The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

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  • jeffwatl
    Junior Member
    • Mar 2017
    • 24

    The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

    Background: My father had the Aly Oop built in 2000. It's named after my niece who was just born. An elderly woodworker in Roswell, GA built her. He has since passed. Not sure if boats were even his specialty.

    The Aly Oop spent her whole life on a small fishing lake in Highlands, NC. We have so many amazing memories on this boat. My mom passed 4 years ago and my dad now has Alzheimer's. He's doing well and we're going to make some more memories before he fades damnit.

    Aly never left the lake or had much in the way of maintenance. We could never figure out a way to keep the rain out of her either. She wound up half sunk. The neighbor called and said if we didn't do something soon, she would be lost. I bought a Jon boat trailer, which fit well amazingly, and convinced my buddies to help rescue hebr />
    We really got her in the nick of time. I don't see any rot on the outside, but the inside has a little damage.

    A year later I started looking for someone to renovate her. Nobody would have anything to do with it. There are about 2 shipwrights near Atlanta. 3 year waiting list and a ridiculous cost.

    So, she is now my main hobby and I'm loving it! I need some serious education though.

    Scan 502.jpgScan 189.jpgimg056.jpg
  • Peerie Maa
    Old Grey Inquisitive One
    • Oct 2008
    • 62481

    #2
    Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

    First off we need photos of how she is now.
    Is she under cover? Can you take out any fittings that are just screwed in or is she all glued?
    It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.

    The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
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    • Pitsligo
      Senior Member
      • Aug 2009
      • 2225

      #3
      Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

      So here's where the crowd will all start asking for specs and photos, so I'll get the ball rolling.

      What's she built of? Cedar on oak? Plywood?

      In your thread about paint choice, you spoke of areas where there was some freshwater damage inside: frame ends and some veneer issues inside?

      She sure is a sweet little boat. Definitely worth putting some time into. And her homewaters look properly idyllic!

      Alex

      ETA: Hah! Nick beat me to it!

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      • jeffwatl
        Junior Member
        • Mar 2017
        • 24

        #4
        Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

        Some pics of my progress:

        20150531_132104.jpg20150531_152310.jpgIMG_20170228_093254.jpgIMG_20170228_093304.jpgIMG_20170307_145540.jpg

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        • Peerie Maa
          Old Grey Inquisitive One
          • Oct 2008
          • 62481

          #5
          Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

          Originally posted by jeffwatl
          Some pics of my progress:

          [ATTACH=CONFIG]7139[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]7141[/ATTACH]
          OK that looks cross planked. The outside looks reasonable, but can you tell us what is/was on the inside that is coming off and confirm what the cross planking is?
          It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.

          The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
          The weakness of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web.

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          • jeffwatl
            Junior Member
            • Mar 2017
            • 24

            #6
            Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

            IMG_20170730_110003.jpgIMG_20171025_150832.jpgIMG_20171128_114721.jpgIMG_20171128_114709.jpgIMG_20171207_150748.jpg

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            • Peerie Maa
              Old Grey Inquisitive One
              • Oct 2008
              • 62481

              #7
              Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

              Originally posted by Peerie Maa
              OK that looks cross planked. The outside looks reasonable, but can you tell us what is/was on the inside that is coming off and confirm what the cross planking is?




              You spoke of scraping off a layer of veneer, Is that what we are seeing?
              If so I suspect that she might have been built with blockboard
              It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.

              The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
              The weakness of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web.

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              • Pitsligo
                Senior Member
                • Aug 2009
                • 2225

                #8
                Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                ...she might have been built with blockboard
                What's blockboard, and what does that mean in the larger scheme?

                Alex

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                • jeffwatl
                  Junior Member
                  • Mar 2017
                  • 24

                  #9
                  Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                  My biggest question: How to properly repair the bottom/ bilge. I'll need education in how and what she was built with. I'll provide pics and descriptions.

                  What I know: The majority of the boat is solid mahogany and mahogany plywood.

                  The bottom looks like plywood butted together.

                  I'm going to add pics of all areas with rot. Luckily, it's not too bad or deep. I've gone at it with a screwdriver, Awl, chisel until I've reached hard, dry wood.

                  The nastiest part was the 'veneer' (about 2mm thick) covering the entire bottom of the boat. It completely disintegrated where water sat - in the middle of the boat. That can be seen in the progress post above.

                  It survived where the builder put a fiberglass strip across a seam.

                  I removed and sanded all of that. It still exists under the decking supports (what are the names of those?) The epoxy used to secure those protected them. I have since discovered they are also screwed in from underneath. See the pic where one side came loose. It's the only one that did that.

                  I would love to remove all those cross-section decking supports and replace that layer, but that is going to be a chore! I'll do it if it's the right way. I think the only way would be to chop them up and twist to unscrew - the screws are embedded in the bottom. Can't just rip them out. I'm skilled enough to rebuild them.

                  Fiberglass the bottom? Just coat it with an epoxy?

                  IMG_20171211_144313.jpgIMG_20171211_145202.jpgIMG_20171211_144631.jpgIMG_20171211_145214.jpgIMG_20171116_151024.jpg
                  Last edited by jeffwatl; 12-11-2017, 04:40 PM.

