First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

I assumed that if they built it that way, the screws were structurally key, but if you think the epoxy securing the breasthook will be enough, thanks great news, and good enough for me!

And yes, having gone back and looked up what a ‘caul’ is, I see the wisdom of securing the gunwales per your previous post.

Thanks, all…that made my night!

[sp_clark]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

Likely as not the screws were just a means to an end, i.e. pulling gunwales into proper position until epoxy cures.

Many's the builder who's split gunwales / rub rails trying to pull 'em down againts frames w/o first resorting to clamps / cauls that apply more even force.

Too, helps CLC move inventory of screws over losing sales to B'Box stores selling clamps. Doubt you'll find proper silicon bronze screws at your local Ace or TrueValue (I did find some 1" bronze ring shank boat nails once at an Ace... more than half a century ago).

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

After a brief hiatus for Memorial Day (not a leisure weekend for me) I’ve got the Skerry into a workspace, procured the wood and epoxy and gathered up the tools.

While getting the rest of the stern breasthook down to the same layer of plywood, I found some more softness in the tip, and in my enthusiasm, removed another two layers of plywood, to the extent that now both bow and stern are in the same state: four or five layers of plywood remaining, with the tops of screws exposed, and soon to be removed.

I made something I’m hoping is a caul from three layers of oak glued together with the grains alternating and sawn to a v-shape to fit the shape of the bow. (It was a rainy day, and the wood hadn’t arrived, so I was probably overdoing it.) One problem is that the two gunwales aren’t flush along a plane: there’s a bit of downward curve on either side.

Ideally, I would probably bevel the corresponding edges of my I-think-this-is-what-they-meant-by-a-caul to match the angle of the gunwales and make another for the top bevelled for those angles, but there I face a problem.

At this point, while I would love to replace both bow and stern breasthooks, the truth is that I simply don’t have either the tools, skill, or experience at this point to bevel a consistent angle. This raises some serious problems, as you can imagine, when it comes to making the new breasthooks, as the outside edges would need to be beveled to match the angle of the strakes.

My thinking at this point is to make another I-hope-it’s-a-caul for the stern, and cut a number of wedges from shim-stock to make a flat surface for the clamps to ensure the gunwales don’t go anywhere, remove the screws (unfortunately the ones in the gunwales have been beautifully covered and epoxied over) and then epoxy a layer of plywood to the now-flat top surfaces of the breasthooks, pulling the new top layer forward into the V of the strakes/gunwales and then clamping downward to the existing breasthook, if that makes sense.

I’m thinking that given my current tools and skill, this will be the quickest path to getting her in the water. It also avoids some of the structural worries of completely removing the breasthooks, since the originals are still securely holding bow and stern together.

That’s my thinking, anyway. Admittedly, I’m putting function over beauty, but I think it suits the boat: the topsides are *just* clean enough not to paint, but not built to the cleanest standards, either, so I’m okay with matching the look as designed. My bigger concern is that my repair-what’s-there approach doesn’t leave the boat less structurally sound, so please feel free to tell me if you think I’m making a mistake.

Otherwise, onward and upward.

I’m actually surprising myself a little. Last year at this time I was living on the New Jersey coast and dreaming of wooden boats while struggling through learning how to replace the supporting beams of a sagging house from within a 22” crawl space. Once completed, that adventure left me physically and mentally a mess. I moved back to New England and spent the winter recovering from an operation, and when I started this thread I’d learned that my severely low energy levels was likely due to severe anemia, so I was starting in a state of almost complete exhaustion, reflected quite well in that initial post.

As the project progresses, though, I feel more motivated each day and in a much better state than the complete mental fog I was in when I began. Funny how work you like to do will get you moving again.

[dbp1]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

He also bored a hole through the bow centerline for a tow-rope, and at first I thought that might be how water had reached the bottom of the breasthooks, but on examination the interior looks dry and solid. (I don’t like the idea of it though, and will probably seal it up.)

Unrelated to your actual problem, but before you close that up, note that if you can find something tubular that fits that hole (a piece of plex, copper pipe, phenolic tube), you can retain the rope hole without the water hole. More important for a sealed tank, but just a thought (you could also do it with pure thickened epoxy, assuming the hole is close to the stem: block the outsides with plastic or something, put a _big_ fillet on the inside that completely encompasses the two holes, and then once it cures, redrill it out).

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

Daniel, you read my mind…I was just now thumbing through Chapman’s for “best way to rig an anchor line in small boats” and had thought about sanding the hole, filling it with epoxy and redrilling through the epoxy to run the line through a flanged piece of bronze tubing I picked up somewhere, and had just idly been thinking over how to fair it, since the hole is straight forward and about two inches below the bow gunwales, where the angle of the bow strake would make the otherwise ideal fitting, er, not fit.

I left it for a future post (along with asking how many Skerry builders opted to put unsealed vents on what would otherwise be flotation compartments) but you’re exactly on point!

[Peerie Maa]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

I made something I’m hoping is a caul from three layers of oak glued together with the grains alternating and sawn to a v-shape to fit the shape of the bow. (It was a rainy day, and the wood hadn’t arrived, so I was probably overdoing it.) One problem is that the two gunwales aren’t flush along a plane: there’s a bit of downward curve on either side.

