Refastening Job

[twtaxi]

I have acquired an elderly 12' Old Town skiff, made during WWII, that is fastened with ferrous screws (presumably steel but possibly iron?) She is smooth-planked with 3/8" thick x 3/4" wide bullnose and cove mated strips, fastened to ribs that are molded to about 3/8". Her garboards are beginning to grin, but do not appear to be split. All of the screw heads were plugged with a hard putty at one point in her life, but many have popped out of the counterbores, leaving screwheads of dubious integrity and not much left in the way of slots. She clearly needs refastening and her keel needs to be replaced.

For sentimental reasons (I know, the downfall of every boat owner...), I want to restore this boat if possible. I thought folks on this forum might help me steer clear of the many pitfalls I'm sure I have not yet considered. Does anyone here have a notion of the sequence I should follow in order to avoid creating a pile of antique kindling on the floor of my shop?

Thanks.

[JimD]

What a coincidence! I live at Sucker Creek, Alberta :D (Assuming you are kidding. If you really do live at a place called Sucker Creek, my apologies for making fun of it).

How badly damaged is the wood around the the corroded ferrous fasteners? Refastening her to near original condition may be almost as easy as using a bigger gauge screw although getting all the old ones out might be a pita if they break off inside. Bronze screws will not only not corrode but are made fatter because the metal is softer.

Got any pics?

PS - I've never restored an old boat so there's a good chance I don't know what I'm talking about. Hopefully some real restoration folks will grace your thread with their comments soon.

[ 04-23-2005, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: JimD ]

[papamikey]

Originally posted by twtaxi:
I have acquired an elderly 12' Old Town skiff, made during WWII, that is fastened with ferrous screws (presumably steel but possibly iron?) She is smooth-planked with 3/8" thick x 3/4" wide bullnose and cove mated strips, fastened to ribs that are molded to about 3/8". Her garboards are beginning to grin, but do not appear to be split. All of the screw heads were plugged with a hard putty at one point in her life, but many have popped out of the counterbores, leaving screwheads of dubious integrity and not much left in the way of slots. She clearly needs refastening and her keel needs to be replaced.

For sentimental reasons (I know, the downfall of every boat owner...), I want to restore this boat if possible. I thought folks on this forum might help me steer clear of the many pitfalls I'm sure I have not yet considered. Does anyone here have a notion of the sequence I should follow in order to avoid creating a pile of antique kindling on the floor of my shop?

Thanks.