Teredo Worms: How to Protect?

[socrates_thinks]

Recently purchased a historical sailboat: a 30' Tahiti Ketch by John Hanna, oak on oak. Teredo worms are a problem in Florida waters. I need solid advice (you may chuckle here) for this problem.

I'm aware of several approaches:
1. Gougeon Bros., laminate veneers with epoxy, cold molding.
2. Alan Vaitses, chopper gun, glass, with epoxy.
3. VC Tar or Hempel "cold tar epoxy" with bottom
paint.
4. copper sheathing
5. lots of frequent copper based bottom paint, eg Trinidad.

Your comments and opinions will be very much appreciated.

Thanks very much...

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Umm...VERY nasty critters. I don't know the answers.

You omitted Cascover sheathing from your list! Not sure if it is still around (nylon cloth, resorcinol)

"Haul early, haul often!" is one bit of good advice.

Coal tar epoxy is popular with many as an undercoat.

Be extra careful around the rudder!

[paladin]

If'n ya put all that polyester goo on the bottom then you gots problems with polyestermites.....and them critters izz 10 times as bad as toredo fellers........ :D

[Concordia..41]

Congratulations on your purchase. Number 5 gets my vote.

We have ours down to bare wood and in the unlikely event we somehow manage to get her back together and in the water, we will be applying CPES then bottom paint with surgical-like care and precision.

Sarah was built in 1955 and has been in Florida on and off since 1962. She was highly neglected before we purchased her and may have sat in the water in St. Augustine for as long as two years at a spell.

There is very little worm damage and what has occured is around the rudder and hard to get to spots where someone was just lazy with the bottom paint application. There are a few small holes along a lot of the plank edges where the paint must of flexed and allowed the critters a free lunch.

The most interesting worm damage of all is almost a perfect line of holes about three inches below her current water line where she must of sat low in the water and thus allowing access through her unprotected topsides. Those holes have been filled with epoxy and the work may date back to the 80's when she was last really cared for. There are at least two new planks that run through the water line problem so that epoxy job has certainly held up. And it continues to hold just fine through these three years she's been on the hard.

Enjoy!

[ 07-23-2002, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[WWheeler]

I'm taking on a 25' gaff sloop "Gypsy". Current owner has restored the original copper bottom. Provenance not confirmed, but it is supposed to be built 1885. Could the copper have helped? See the thread "Copper bottom". The method is low tech, but lasts longer than paint - tar + building felt + copper. About $800 cdn in copper for the boat.

[Ken Hall]

Wow, WWheeler, that seems pretty affordable for a copper bottom. Very nice. Socrates, you might also consider a worm shoe (search the archive for technique, there was a recent thread) to give the critters something to pay attention to instead of your hull proper. The worm shoe would be used in addition to whichever primary solution you select, natch. Good luck!

[ 07-24-2002, 11:24 AM: Message edited by: Ken Hall ]

[brad9798]

Cayenne pepper mixed in your bottom paint ... but man, be careful when it is sanded ... it'll get you too.

Brad

[Maybritt]

Maybritt lives in Singapore and in a climate much like Florida. I use a coal tar epoxy - flexible and poisonous - the type used on oil rigs (expensive but good) and an oil rig antifouiling. Seems to be doing the trick.