Ideally, I would probably bevel the corresponding edges of my I-think-this-is-what-they-meant-by-a-caul to match the angle of the gunwales and make another for the top bevelled for those angles, but there I face a problem.

Please post pictures, as I don't think what you have built is what we hoped you made.
Scan_20230602.jpg
The caul stops the breasthook squeezing out upward like melon pip when lubricated by the poxy resin.

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

Nick,

HA!

No, as is clear from your excellent illustration (which, in my defense, is much clearer than the dark photo I’d found, where the actual caul was surrounded by several dozen other clamping implements.)

Here is what I’d built, both idle and working:

86BC9FF0-EF90-4176-B6C1-31C1211709CF.jpg2572DF0C-FB3C-4B67-AA65-5F3E0C10DA7D.jpg

Also in my defense, I’d pictured from your post a crosspiece lying flat across the gunwales and clamped to my definitely-not-a-caul and preventing upward slippage, but it’s not in this picture because at this stage I’m mainly working on the existing breasthooks and the top strakes, and what I put together is mainly preventing the gunwales and strakes from spreading while I nervously remove screws, which it seems to be doing pretty well.

Now that I know, I’ll get to work on making a pair for the epoxying stage. Thanks!

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

As a quick update, I’ve made a pair of ACTUAL cauls to secure the gunwales and removed all of the screws, and am in the last stages of cleaning up what remains of both breasthooks.

As you might see in previous pics, there has been some delamination along the tops of the shear planks, but fortunately not very much, and even in the worst spot it’s only about 1 cm deep. Having already chiseled away those punky spots, my current plan is to epoxy in short strips of new plywood to replace what’s been removed, leaving a flush surface for the new top layer of breasthook.

As I previously posted, my big limitation has been my lack of the skill, experience, and tools needed to create a solid bevel, but I spent a bit of time investigating the Arcane and Esoteric Mysteries of the Bevel Gauge and may have found a working band saw with an adjusting table (I’ll know tonight) so with some luck I might just be able to actually pull this off.

If I’m able to cut a decent bevel for the new ‘top layer’ of the breasthooks, I might go on to make a second ‘bottom layer’ to make up for any loss of structural strength along the top edge, where I’m patching the sheer strakes, making the ‘new’ breasthook a sandwich around the solid and cleaned remains of the original, if that makes sense.

I’ll update with pics when I get to that point.

Once the breasthook repairs are done, I’ll move on to what I’ll need to do clean up the side strakes, and other issues, like sealing the currently open buoyancy compartments and sealing or securing the hole made by the builder for a painter, but to make these posts more useful for future browsers, I’ll start a new thread when we get there.

Meanwhile, thanks to all for your input and counsel. This is all fairly new for me, and at the start it looked pretty overwhelming, but as it’s moved along, your advice (both directly and in the form of responses to countless helpless newbs before me) has helped break it down to manageable and comprehensible slices. Tango Mike.

A couple of observations:

First, as I’ve gone about the process of making these repairs to an existing boat, I can’t help but think this would be much easier if I’d actually built a boat first. I’m not sure I’d necessarily have done anything differently, but it would have made it a bit easier to have that context, rather than figure it out forensically, as it were.

Second, there’s a temptation when looking at an overwhelming project to look for quick fixes and shortcuts. I know that when I first tried to wrap my head around what I needed to do, I would have welcomed any shortcut offered that would have gotten me to where I wanted to be (ie: floating.) Having gone over many of the posts in these forums, however, it’s hard not to notice the number of threads where good solid advice is ignored (“Nah…it’ll be fine.”) that then trail off with no reported outcomes, either good or bad, leaving one to suspect the latter. I’m glad I got past that particular temptation.

Third, on the other hand, it’s actually pretty amazing how repairable wooden boats can be. Browsing these forums, you can find lots of examples of boats that at first glance look like total losses, but then show up pages later looking unrecognizably solid and good to go. It’s encouraging to know that with patience and the willingness to put in the work, boats can come back from an awful lot.

Again, thanks for your help and insight!

[DuncanN]

Re: First time repairing a CLC Skerry

I was pretty new to epoxy until my first repair. It was easier than I anticipated- it really is a magic goo! What I did learn is:
star with small batches. Especially for gluing a little goes a long way!
Have everything you need laid out before you start mixing glue. Pot life is real and once the two parts go together you are on the clock. I always laid out spare fasteners, clamps, rollers, gloves just in case.
pouring into a rolling pan liner does indeed give you more time to epoxy. I forget who told me that but it works.
I do all surface prep, clean up and then take a short break before starting to epoxy. Sometimes walking away for 5 minutes will let you see something you missed. Come back and recheck before epoxying.
Vacuum after sanding before wiping down to prep. I reversed that once and got to rewipe down everything before gluing.
Go watch some YouTube videos on epoxy by pro builders. I found it really helpful to see how they applied epoxy for different applications.
In the end it is a lot like painting. The more carefully you prepare the easier the epoxy application.

