Old Bartender

[Bob Burgan]

Greetings from Portland. I purchased an old 19 ft. Calkins Bartender from the sea scouts some time ago and now I am finally working on her. I have stripped the glass off the bottom and found that most of the plywood is in good shape. I have the following questions about how best to proceed.
1. I work with a lot of old recycled material and often treat my projects with benite to restore the wood. Is a good soaking with benite a good idea, considering that I will be putting glass over it?2. I have found some dry rot in the area uder the stabilizers on the lower sides of the hull where the the water line is when the boat is planing. This was caused by water being trrapped under the oak stabilizer. If you go to the Bartender site and look at a picture of a Bartender you will see the stabilizer running the length of the hull. I took off the stabilizer and will be replacing it and it will cover these areas. I plan to dig out as much of the soft stuff as I can find then fill it with an epoxy filler then fibreglass and then put the stabilzer back on. Does this make sense?This is where the seam of the upper and lower pieces of ply meet. 3. How should the inside bottom of the hull be finished, just painted or glassed?4. Should I add floatation and put a permanant bottom in the boat and seal it? 5.I want to add a strip of something on the keel full length to protect it and I'm considering a 1/4" thick piece of steel that would be about an inch wide. Is this overkill and what material would be best. 5. What is the best caulk to use on the bottom of a boat? Any and all ideas would be highly valued and thanks guys...Bob

[Peerie Maa]

Please post some pictures, especially of the rot under the stabiliser, both inside and from outside, also of the keel where you are proposing to put the steel keel band.
I have a 3mm by 25 mm stainless steel strip on the keel of Peerie Maa, but I would want to see your boats keel and know more about how you will use her before giving advice.

[Bob Smalser]

1)….soaking with Benite …

2)….I plan to dig out as much of the soft stuff as I can find then fill it with an epoxy filler then fiberglass and then put the stabilizer back on…

3)….How should the inside bottom of the hull be finished, just painted or glassed?....

4). …Should I add floatation and put a permanent bottom in the boat and seal it? …

5)…I want to add a strip of something on the keel full length to protect it and I'm considering a 1/4" thick piece of steel that would be about an inch wide….

6)…What is the best caulk to use on the bottom of a boat?

http://www.bartenderboats.com/22hulldone.JPG

1) I believe Benite is oil-based like many Minwax/Danish Oil products and will interfere with epoxy gluing. Epoxy and glass need clean, dry plywood….and nothing else.

2) Your hull repair beneath the stabilizer depends on how deep the rot goes. If it’s deeper than a couple of lams, then scarfing in new plywood is required. And a proper feather scarf too, not a glorified butt block. Otherwise feathering out the rot (removing it entirely) and replacing the lost lams with high-adhesive epoxy (not weak epoxy filler or fairing compound) and a strong fabric like Dynel will work.

3) Paint is fine for the interior bottom. A coating of CPES on the bare plywood before the paint is an excellent technique to further reduce the plywood’s capacity to absorb moisture.

4) Adding raised floorboards with poured foam beneath makes inspecting the interior hull beneath it impossible, probably shortening its life. But floatation may be a good idea for boats crossing bars in winter weather. Be careful of raising the center of gravity of the loaded boat by raising the floors, and look at removable flotation devices as well as foam blocks beneath decks, coamings and seats. Talk to other bartender owners about proven solutions:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bartenderboat/

5) A half-round stainless steel strip bedded and screwed to the keel will work fine to protect from gravel beaches. Mild steel will rust and take the wood with it, and bronze and naval brass are too expensive. But stainless isn’t cheap either, and you can also use an easily-replaced wear strip got out from an inexpensive but hard tropical like Purpleheart or its ilk.

6) If by caulk you mean a bedding compound, then there are several nonadhesive compounds like Interlux, Dolphinite, etc. that will keep water from seeping beneath stabilizers and hardware and rotting your plywood again. Or for less expense, you can paint and wax the faying surfaces and use a common adhesive poly plumber’s caulk like Vulkem. Just remember what goes onto the boat will also have to come off one day….hopefully without damage.

Last, remember your boat was designed to safely cross the nastiest river bars on the continent in adverse conditions. And if you don't boat there, the next owner might. Be careful with shortcuts and half-way solutions, even if you read about them here.

[L.W. Baxter]

...I have found some dry rot in the area uder the stabilizers on the lower sides of the hull where the the water line is when the boat is planing. This was caused by water being trrapped under the oak stabilizer. If you go to the Bartender site and look at a picture of a Bartender you will see the stabilizer running the length of the hull. I took off the stabilizer and will be replacing it and it will cover these areas. I plan to dig out as much of the soft stuff as I can find then fill it with an epoxy filler then fibreglass and then put the stabilzer back on. Does this make sense?This is where the seam of the upper and lower pieces of ply meet...

Bob, the seam where "the upper and lower pieces of ply meet" is the chine, which should be covered by a chine guard, probably of oak. Apart from that is the "stabilizer" you mention, which in Bartender parlance is actually the "spray rail". Where the spray rail gets wide and wing shaped aft would be the "spray rail filler". This is assuming that your Bartender was built correctly originally.

So, have you removed both the chine guard and the spray rail? Is the rot only under the spray rail where it widens or do you find soft spots under all the oak? If the rot is localized under the spray rail filler you might consider cutting out a strip of the planking and replacing it. You can scarph it in as Smalser suggests or double up the planking from the inside--filling the space between the frames with a backer piece of plywood larger than the strip you remove-- as that area should have some reinforcement for the spray rail filler at any rate.

[Bob Burgan]

Thanks for all the replys and I will post pictures soon. The rot is at the chine and under the spray rail and goes all the way through in small areas. I will replace those areas with new ply.:p

[Spokaloo]

Call up Bill Childs, best thing you could do for Bartender specific questions.

E

[Tom Lathrop]

Call up Bill Childs, best thing you could do for Bartender specific questions.

E

Spokaloo,

I sent you a PM.