removing planks

[kylakefreak]

I've started the process of removing the planks on my 42' Owens Aruba. The bottom of the boat seems to have so much rot that I don't have a choice. Here are my issues.

1)Should I remove all the planks from the bottom on both sides so that I can inspect for structural damage?

2)Because of the diagonal criss-cross pattern of the outer and inner hulls, and because of where the rotten spots are located, and because of the length of these planks, I am having to remove almost the back 2/3s of the entire bottom. Should I just go ahead and redo the entire bottom?

3) I was thinking about going back with marine grade playwood for the inner hull and mahogany for the outer hull instead of mahogany for both. Is this a bad idea?

Thanks for any advice that anyone can give me.

[Mike Vogdes]

Wow!
Thats a big job on a very big boat...
I would be willing to bet that there are other areas that are rotted as well. Maybe you should consider getting a surveyor or shipwright to have a look befor getting to far along. This kind of job could get very expensive.

As far as using marine ply on the first layer, its been done by Chris Craft, Trojan and others so I would think its a viable choice.

[TimothyB]

In addition, I would not just start removing planks unless I -knew- that the framing was sound. You remove too many planks from punky framing and the boats loses her shape.

If you're not sure about the framing, you need to put together some outside frames to hold her together while you remove the planks and etc...

..it definitely could get dicey. Make sure you spend time talking to a few boat restoration pros first, and spend a lot of time thinking about your "step by step" plan to renovate her. Once you formulate a COMPLETE plan, execute it. Don't do this a piece at a time. . . I did that with an old sardine carrier and lost the boat because of costs I was not aware of before I started. I had to abandon the project because I had not planned it properly.

So.. go slow and get all the info!! Plan for overruns. Be aware of costs associated with storage, hauling, materials, etc before you do anything. And.. talk to a pro about your project! Ask his advice and maybe pay him for some as well. Maybe he can put together your project plan for you for a few bucks, saving you a lot of hassle and pain.

[Thad Van Gilder]

I think it's probably a good idea... double diagonal planking is a pain to redo!!!
-Thad

[Gary E]

What you have here and NOW is the best reason to bring in the BEST Owens specialist you can find. And I dont think you will find him in Ky, so prepare to fly him in from far away.

Good luck, you will need plenty.

[sdowney717]

I was just thinking, if you are replacing the bottom of the boat with new wood, why not simply strip plank on a new hull using new wood strips, epoxy and nail strips to strips. And reaatach to the framing with screws. Got to be better than dealing with double planking.

So I assume you would

remove planks, only do one side at a time!
repair the framing.
cut your own wood strips, make the thickness at least as thick as original bottom.
epoxy glue them and side nail them and screw them to the frames.
When finished, dynel sheath the hull using epoxy and dynel cloth. Dynel cloth is stretchy and wont crack like fiberglass.
It would give you the strength of double planking and no leaks.
You also would not need to use expensive mahogany wood. Stick with a locally available rot resistant variety.

[sdowney717]

Shoot, you could even use treated SYP strips.
NO ROT THEN.
Cut em up and get rid of the knots. Epoxy will glue treted SYP, especially on fresh table saw cut and dry surfaces.