Leak Repair

[tcmers]

If any of you read my post in the Misc. forum, you are aware of the trailer and leak problem with our boat. The hull is a plywood lap hull. (Skiff Craft) Up until now, it's been fairly dry. We've developed one major leak, and a couple of minor leaks. The minor leaks are at scarf joints on the bottom of the boat, on the planks on either side of the keel. The biggest leak is along a seam, two boards up from the keel. How do we best fix these? Do we remove fastenings around the affected area, fill with sikaflex or something similar, then refasten? What are the chances of opening up adjacent seams when trying to fix these? I've replaced wood on a flat plywood Chris Craft, but this will be my first below the waterline work on a lapstrake boat.

[Victor]

You might just gop on a flexible expoxy from the inside. Probably not a permanent repair but it'll get you through the season.

[JimConlin]

Contact the builder. The proprietor, Bill Berrisford, visits here occasionally and the website offers to guide Skiffcraft owners with repair and restoration issues.

[tcmers]

Originally posted by JimConlin:
Contact the builder. The proprietor, Bill Berrisford, visits here occasionally and the website offers to guide Skiffcraft owners with repair and restoration issues.Thanks. I've posted the question on the Skiff Craft board as well. Just thought I'd seek input from some of group here as well.

[TimothyB]

Well, Jim T. answers this question well in his book, Wooden Boat Restoration. It's available in the woodenboat store.

[tcmers]

Originally posted by TimothyB:
Well, Jim T. answers this question well in his book, Wooden Boat Restoration. It's available in the woodenboat store.Just ordered a copy of the book. Plenty of work to do stripping bottom paint before it gets here. We're taking it down to bare wood. We won't start on any leak repairs until we get the paint removed.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

On a lapstrake boat the fasteners work(move around) and loosen their hold. They need retightened or reclinched. 3-M 5200(a glue) is what some people use to help keep seams water proof. It's a permanent fix though and won't come apart even if you would want it to for other repairs later, so beware.

I saw a Skiff Craft boat for sale at a boatshow I attended recently. I have photos of course. :D

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid183/p94ab72c0bb5c9ed6880f15a6f27e6d32/f2b76469.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid183/p14a7e597c7f0a6b462841eee2c9db540/f2b76495.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid183/p2a607357f5cad53fff9894372e70848e/f2b76441.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid183/p7c4a9371f7bd8b8b9b2cc90b5c9e067a/f2b76451.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid183/p4f92e766119829beabeb361bc35a03d6/f2b764e1.jpg

One more thing.....don't feel you have to strip off all the paint, down to bare wood. Only take off what comes off easy. Oversanding into the thin top layer of the plywood is a common mistake. Best of luck on your project. Remember it's an Ohio boat and better than the rest. ;) :D

P.S. I noticed the rubrails on this one were shot. Totally rotted out. Might want to check yours as this was a problem area.

[ 09-08-2005, 06:51 PM: Message edited by: Mr. Know It All ]

[tcmers]

That looks similar (larger) to ours. We've modified the cockpit area a bit to open it up, and suit our tastes. Usually it's just the two of us, so we prefer a more open area. We've also replaced some of the deck and cabin top, and replaced all of the vinyl on the deck and cabin top. Part of our rub rail was rotted as well. It was replaced when we did the cabin work this year. We were thinking about chemical stripper on the bottom. There are layers and layers of anti fouling paint. So much that it continually flakes, and looks terrible. We'd like to eliminate the anti fouling paint, as the boat is never in the water for more than 3 days at a time. That is the old trailer in the photo, by the way.

How long ago did you see this? We're thinking about calling if it was recently. Looks like a 24' model. If it's a 26, it's too wide to trailer, but a 24 would be perfect for us.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Cabin.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/InProcess.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/NewInterior.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Trailered.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/tcmers/Transom.jpg

[ 09-08-2005, 09:23 PM: Message edited by: tcmers ]

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

I saw that boat about 3 weeks ago.
A heat gun and pull type scraper will remove bottom paint pretty good with half the mess and cost of chemical strippers. You will want to wear a resperator too because the fumes are toxic.
I thought the price was good for a boat in that condition. I didn't talk to the owner. Might be worth a call just to talk Skiff Crafts with him. ;)
Nice pics of your boat....thanks. :cool:

[tcmers]

Thanks for the info. We'll give him a call. We love our boat. Owning another can't be all bad, right? :D