OK. Here goes. Has anyone ever known of someone cold molding only the bottom of a boat, and splining the topsides? Say,if the old (carvel) plank thickness is 7/8ths,then make new planks of 5/8ths and add two layers of veneer of 1/8th each, with a layer of glass and epoxy, so everything will fit nice and neat into the existing rabbets. Pros? Cons? Oops, I almost forgot. 28'ketch, full keel, Khaya (African Mahogany) planking. Thanks for all helpful replys.
The Gentleman Sawyer
VP of Other Things
I haven't heard of that, but a couple years ago I was in a boatshop (I think it was in Lunenburg) where they had used carvel planking below the waterline and strip planking from the waterline up to the sheer. I would think that you would want to have a discussion with the designer before doing the project in your fashion to ensure that all the proper considerations were made as to scantlings and placement of framing.
Senior Senior Member
If you are going to strip plank part of the boat...do the entire hull, gunnels down, then veneer over. The idea is to totally encapsulate the wood to keep it dimensionally stable and preven water entry..to include water vapor, that's the reason for epoxy sealing inside and out. You could plank the deck tongue and groove and lay ply over with a couple of layers of glass in epoxy or similar, with house in a like manner.
Trying to be reasonable
Um - a little confusion here - is this new construction or modifications to an existing boat?
Banned
Sounds like how they save the Constellation
http://www.constellation.org/
Keith, the boat is an H-28, built in 1959. The topside planks are perfect. The bottom is junk from sitting in a freshwater slip for about 18 years without being sailed and without any new bottom paint. The bottom is going to have to be replaced. I have juniper to do it with, but cold molding really appeals to me. I suppose I could replank the bottom to the correct thickness and then overlay, but then I'm faced with the problelm of fairing in the additional 1/4" of veneer everywhere. I srongly suspect that a lamination of 5/8ths juniper and two layers of mahogany has to be much stronger than a single 7/8ths thickness of juniper. And, since the most of the hull is underwater anyway, do the topsides really need the extra laminations for strenght? Thanks for your response.
The Gentleman Sawyer
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