Advice needed- Wood rot repair on 30' Golden Hind

Hi,

I had extensive rot in the plywood hull of my Golden Hind. The rot area was about 8 ft long and about 2 ft wide (in places) and never completely through the wood.. It seems to be restricted to the plywood skin, The ribs are mahogany and have no rot that I can detect. I dug out the rot and soaked the wood with 50% ethylene glycol (antifreeze). This should kill any rot and spores. I then painted thin epoxy into the wood , put 2 layers of glass and then filled it out with sawdust in epoxy paste. See pictures attached.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/68213711@N00/sets/72157645596964037/


My question is : is this an acceptable job, or should I cut it out and replace the plywood ? I hear of people encapsulating their entire wooden boat in epoxy, is this is just a variation of that and therefore a sound option ?

Work in progress....Excuse the algae

many thanks
Gary

 

The glycol will prevent a good adhesion from the epoxy. The only correct repair is to cut out the rotted wood until you find good one and then patch the area. Where in the UK are you ?

 

The Mary Rose was sprayed for 17+ years with Polyethylene glycol (PEG) to preserve her. It is also used sometimes to stop fresh sawn timber from drying out to fast and warping.

However the Mary Rose is over 400 years old and only a museum piece. Your craft (which despite the name, is not Sir Francis Drake's craft) will be better off with new proper high grade Marine Ply and epoxy sheathing in as dry a humidity as you can manage. The drier the boat and work the better the result.

 

Thanks for the replys. They confirm what I know I should do, do a proper job and replace the wood. I am aiming to take sept off and try get it done.

Gonzo, the boat is laying in Chichester harbour, Emsworth. I am in London.

 

Sorry, I don't know any shipwrights in that area.