Fixing butt blocked planks

[Anastasia]

Please bear with me as I exploring the process of fixing cracked planks at butt blocks.

I guess if a plank is cracked close to a butt block, I should check for rot with a ice pick, dig the and surrounding wood out until I find good wood. Treat with antifreeze to protect from further fungus growth. If only a small amount of wood is damaged I could use something like Woodweld to fill in the crack.

If, however, it seems that there is a significant amount of rot, I should consider undoing the butt plank by extracting the copper rivets, taking out the bad wood, shaping new plnt wood to go in, treating seams with anti-freeze, and put in butt blocks.
With a lapstrack does repair mean going down from the rails to the damaged wood?

Are there any other reasonable options?

[ishmael]

Does the boat leak? There is a danger in a little knowledge.

In short, your question needs more information for an answer.

Where are the cracked planks? Poking around, looking for rot is a good idea, but planks check, move, and then move back, close. Without knowing more it's impossible to give advice.

[Keith Wilson]

Cracked how? Split along the grain? There is often a little "crack" at the plank joint visible from outside. More information will allow more helpful answers.

[Nicholas Carey]

If your plank is just split, that is, it has a split in it running with the grain that doesn't tie into the rivets joining the two planks, you may be able to fix it by routing it out with a small router or laminate trimmer and a straight bit (tack down a battern to guide the router and then epoxy in a spline to fill the check (what that sort of split is called).

[Thad]

It could well be not a problem and will swell tight when wet.

[nedL]

As Thad said. Lets make sure you understand exactly what you are dealing with before you start 'surgury'. - And for your last question, repairs do not have to start with dis-assembly from the rails down. It is normal to be able to remove just the problem planks out of the middle without removing adjacent ones.

[Anastasia]

Hey, thanks all for your replies and bearing with me.

The split in the planks are with the grain of the wood and begin at the butt block and extend about 8 inches forward on planks one or two down from rails on the starboard side. One of them seems to go all the way through the plank.

[ishmael]

What's the boat?

Put it in the water and see how tight it is. Expect it to leak for a few days if it's been out of the water for a few years. For cracks as you describe I'd put some soft putty in them and paint it. In other words it is likely cosmetic, and not worth woodwork. Good news, eh?

But it depends a little on what the boat is, and what you plan to do with it, and if you want it some shade of perfect.

You're describing checks because of movement in the wood. If there is no other issue, what I said.

There are still a number of options from what you describe. I had an 'Indian', Alden knockabout rendition of the Swampscott dory that I spent uncounted hours on rebuilding the entire deck and cockpit structure. This is a round bilged lapstrake sailboat fyi. Even after she'd soaked well one butt block leaked like a sieve. As far as sailing the boat and keeping the water out I should have spent half a day and reset that butt, rather than all the work I spent above the rail. Not really, the deck was pretty rotten, but you see what I mean.

Do you know anyone who could have a look at the problems?

[ 09-22-2003, 08:33 PM: Message edited by: ishmael ]

[Bob Smalser]

If the boat's not leaking and the plank ends aren't rotten, I don't see the need to do anything except perform and document the rot inspection I described to you last month, clean, sand and repaint.