Termites?
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=34832
Printed Date: November-17-2024 at 9:37am
Topic: Termites?
Posted By: nautique74
Subject: Termites?
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 10:51am
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I was winterizing my boat yesterday and I noticed a pile of dirt or saw dust. I took a screw driver and poked around and the only soft spot I found was a little bit in a hole that is drilled at the bottom of one of the stringers that allows water to drain from one side to drain out(of course the stringers are coated with fiberglass and is hard). I poured a little gas and then antifreeze to hopefully kill anything. What would be a easy way to stop this without tearing out fiberglass and lumber? ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Replies:
Posted By: Orlando76
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:10am
| Do termites leave saw dust behind? Talk to your exterminator (if you have one). He can leave you some bait if imagine. My guy leaves me some stuff to spray in my boat bc time to time it have a piss ant issue. |
Posted By: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:20am
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I don't know if termites leave saw dust behind. But I've had these large black ants on board off & on for months, I would spray ant killer and they would leave for a week or so, then come back. I have not seen the ants since it's cooled down around here. I hope it's ants and not rotten termite infested stringers. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: Orlando76
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:27am
| I've seen a lot of termite damage and the part of the wood they don't eat they leave in the wood, hence you're left with a hollow piece of wood and no "byproduct". But there's several types of termites and I'm sure very by region. The big black carpenter ants live in damp wood. They don't eat the wood but just take up residence until it drys, if it drys. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:29am
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I suspect you just found a rotten area. ------------- /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: BuffaloBFN
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:33am
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I had carpenter ants on initial teardown; a small tree too! ------------- 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: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:35am
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I looked on line and found that termites do not leave saw dust. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:40am
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Also I found that carpenter ants leave dead bug carcuss' and eat damp wood. I didn't see any carcuss' but I'm sure the wood is wet due to the pile of dirt/dust was blocking the water drain hole. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:48am
Frank, I think the inevitable project is what is needed. What else have you done to check for rot? Tap on the glass over the stringers? ------------- /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 < |
nautique74 wrote:Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:48am
The ones I have experienced do,that's how you know you have them. Time to tent! ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 11:51am
Yes, and they feel solid. Only a little soft area in the drain hole drilled under them. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: Orlando76
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 12:15pm
| Sadly I suspect that soft area is larger than you want it to be, it's inevitable for all of us. If your lags are holding tight on engine and tranny and no visible cracks in the glass.... I'd just call an exterminator. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 1:56pm
Gary, Termites up here or down south? Up here, it's too cold for them. If up here, then I'd say you were experiencing carpenter ants. ------------- /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: Morfoot
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 2:39pm
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Frank, I'm 99% sure you don't have termites. They don't like light whatsoever and will build dirt tunnels up a wall to get to wet wood. That's a lot of trouble to get to the wood in your boat if it's on the trailer. It would have to sit unused for months for them to build said tunnels up the wheel, down the trailer, up the hull and down the boat to get to wood encapsulated in fiberglass. A woody yes but not a plastic boat. I agree with the others that you have ants. I've seen them in Miss Scarlett a time or two after tying up the boat in a old boat house overnight. I came out the next morning and saw them using the dock line as a highway to get into the boat. You could try using ant bait traps in the bilge and various places to kill them all when you put the boat back in the storage for a couple weeks till you use it again. ------------- "Morfoot; He can ski. He can wakeboard.He can cook chicken.He can create his own self-named beverage, & can also apparently fly. A man of many talents."72 Mustang "Kermit",88 SN Miss Scarlett, 99 SN "Sherman" |
Posted By: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 4:31pm
Thanks everyone!!! I now think it's ants too, I've seen them a lot this year and actully last year too. I'm going to put ant killer out and not worry about it. Everything is solid and the only wood that is exposed is the 1/2" drain hole through the stringers. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 4:42pm
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Coating the open wood with some resin wouldn't be a terrible idea. ------------- |
Posted By: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 4:46pm
I could try, but I'm afraid it would stop up the drain hole. It's only 1/2" diameter drilled hole through a fiberglass coated 2x6 with about a 4"-5" gap to try and get my hand in. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 5:03pm
| Drill a bigger hole. It's easier to reach from the bilge than the exh pocket. |
Posted By: nautique74
Date Posted: October-27-2014 at 5:05pm
I haven't thought of that. That would allow water to pass through easier and maybe remove some rot. ------------- 1974 Ski Nautique |