Port Side Only Rot?

[Callisto]

I have a 45' Egg Harbor showing spots of rot only on the port side, and most of your previous posts on corrective measures are scaring me to death!

Of primary concern right now, above the waterline at the bow where the planks join the keel, in a vertical line from about 3" below the gunwale down to a couple of feet above the waterline. Seems rotten to a depth of about 1" to 1 1/2". Other locations: amidships in a couple of areas the size of a baseball, 2nd and 3rd plank down from the gunwale; along the base of those "wing" doors where water runoff from the decks builds up.

Noticed the keel problem as I was repainting this year. Question is, what can be done (safely/conservatively) about it? Is this something I should just chisel out and repair with an epoxy, do I need to use some kind of combo caulk and cotton, or do I have to find a boatyard fast and haul her out?

Also, any clues on why the rot is taking hold only on the port side? I just bought her a couple of years ago, and her prior slip had her facing the opposite direction, so outside elements don't seem to be a factor.

Finally, can anyone recommend a wood doctor who makes house calls in the Boston area, or comment on reliable boat yards. At 34 tons, she doesn't get hauled out just anywhere....

[Bob Cleek]

I'd expect the side that wasn't exposed to the sun would remain damper and provide a more rot-friendly environment, not that this matters much at this point. If it is as you describe, these aren't little soft spots that you can fair with some sort of googe. Keep in mind that rot is like cancer... it is a fungus spread by spores and it spreads. You have to cut out the cancer before it metastasizes! Find yourself a good wooden boat surveyor to advise you on what needs to be repaired. This is going to likely involve removing the infected members and replacing them "as built." Don't despair! The beauty of traditionally built boats is that they put them together figuring somebody was going to have to take them apart down the line. Wood is biodegradable... live with it! LOL

[Allen Foote]

I don't agree so much with the surveyer quotes so often made here. For 1 thing, its almost immpossible to find one qualified to survey wood, they are all earning a living with fiberglass and have been for 20 years....I'm starting to think that self-knowledge is more important here. You can do the thurough going over of the nooks and crannies of the bilge and frame work yourself, looking for split an/or cracked frames and soft spots, discolored keel bolts ect. A surveyor would be more useful in assessing electrical systems and other extranious componants. What Cleek says about rot is true and you must keep that in mind when you see rot decay. The decay is the final stages and it will spread from piece to piece. There has been mention of "borate solutions", chemicals that will kill the rot fungis. The best however, is to replace any wood that shows the decay of rot, with sound wood, replicating the original pieces and building process. 1) sounds like the stem is rotting and this is going from plank end to plank end down the stem. What year was she built? was a piece of red oak used for the upper stem? 2) sounds like "where the water run off from the decks" has permiated behind and rotted the planking...pull the planks and assess damage behind. 3)rot is taking hold on the port side ONLY because there exists more favorable conditions on that side. (more water seepage, less fresh air flow, less sunlight on the surface)

[ 05-26-2002, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: Allen Foote ]

[Callisto]

She built in 1968. As far as I know, the stem and all hull planks are mahogany - oak was used for the ribs, but I don't know if it was red oak. Something "fishy" about red oak?