a planking issue.

[Thaddeus J. Van Gilder]

So on this 1923 Bristol channel pilot cutter, I have a starboard for'd garboard with a minor issue. The plank is relatively tight (for being dry for a year and a half) but at the rabbet there is a 3/8 inch gap that tapers over 18 inches to nothing, in the seem between the garboard and the first broad. the plank is about 12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, and appears to be of oak.

there was just caulk in it. shouls I recaulk her, or fit a wood wedge, or should I just by a damn plank and replace it?

Any ideas? I am just not sure if she will take up that much in one spot, since she's tight for most of her length.

Thad

[Art Read]

There "was" caulk in there? Cotton? And now it's gone/removed? If so, before taking more drastic measures, I'd be tempted to "try" re-caulking the area again just enough to hold the cotton in place securely without really "jamming" it in there. Doesn't sound like too awfull a gap to me, if it's limited to a single area like that. I can remember old timers stuffing caulk in lots worse looking seams on some old draggers out on the Cape. But then it isn't my money or time lost if you DO have to re-haul her to "fix" it again... Is it a good "caulking bevel", i.e. "v" shaped? I assume you've investigated any potential "causes" that might suggest the plank is/has "moved" recently? Fastenings? Condition of the stem/frames in that area? She may have always had that "little gap" there... God knows, there's a few on my boat I wouldn't have wanted any of you guys to get too close a look at before I filled 'em up, and she's a brand new boat!

[Wayne Jeffers]

Thad,

I'm waiting to hear what the old salts have to say on this one.

It strikes me as odd that the plank should have opened up so much only over the last 18 inches. If due to normal shrinking, I would expect the seams to open up relatively uniformly from end to end.. Since the rest of this seam and the others are pretty tight, I think you should check closely to see if a little piece has split off the end of this one plank.

Wayne

[Thaddeus J. Van Gilder]

I think maybe the plank was spiled by a blind apprentice.

[Rich VanValkenburg]

Any chance of a broken frame or two in that area? I had that happen, though not open that wide, because of broken frames.

Rich

[Thaddeus J. Van Gilder]

broken frames?

oh background....
she has a 4 by 4 double sawn frame every 3 feet or so, and a couple of bent frames in between each one. nothing broke there.

besides, It's tight everywhere except where the plank meets the rabbet.

[Allen Foote]

If there was caulk in it previously...then it WON'T take up. Ifn she was mine...I'd spline it with soft cedar bedded in tar and nailed in place with predrilled (that oak is tough! and you don't want to split any of the plank edge off) bronze ringshanked nails (drilled at such an angle that they go through the plank into the spline, through the spline into the keel) use an aircraft drill bit. (I don't know if that area is too flat, making that impossible). Leaving everything else alone, along that seam, thats tight. The spline may not even need the nails to hold it in place as the cedar will expand when wet. You'll have to make the call on that one.

[ 05-26-2002, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Allen Foote ]

[Dave Fleming]

First choice, replace the plank.
Second choice, use the softwood spline method.
You would be amazed at some of the ways I have seen to "solve" similar problems over the years.
Galvanized steel rods laid in tired seams and then a thread of Oakum and then White Cement payed in copper bottom paint. On the inside of the hull 1/4 inch plywood laid in thick paint spaning the seam and fastened with copper nails.
Lengths of cotton sash line payed with bottom paint and cemented over.
Lead Sheets tacked over the seam with Copper Tacks.
The topper was ****burlap bags**** ripped into pieces and stuffed in the seam and payed with 'bear ****e'.

And I, mea culpia mea culpia, once did a forward deck on a salmon troller payed with 'bear ****e' and canvas laid in it held with silly bronze ring shanked nails redface.gif

Fellow was moored at Tugboat Daves old hangout, Riverside Marina on the Duwamish River in Seattle. He pleaded with me to do it and promised it was just for that one season and he would be breaking the boat up after as he had a new one under construction in aluminum at Rozemas in Anacortes.
Found out from T. Dave that he sold the boat to some Alaskan natives and they used it that way for several years.
Oh, the ignominity, the shame but I guess it worked OK.
Imagine nice white canvas with black goop working its way through the weave. Just don't wear your dancing shoes whilst working up on that foredeck. :D