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                  • Peerie Maa
                    Old Grey Inquisitive One
                    • Oct 2008
                    • 62481

                    #10
                    Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                    Originally posted by jeffwatl

                    The bottom looks like plywood butted together.
                    If that is plywood it aught not have those joints running across.


                    The nastiest part was the 'veneer' (about 2mm thick) covering the entire bottom of the boat. It completely disintegrated where water sat - in the middle of the boat. That can be seen in the progress post above.


                    I removed and sanded all of that. It still exists under the decking supports (what are the names of those?) The epoxy used to secure those protected them. I have since discovered they are also screwed in from underneath. See the pic where one side came loose. It's the only one that did that.

                    I would love to remove all those cross-section decking supports and replace that layer, but that is going to be a chore! I'll do it if it's the right way.
                    They are floor rungs. As they are glued in the only way to get them out is to back out the screws from outside, and then run a saw (I'd recommend a Festool type saw) through the remnants of the veneer.
                    Fiberglass the bottom? Just coat it with an epoxy?
                    If you can get the rungs out I would sand the bottom and then glass it with woven rovings set in epoxy. Then you can refit the rungs. When you do I'd cut some drainage limbers in each one. Will make mopping her out much easier.
                    [ATTACH=CONFIG]7154[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]7155[/ATTACH]
                    Where about in the boat are those images, what are they?
                    It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.

                    The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
                    The weakness of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web.

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                    • jeffwatl
                      Junior Member
                      • Mar 2017
                      • 24

                      #11
                      Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                      You spoke of scraping off a layer of veneer, Is that what we are seeing?
                      If so I suspect that she might have been built with blockboard
                      I've made this confusing because I put a coat of white Interprotect over the bottom. 'Friend' pressured me into it. Anyway...

                      In the older photos - the white is the veneer. There is a strip that survived well because it had fiberglass underneath it.

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                      • jeffwatl
                        Junior Member
                        • Mar 2017
                        • 24

                        #12
                        Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                        Floor Rungs! So glad to know the real term.

                        They are shallowly screwed in from the bottom - you can see that in the only one that came loose on one side. Maybe a screw on each side and one in the middle, but I can't tell without removing one. It looks like the glue was only used as a sealant around the bottom edges.

                        What was the function of that veneer? Hide and protect the seams below? Functional or only cosmetic?

                        The other pics are the only rot - in about 5 places - all at the bottom of ribs and the floor below that. I can provide more pics - whatever you need.

                        None of the rot seems to compromise the structural integrity. It's below where the ribs are screwed into the sides.

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                        • Peerie Maa
                          Old Grey Inquisitive One
                          • Oct 2008
                          • 62481

                          #13
                          Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                          Originally posted by jeffwatl
                          Floor Rungs! So glad to know the real term.

                          They are shallowly screwed in from the bottom - you can see that in the only one that came loose on one side. Maybe a screw on each side and one in the middle, but I can't tell without removing one. It looks like the glue was only used as a sealant around the bottom edges.

                          What was the function of that veneer? Hide and protect the seams below? Functional or only cosmetic?

                          The other pics are the only rot - in about 5 places - all at the bottom of ribs and the floor below that. I can provide more pics - whatever you need.

                          None of the rot seems to compromise the structural integrity. It's below where the ribs are screwed into the sides.
                          Can you tell from the screw hole left where that one came through how thick the bottom is?
                          I'm thinking that if it is thin(ish) ply rather than block board it would be better to replace the bottom, not a difficult job at all. Block board is an unusual boat building material, so it may just be ply.
                          It really is quite difficult to build an ugly wooden boat.

                          The power of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web
                          The weakness of the web: Anyone can post anything on the web.

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                          • Ron Williamson
                            Rocketman
                            • Apr 2000
                            • 7888

                            #14
                            Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                            That looks like interior voids in the core ,under the face in a sheet of plywood.
                            last photo in #9 shows cross wise grain where a layer has been removed.
                            What is block board?
                            R
                            Sleep with one eye open.

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                            • jeffwatl
                              Junior Member
                              • Mar 2017
                              • 24

                              #15
                              Re: The Aly Oop - A novice jumping into renovating his dad's rowboat. aka - HELP!

                              Originally posted by Ron Williamson
                              That looks like interior voids in the core ,under the face in a sheet of plywood.
                              last photo in #9 shows cross wise grain where a layer has been removed.
                              What is block board?
                              R
                              Good observation - the 'veneer's' grain goes bow to stern and the sheets underneath go port to starboard.

                              I tried to get a good picture under the loose floor rung, but I can barely see under there. There is a pretty big hole. I assumed it was from the screw being ripped out. Doesn't look like rot.

                              I could try and pry the floor rung up more. Figure I should remove that one just to know what's going on under there?

                              Some of these pics make it look like lots of boards going across, but it's mostly pretty long sheets.

                              I only saw where the builder fiberglassed over one seam about 3/4 of the way up towards the bow. Must be important and need reinforcement.

                              It's sounding like I need to remove the floor rungs. Anyone disagree with that?

                              How should I do that? How will I put them back? Am I replacing that veneer? What is that?

                              Maybe I'll have answers by the time it warms up enough for me to use the epoxies and paints I've bought.
                              Last edited by jeffwatl; 12-11-2017, 07:23 PM.

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