Can wooden boats survive in dry climates?

[Landlubber]

"is only suitable for very small, easily carried craft "

this is a little boat, it is a dinghy mate, sink the bastard, it will NOT damage it at all. It is not an old school trick for nothing....it is and has survived for centuries BECAUSE IT WORKS.

[PAR]

Lubber, it does swell the planks, but it also swells everything inside the boat, most of which have especially tight joints, not intended to be water soaked. You just stretch fasteners, test glue lines, etc. The only boats this works on is open carvels and they suffer a shorter life span as a result too. This isn't opinion, it's well documented, even Chapelle wrote about the "arcane" dunking of boats (50 years ago) as being the easiest way to shorten it's life.

Gonzo's got it right, I use a garden sprinkler too.

[Landlubber]

PAR,

I was born on the water and we did this process to the river rowing dingies for decades mate, and the boats today are as good as they were built then, they were built in the 50's. I still see them out for use today, so I wonder about the "arcane" dunkings...the ribs in these boats are tiny, they are all doublers and expand very little in fact at all. The bioats I see are clinkers and carvels, both have not been refastened as yet, nor do they seem to need so either.

I bow to your superior knowkedge humbly mate, it is with great respect that I will believe you as your comments to date have been exceptional on many subjects, it just troubles me that my observations, they are correct, maybe it is a local condition i am observing and not the overall position.

Thanks, John.

[PAR]

Chapelle used the term "arcane" in his boat building book, not I.

I know there are many success stories, and many people swear by this method, but as a rule, it's not a thing that is more successful then it's not. Again, in the small open boats you refer, little damage will be done. This is because these build methods use moisture gain to swell the planks shut and the open, simple nature of these craft, leave little to be damaged.

The boat above doesn't need to swell and in fact has glued seams, making a homogenous and continuous hull shell. The last thing you want is those hardwood frames to swell up against those softwood planks. It'll just test the pull out strength of all the plank to frame fasteners, as the hardwood grows at a much higher rate then the softwood.

We're probably on the same page John. I've found we agree a lot more then we don't. I just have trouble soaking an edge glued boat.

[cdianes]

I know the boat leaks very badly. Around 15 years ago, we used it and it was watertight. Around 10 years ago, we tried to use it and it leaked liked crazy. To take the boat from dry storage to water tight, the method my grandaprents used for 40 yrs & I presume recommended by the factory, & that I used, was to put some water in the bottom of boat and let soak for a week or so. If the boat never swells to hold water in, it sure won't hold it out.
I have sanded down, and have found two instances of dry rot under the keel about 2 inches long and 1/2 wide. Also a four places where the filling in nail holes was loose and when I dug that out a little dry rot around that. So, I need to fill, or replace the wood in those places. There is no indication of any loose fasterners. Since the water appeared to continue to leak out from everywhere, it would seem to me the Sealer 900 has failed...(it is 52 yrs old!!). During manufacture it was applied in the tongue and groove before the planks were put together. Since we can't do that, I need to find out if a hypodermic needle application along all the planks on the outside would make sense. It is so dry here, the wood has contracted to the point I can get a fingernail between the planks & perhaps more sealant there would do the trick.
I am just now attempting to contact Wes Farmer on duckworksmagazine.com as suggested in an earlier post regarding 3M Sealer 900 or 5200.

[PAR]

This will be the last time I say it, you can believe me or cut open a seam and have a look for yourself. You do not sink or flood a strip built boat, period. This is not a construction type that tolerates this well. Now you can leave it in the shallows and let the tide "have it's way" for a few days, but this is customary when the boat is in need of repair. This is far different then sinking or flooding.

This is classic, traditional strip construction, cove and bead edged, mechanically fastened and sealed with what is described as polyurethane or polysulfide. Under normal circumstances, this construction method produces perfectly dry boats. They don't need a "take up" period. If they do you have issues, which will not be fixed with swollen wood or wetted down seams, for very long, as you have already discovered.

If it's leaking you have damage or fastener looseness or sealant failure or a combination of all of these, which is most probable. Injecting goo into the seams means you'll be squirting more goo on top of shot goo and contaminated seams. How well do you think this is actually going to work out for you? I'm not trying to me coy, but it seems fairly obvious you need to pull the planking off the boat, clean out those seams, restore fastener holes, replace worn out fasteners and reassemble, with new seam sealant, fasteners and possibly a few new and/or repaired planks as well, all the while being grateful of the half of century of service this structure has offered.

[Landlubber]

PAR, You are right, I am sorry I had not read correctly the text, just jumped in "mouth wide open".....strip built and glued.....glued.....is certainly not for sinking to swell planks.

Sorry to anyone that I gave incorrect information to. However, non glued planks respond well as I described previously, glued planks should NOT be water swollen as you say.

Thats the trouble with this bastard Lubs, in the end Paul is right and we stand corrected, when it comes to boat repair skills.

[Landlubber]

apex1,

Yeah, pays to read the text correctly though eh......once again.....