How dry for caulking

[s0595580]

HI im going to be re-caulking a 70 year old 50ft Scottish MFV the problem i have is we can only have her out of the water for few weeks whare as all the other hulls i have re caulked have been on shore for months and had dried out what time would yous recommend for her being on land before we re caulk her

[Peerie Maa]

Just long enough to let the plank edges be dry enough to take a coat of paint. If you can dry them with a heat gun better yet. It is usually a race to complete the caulking and paint her before the planks dry out and shrink, opening the seams, so the answer is for as short a time as is possible.

[JoshuaIII]

To give you a idea... I've seen guys changing planks and caulking in between tides...
The joy of Carvel planking!

[s0595580]

Ive changed planks between tides but not on anything over 30 foot