Mahogany boat winter storage

[CFarrah]

All,

Having some work done on Mercury and need to consider how we store her this winter. I just heard this from a yard owner in Maine:

"...it is better for a mahogany planked boat to be stored out of water. In water storage is hard on both the wood and the fastenings. The longer mahogany remains saturated the more lignin is damaged. I often see the butt ends of older mahogany planks delaminated along the annular rings like the pages of a water soaked book. Silicon bronze fastenings often show noticeable deterioration after only ten or fifteen years in the water year around. It is best to store her indoors on a dirt floor."

I was kind of surprised but this. Is this opinion/experience shared by others? Mercury has been stored in salt water since 1946 and has no visible wood damage. Going to be pulling screws this winter to assess condition of the bottom fastenings before repowering.

Appreciate any thoughts/reactions to this.

Regards,

Cliff.

[mmd]

You are a hard fellow to convince. :D After almost sixty years of proof that your storage methods work, you are still questioning the results that are displayed before you? With that evidence of doubting what is in front of you, how are we to expect that you will believe us bunch of faceless (and in many instances, nameless) cyber-space advisors?

All kidding aside, it seems that your present storage methods are adequate. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Dan McCosh]

It's an old question--whether it is better to avoid the drying-swelling cycles of dry storage, or deal with the effects off constant immersion. The guy is technically right--the lingin does soak out of immersed wood after 60-80 years or so. Still, a saturated plank won't rot. I think he is thinking mainly of the mahagany utilities, which often are dry stored. They usually have double-planked bottoms and batten-seamed topsides, which greatly reduces the problem with taking up water when first launched. I share a yard with two other sister ships. Both have been in the water year-round for about 60 years. Our boat has been dry-stored and wet-stored. I tend to favor in the water, indoors, in the winter.