where the glass was cracked and the stringer is a little soft. Luckily, NOT on the inboard stringer. It, as far as I could poke and see, seems to still have its integrity intact. The floor is also still quite solid feeling.
No, I didn't drag the camera out there. I will tonight though. Pete, any additional wisdom you may have to share with respect to a CPES repair would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Anthony ------------- favorite computer wisdom: net helpmsg 4006 '76 Martinique PCM 351W |
Posted By: sam57
Date Posted: June-12-2009 at 12:48am
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The moral of this story is: Never ever look in the bilge. "Ignorance is bliss"
Sam |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-12-2009 at 10:18am
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Anthony,
The CPES is just a "band aid". It will get you through a season or two. The problem with just using it on a localized repair is although it will saturate building strengh back up in the bad wood it's the wood next to the CPES that now becomes the problem. The CPES saturated wood will actually hold more water moisture in the wood next to it and that area will now rot faster. I've seen people chase the rot with many CPES treatments going from one area to the next! Complete wood replacement that is completely sealed with the CPES is inevitable but when is still the big question! Get a small kit, drill some small 1/8" holes and start injecting. Jamestown also has glue injetors (syringe) that you can use to really get the CPES down deep ito the holes. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: critter
Date Posted: June-12-2009 at 12:48pm
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Anthony,
The problem with bad stringers is that you end up with stress cracks in the gell. Mostly along the waterline. Much harder to fix. If it were mine and I was not ready to replace the stingers, I would probably take a dremmel tool and cut the glass from around the suspected rotted area. If I found good wood, like you suspect, I would cut out the rot and cut in another piece. This is not a high stress area and if the rot is minimal you can replace the rotted area and glass it in again. Use CEPS to protect the new and old woods. I only say this because it sounds like you are not ready to do a stringer job and may not actually need one. With these stringer replacements, you have to ready for them. You may be able to patch this area to extend your boating time. I agree with Pete and the rest. If you have rot there, you have it other places as well. As Pete mentioned, go over your stingers carefully and look for cracked glass areas. Check the wood behind them as well. This area is not really a stress point but you could have other areas of rot that are.. Good luck ------------- 1980 Ski Nautique 1966 Barracuda |