no soak bottom

[prettybeatup]

I have come across the terms, "no soak bottom" and "bottom swelling" in recent columns but I'm not exactly what they pertain to. I'm unclear to whether it is a product or a process.
I just bought my first wooden boat to restore and have not started until I can get a solid handle on how it's done properly. If anyone can explain this process or product and to which boats they apply to, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[wizbang 13]

Explain the Process of restoration ? Having a boat that does not shrink when out of the water is not really a choice, ,,,or is it? I've seen strip plank boats that choose to be "wet" when they could be dry, and I've epoxified carvel boats that are usually "wet' and made them dry!

[tomlarkin]

The underwater bottom planking on some traditionally-built boats shrink when they dry out, opening gaps between them. When you first launch the boat it will leak like crazy. Slowly, over a couple of days, the wood swells up and the gaps close, and you can breath again. Some people run a sprinkler inside the boat for a week before launching to swell the planks ahead of time. It's also possible to put in a soft, temporary caulk or filler that will keep most of the water out, and squeeze out as the planks swell. Here's a thread that talks about using Crisco.

[chuckt]

Use Google's advanced search to look for threads in this forum on "5200 bottom" and "West system" bottoms. These are no-soak bottoms. They are not traditional. Some of the tradionalists don't like them but they have their admirers and, done properly, are a succesful way of redoing a bottom.

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

There is a whole category of plywood boats built by the "Stitch & Glue" method. The plywood planking is bonded together using fiberglass tape saturated with epoxy resin. When completed the hull is virtually one piece and any water that gets in has to come over the side.
There are also plywood lapstrake hulls with laps that are epoxy glued. They should be leak-free also. If plywood laps are rivited or clinch nailed the hull would have to be wetted prior to use.