![]() ![]() If your boat is leaking, the caulking might be bad it is, after all, a natural fiber, and it can rot. Overcaulking a hull can put undue pressure on the fastenings and frames. Before driving in new caulking, you must first take out the old stuff. I have pulled enough caulking out of boats-layers and layers of strata, caulking on top of caulking-that I start to feel like a geologist. This is an extension of the previous item. If you’re after a mirror-like paint job, you’ll have to scrape and sand that compound flush when the boat comes out of the water at the end of the season-and then maintain the hull’s moisture content so the seams don’t open again. These beads might look bad, but their presence indicates a healthy boat because the seams have closed up naturally upon swelling. For these reasons, it’s typically used below the waterline as a spot-treatment on problem seams.ĭried-out topsides that have been given a fresh treatment of seam compound will likely end up with a bunch of seams emphasized by proud beads of squeeze-out after a boat is launched the planks have swelled up. It also has a reputation for clogging sandpaper. It is effective, but rather messy when it squeezes out. Slick Seam, a soft, waxy product made by Davis Industries, is the standard for this treatment. ![]() There are many ways to get the moisture back into a dried-out hull, but if you are pressed for time and aren’t able to wet your boat before you launch, you can drive some really squishy stuff into the seams so that you can promptly get the boat back in the water. It’s best to swell the hull before determining that the caulking is inadequate. KATE MCMILLAN/JAN ADKINSĪdding caulking to a boat when it’s dry can damage the seams. Even with a severely dried-out boat, you can’t assume it is going to be a leaker until it is back in the water and swelled tight. If you can see light through your seams, my first advice would be to wait. “I could see right through the seam, so I added some cotton!” That’s a common refrain I hear when a leaky boat comes into the shop. After the transom swells back up, everything will align. The well-intended sanding has eliminated the “relish”-the all-important material between the plank-end fastenings and the ends of the planks. But after several years of sanding plank ends flush with a dried-out transom face, critical planking material is eliminated, and splits develop at the fastening holes. It’s tempting to want to sand these projections off. When the transom’s thickness shrinks with drying, the plank ends can stand proud of the transom. Many boats have their planking screwed directly to the transom edges. There’s another common malady caused by inadequate swelling, and I often end up repairing the resulting damage. Resist the temptation to put more than a few inches of water in your bilge: boats are engineered to keep water out, and not to hold it in. Sanding and painting a dry hull invites dust and debris to accumulate in open seams, potentially restricting the ability of those seams to swell.īefore painting, a bit of “pre-swelling” by means of wet towels, a sprinkler, or some other method should close the seams. Chances are that a bit of stray sanding dust won’t hurt the seams after one year, but over a span of years its accumulation will restrict plank swelling and possibly cause leaks. As the planks then swell after launching, their edges will encounter that accumulated crud. Painting then traps this debris in the seams. Why do this before sanding? Because if the seams are open, dirt and sanding dust can work into them, and even good vacuuming doesn’t always clear them out. Is the paint cracking at the seams? Can you see through the seams? If so, it’s important to get some moisture into your boat so she will swell up before you paint, and even before you sand. Whether hauling out for the winter, or for just a few weeks of maintenance, it is important to keep an eye on your hull’s moisture content. Sanding and painting when the hull is dryĪt some point, our boats spend time out of water. My list loosely follows the common order of seasonal work, from springtime commissioning to autumn haulout.ġ. Being aware of these things should help to eliminate some frustration and expense. I’ve distilled these into a list of the ten most common ones I’ve observed. In my years of teaching boatbuilding and repairing wooden boats, I’ve noticed many mistakes owners make in the upkeep of their boats-common practices, done with good intent, that can often do more harm than good. ![]()
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