Care of Cedar under fiberglass

[Woodduck1]

Hi all :)....yep, newbie to this forum. I've got a couple of questions: Just bought a genuine old Jersey-built cedar plank duck gunning boat which has been covered in fiberglass. The interior has been treated with something....might be oil, might be Cuprinol (there is still a bit of residual odor). What's the BEST thing to treat the raw Cedar interior with to prevent problems?

Second: There's no drain in this boat (transom appears to be Cedar plank same as the hull). Is there a reason not to have a drain? Should I install one in the transom?

Thanks for your wisdom!

[Thorne]

Welcome to the Forum!

If you can post photos it will be a big help, also give us as much info on the boat, condition of the wood, how it will be used, transported, stored, etc.

If you are trailering and storing dry, the boat may need to be sealed differently than if it spends all season in the water.

I personally like drains in the front of the boat's bottom planks, as I can lower the swing-away jack on the trailer when washing out the boat after trips.

This design with a slot cut in the plug (to fit knife back or coin) works well for me, base plate set flush with the bottom planks/ply to allow maximum drainage -
http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/prodimg/PKO-714.JPG

Traditionally they are put in the aft bottom planks so the boat drains when pulled up the ramp (or on the beach). The latter position also makes it easier to:
A. notice when the plug is out
B. replace the plug before the boat sinks...

[Woodduck1]

Thanks for the info. I don't have a means of posting photos just yet - but: The boat is a 12' "gunning garvey" style sneakbox as opposed to classic Barnegat. It will be trailered and either stored under roof or covered. The wood appears to be in excellent shape - sound all around - and has, as I said, been treated with something which I hope to be able to identify as I've now got the identity of the builder....just have to try to track him down now someplace down in South Carolina (wish me luck) where he's living with his kids in his advanced years. I'm pretty sure he's the one who treated the wood as it was his personal boat which he sold the PO to myself when he gave up duck hunting due to age....that guy kept the boat four years without using it and then sold it to me at a giveaway price just to get rid of it. I'm told that though this was the builders personal boat...it was one of many that he built during his "career".

I'm a bit concerned about the sort of drain that you show, as I know nothing of the potential risks involved in putting it in the bottom planks with a fiberglass covering involved. Bottom planks seem to be about 1/2" thick as best I can estimate with some jury rigged "calipering"....I was thinking of a transom drain because of the greater wood thickness there and the limited area under glass compared to the bottom.

I did talk to one old Jersey duckboater who claims that most of these were built without drains, but doesn't know the reason other than the fact that they also generally have a full cockpit cover. Mine has the cover, but has an opening in the deck behind the cockpit to accomodate an outboard when tilted up. I'm thinking of building a framework to be able to cover the boat but leave plenty of room for air to circulate.