Advise for cypress planking problems

[Eddiebou]

I recently built and launched a little rail skiff/ duck boat out of cypress. My intention was not to build a yacht like thing, but a simple, traditional, purely functional and inexpensive boat to pole through the marsh and swamp. Therefore, I did not want to go through the trouble of screwing and bunging and sanding a bunch of holes. I had the notion that some years from now the boat would have a vintage look, a future antique if you will. So, I used SiBr (anullar) ring nails for all the planking (3/4"). The bottom is nailed on with 6d (2") nails and seems to be fine, but the chine was nailed with 4d (1 1/4) is peeling away from the side plank after only a week in the water. I didn't want to get into 5200 or epoxy or any modern, high-tech stuff here. What did they used to do back in the old days? Maybe I should have clinched the nails from the outside plank through the chine. This just didn't seem right, either, to have so many holes outside the hull right at the waterline. Any constructive comments are welcome. Rivets?

[Bob Smalser]

What did they do in the old days? They had better wood, and they selected stock for chines that wouldn't warp when it hit the water, overcoming the holding strength of the fasteners.

No biggie. Get some deepthroated clamps in there and pull the chine back in place. Work some bedding compound behind it if you didn't use it in the first place. You can also pull the chine in using longish 1/4" carriage bolts, and either remove them and fill the holes when done or use hot-dipped galvanized and leave them.

I don't think you'll have to go to the expense and trouble of rivets. The chine should be nailed to both the lower side plank and the outside bottom plank, which I suspect it's not. You can use longer nails if you toenail them, and should. How many nails are the right number? One every two inches is about the maximum you should use, and stagger the nail line so they don't split the wood. Then countersink the heads and apply putty. Don't fret leaking around fastener holes....the wood will swell and seal them.