Beccara 25 Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 Hey all, Was after some advice, just found a crack in the glass on the edge of our boat after winter, waters got in and caused some rot/soft wet wood which i've just got out with the dremel, It's about 6" long, 1-1.5" wide an around 3/4" deep in places, Whats the best way to repair this fairly quick? I was thinking epifill over everdure but wondered if this was the best thing given it's wood and flexing and what not Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I'd cut it out properly, chamfer the ends, and epoxy in a new piece of timber, sand back to the corect shape, then glass over, then paint. if it were on my boat. Not particularly difficult, but would take some time. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 OK, the bad news. Firstly, you need to take out quite a bit more than the affected area. In cases of dry rot the recommended is 10 times the area. I don't know how much removal is required for wet rot, probably a bit more than the affected area, but not so much. From experience, the best way to repair is by inserting a piece of the same or similar timber into the void. This ensures a continuity of the timber, ie the same density,flexibility, expansion/contraction etc. You can appreciate the problems that can occur with a large volume of rock hard epoxy filler in a not so rock hard substrate. The good news is that it's dead easy to do. Looking at your repair, I would use something like a long shank 8 to 10mm double fluted straight bit in a router. With careful use you will end up with a nice squared up oblong slot culminating in solid timber. Chamfer each end of the slot with a chisel to around 45°. Then cut a roughly matching piece for similar timber and glue it in with epoxy. When cured,plane the fillet flush, dish the whole repair and surrounding structure slightly with a disc sander and lay on a bit of 6 or 10 oz glass cloth. Finish off and you're done. It all honesty it would not take you much longer to do the repair in the manner described than it took me to write it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beccara 25 Posted October 8, 2016 Author Share Posted October 8, 2016 Thanks guys, If you're ever in Whangarei i owe you a drink. Router could work the area well so i got a routing guide for the Dremel, It's routed out 1/4" and i'm just waiting on the everdure to try. Next up is ID the wood and make the fillet as per above. It looks quite scary a few hours ago but now it's as you say dead easy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rossd 16 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I understood Chrisc that wood should be dry to do what you say, which in this weather in the shed is going to take a month or 2! So is what you suggest worth doing and still going to sort of work on wet wood? . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest 000 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 You need to work with dry wood. If we are talking about something like the above case, enlarging the damaged area a little (hopefully not too much) will often bring you to dry timber. Meths, being water misible also works well. If you apply meths to the wet wood it mixes with the moisture and causes it to evaporate out. If it's too much for methylated spirits to handle then a heat lamp is a good option, used with care. You need so apply a warming heat to the affected area but not so hot that you start cracking glue joints or blistering paint. I dried out the rudder on the H28 in two days when I had it home for fibreglassing by tenting it in black polythene and leaving it out in the sun during the day and blowing in warm air from a little fan heater over night. So yes, you really do need to work with dry timber, and usually you can come up with some simple scheme to achieve this. Hope this helps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ex TL systems 63 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I have carefully used a gas torch to dry out wet timber before repairing , or if there is no rush I have taped up the area allowing air to circulate and dry naturally over a few weeks. Fresh water in ply is not good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beccara 25 Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 Ok at the risk of sounding completely stupid there's been some talk in the office today as to what is wet rot and what is wet wood. What are some of the criteria/major differences according to you all? One of our installer guys seems to think there isn't any difference and once a bit of wood is soaked in water it's in effect rotten and needs to be cut out. I'm working under a basic idea that rot is fungal in nature and turns the wood to a mush like consistency you can pick out with your fingernails Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 I think that is pushing the idea a bit far, most of the NZ classic are multi skin and saturated right through the inner skins . It certainly doesn't mean they're rotten. I've seen quite a few of them opened up for garboards and hood ends. Some wood is more rot prone than others.... Kahikatea for example. ( what a disappointment that was for Cpn Cook and his bosses.) If its kaik I'd be liberal with some poison brew around the area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 If you can push a screwdriver into it by hand (bury not dent) its rotten. IMO. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 if its ply, and wet with saltwater - its probably f**ked. If its ply, and wet with fresh water - its definitely f**ked! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 yup. Its hard to tell, but it looks like a gunwhale or bit of coverboard or sheer clamp, so its wood. it looks light like kahikatea, which is why I mentioned it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 wanted to post some pics of a small rot job am currently doing but apparently have outdone my quote again tomorrow will delete the high res pics of the leopard so can post low res pics of rot i dont think so erice. max size is 64mb. individual size is 4096kb, and 200 wide by 300 high. I might change that... maybe 1024x768?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 actually how to delete? the option eludes.. What, in the gallery or in threads? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Hmm, I see the problem - you CANT currently delete. Give me a few mins and Ill edit the rights... OK, now should be working? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 this little corner of 55yo? capricorn looked dodgy digging at it with a screw driver resulted in wet weetbix then s saw used to get nice square edges of good wood and as not structurally important meeting area of 4 bits of wood, so was covered in duct tape for a last few months of wet weather .............last time out cut + shaped a bit of wood to go in and 'tacked' with 5min epoxy........hopefully next time out can continue Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 Gallery, what the steps to delete pics posted in gallery? Yeah, wondered that myself. I can do it from the moderation menu, but it is not in the users menu of this version of IPBoard that I can find. Might have to live with this until the upgrade... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScottiE 174 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 after the tent I built over Ballistic fell over at Easter, one hull was left on the hardstand for a few weeks. There were four small screw holes on an aft deck that I didn't seal. It rained. Net result :- . The ply wasn't rotten as such - just weatbix. took 3 elapsed days to repair, glass, fair etc. Won't do that again! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 a split section of hardwood from something like a broom stick tacked in, now to be shaped Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Abel Seaman 19 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Broom handle? Axe handle? Shovel handle? Ash is commonly used as it is a hardwood and a very strong and shock resistant. Brilliant stuff. I laminated my tiller with ash and teak. It is unbelievably stiff and strong, but it is clear coated and entirely visible and I will therefore know if it gets damp. You see, unfortunately Ash has about the same durability rating as untreated radiata, which is to say it will fail dismally in situations of high moisture = rot susceptibility. Hardwood does not automatically mean durable. Balsa, for example, is technically a hardwood but has the all the durability of a politicians promise. Good Luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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