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

Duncan,

I’ll admit the epoxying is the part I’m kind of dreading. There’s something about doing something almost irreversible for the first time under a ticking clock that pushes my procrastination buttons, so I appreciate your tips.

I was lucky enough to score a Craftsman band saw that my kid brother had grabbed off the side of the road, complete with adjustable table, and have spent the last couple of days getting it set up and running. A few parts to replace, but nothing major. One speed bump came when trying to get the blade to track properly: the rubber tire on the drive wheel kept slipping off. I ordered a new set of tires and then moped for a bit at the delay. Later that night I had a brainstorm, and put four layers of electrical tape under the tire, thinking that the extra circumference might help the rubber grip the wheel. Nope. After the fourth time it kicked off the rubber wheel, I looked at the tape and had a momentary lapse of sanity and just pulled off the tire entirely and lo and behold, now the saw is tracking flawlessly on a hillbilly rigged tire of electrical tape. I’ll replace it with the real deal when it comes, but for now I can get some work done.

Having the saw and the ability to bevel an edge opens up options, and I found a local source for mahogany so I’m debating whether to go ahead with my ‘existing breasthook sandwich’ plan or bite the bullet and replace the breasthooks entirely.

I’m on the fence. The ‘sandwich’ idea was appealing because I wouldn’t have to risk the bow and stern splitting apart on removing the existing breasthooks, and given my tools and ability, fitting a quarter-inch panel of plywood by sanding the edge to approximate a bevel seemed the most likely approach, but now with a sturdy caul in place and the ability to cut bevels, that plan feels kinda patchy, if that makes sense. If anyone has any thoughts or opinion on the matter, please chime in.

In the meantime, can anyone identify the white glue-like layers in the plywood seen here?

F24C6E54-8EC1-4508-B7BF-EA430DC28A3A.jpg

Is that what unvarnished and UV-damaged epoxy looks like, or does it look like a previous repair using ordinary wood glue? Not having worked with epoxy before, I can’t tell.

[davebrown]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

I haven't read the whole post. Forgive me if I am saying something that already was repaired or achieved. It can be quite difficult to lay a pattern for a blind piece, such as you are attempting to repair. if I were you, I would buy a $3 piece of clear acrylic plastic,lay it over that piece, stick a couple of brads in it, to the side gunnels, carefully draw the shape, cut the acrylic piece on a band saw, get pretty good fitment, then cut a new breasthook, whether from marine ply or proper knee material, like apple, locust, or even walnut (I know, bad luck in a boat). I had a skerry for years and liked mine, for what it was. Best, and I hope I didn't duplicate a bunch of posts above.

[Peerie Maa]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

I haven't read the whole post. Forgive me if I am saying something that already was repaired or achieved. It can be quite difficult to lay a pattern for a blind piece, such as you are attempting to repair. if I were you, I would buy a $3 piece of clear acrylic plastic,lay it over that piece, stick a couple of brads in it, to the side gunnels, carefully draw the shape, cut the acrylic piece on a band saw, get pretty good fitment, then cut a new breasthook, whether from marine ply or proper knee material, like apple, locust, or even walnut (I know, bad luck in a boat). I had a skerry for years and liked mine, for what it was. Best, and I hope I didn't duplicate a bunch of posts above.

The breast hook is tapered both ways. Cut it over long front to back. Sneak up on a good fit down the sides, paring wood away until it fits. Then trim the inner curve and arms to shape.
Do not be too precious, as long as you get a good fit along the visible glue line, epoxy tolerates sloppy fits elsewhere.

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

Dave, consider it forgiven…I know I can get a bit (ahem) wordy, and I’m sure I shoot myself in the foot in these posts as a result.

The advice on how to fit the breasthooks is greatly appreciated. My plan was to

1) Do a tracing of the sheer strake edges on butcher’s paper, marking the angles along the edge every inch or so,
2) Transfer the outline to the wood,
3) Cut the outline square but about a 1/4” larger than the pattern,
4) Cut again but using the saw’s floating table to cut the bevel angle as I go,
5) Sand to fit.

My intention was to do a quick and dirty dry run with some pine board to see how close I could get.

All of this assumes that I’ve removed the original breasthooks, which I haven’t done yet. Any tips for doing so without mangling the plywood sheer strakes to which they’re epoxied?

[Peerie Maa]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

All of this assumes that I’ve removed the original breasthooks, which I haven’t done yet. Any tips for doing so without mangling the plywood sheer strakes to which they’re epoxied?

That depends on what tools you have in your kit.
A handsaw and sharp chisels would be favourite, saw about 1/4 inch inside the plank, then pare away with thr chisel. A sharp chisel woukd be easier than sanding to a achieve a good fit.

[DWdeGanne]

Re: First time repairs to a CLC Skerry

Nick,

I can do that. I was worried about the remaining epoxy when I try to smooth the inner strakes where the breasthook will seat: I’ve heard people say that sanding will wear down the surrounding wood faster than the epoxy.

I’m also thinking ahead for when I may have to detach the center thwart and knees from the port side to patch one of the strakes.