Storage for a deteriorating boat

[Greg Stoll]

Hi all,

I have volunteered to store a deteriorating wooden boat in my barn in order to preserve it for restoration in the next few years. I haven't seen it, but it is supposedly around 12 feet long, constructed in the 1920's. I can only assume that it is carvel or lapstrake planked. What is the best way to go about storing it to prevent further deterioration? Be aware that I have birds nesting in the barn every year (like most barns, I think).

Thanks,

Greg

[Lew Barrett]

What kind of boat? Got a picture?

[Kitlani]

I'd make sure it was covered from anything falling from above but I would also make sure that air could circulate around it. If it has lasted this long I wouldn't try to seal it into some artifical environment.

Oh, and you have to visit a few times a week and talk to it.;)

-rg-

[Greg Stoll]

No picture, I haven't seen it yet. You can rest assured that when it is brought up and put away the event will be fully documented.

Greg

[Thorne]

You may need to build a "correcting cradle" to either fix any hogging/warping that has occurred, or to keep it from twisting/warping.

For that purpose, you may want to find out what exact model it is, and compare it to other identical hulls either visually or via measurements -- this might show if any changes have occurred.

Good luck!

[Excalibur]

Certainly full length keel support if nothing else. It's impossible to think about lateral support until you see the boat. The more delicate craft on display at the museum have custom cradles. I would also erect a plastic tarp "fly" over it to keep off bird poop and water. I would make certain the tarp does not actually lay on the boat.

[Bruce Hooke]

It seems to me that a good bit depends on the boat. A 12' boat could be a 50 lb. double-paddle canoe or it could be a 2500 lb workboat, to pick the extremes of the range. How you care for the boat is going to vary quite a bit depending on what sort of boat it is.

One small tip that I will pass along. Canoes are often stored upside down. In that position, the bow and stern decks provide what birds see as a perfect place to build a nest. Nests are bad -- they promote rot. So, if this situation applies watch out for this problem.

[Bill Childs]

Greg,
I once had a big ol' wood barn I thought was great for storing all my lumber and wood boats in.... until I started seeing little tiny piles of sawdust turning up in various places. The barn was full of evil little wood eating bugs. They were slow but persistent and I never did get them fully exterminated - enough to drive a guy over the edge. Hard to fight an enemy you can't see. You might think about spraying that boat with something wood borers don't like.

My current metal building doesn't have near the charm but I sleep better at night.

[seo]

I've got an 11' Luders launch stored away in a neighbors barn. It's hung upside-down on cross-bars that extend out six inches from the sides and are picked up by tackles. Hanging overhead it's out of the way, out of the way of harm. I put D-con inside for any mice or squirrels, then tied mosquito netting so that it covers the open deck and keeps out birds, and then covered the hull with a piece of cotton sheeting, followed by plastic, just in case the barn roof leaks, and to keep the pigeon dung off. Sounds like a lot, but it took less than two hours.
I would really strongly suggest getting it overhead. Even if you're storing if for free, the most innocent accidental damage (bump it with a wheelbarrow, leaky roof fills it with water, kids climb in and play navy, older kids climb in two-by-two, boys and girls, and set sail for the isles of delight...) can end a friendship. Also, if I store something for someone, I'm not inviting them to turn my storage shed into a workshop. If the boat is out of reach, it will be necessary for the owner to have a discussion with you on that subject before pitching in with the paint stripper and disc sanders.
seo

[Lew Barrett]

Certainly full length keel support if nothing else. It's impossible to think about lateral support until you see the boat.

My thought; but I was hoping to get a description. That and a good cover should do the job. It will need some sort of lateral support to keep it balanced though. It should be stored clean of course, and the cover should breathe, so we're thinking alike.

[Gary E]

Dont most barns also have RATZ???
Whacha gona do when they get hungry and chew on that wood?
Good news is it's only 12 ft long...

[Bruce Hooke]

Dont most barns also have RATZ???

Not necessarily. More importantly...


Whacha gona do when they get hungry and chew on that wood?

From what I've seen of rats, they are not going to chew on wood unless doing so will give them access to food. A wooden boat is unlikely to do that.

[ahp]

Just support it well so the keel stays straight. Maybe cover to with some old sheets to keep the dirt out. The rats won't bother it as long as there is no food in it.

[David G]

All the above suggestions seem eminently practical. You're probably not going to know enough about the boat to make a corrective cradle for it, but supporting the keel and tarping to allow air in but keep guck out seems like a perfectly reasonable compromise. Most importantly, though, because I know your neighborhood, I must warn you: Above all, my friend, keep those goofy Puddle Duck Racer/Gyro Gearloose/Experimenter types away from it (I think you know the sort I mean). If you turn your back for a second, they'll have it rigged with amas, a retractable concrete keel, fore and aft swivel-mounted potatoe cannon, and a blue polytarp junksail on electrical conduit spars. Actually, parts of that sound interesting, eh? But what would the owner think?<G>

[Bill Childs]

Most importantly, though, because I know your neighborhood, I must warn you: Above all, my friend, keep those goofy Puddle Duck Racer/Gyro Gearloose/Experimenter types away from it (I think you know the sort I mean). <G>
Ha! That was very similar to my first thought also David. I wondered just which friend Greg was doing this favor for. That would certainly have a lot to do with the care taken in making sure it was done correctly (I think you know what I mean).

Good to see you in this neck of the internet David.