wooden planks replacment

[Bremner]

Seeking a little guidance
I have removed three planks each side from my 40 ft my pacemaker, very soon I will be re-instaling on my new Keelson.
Do I start with the garboard plank first or work from the sides down.
she is a single plank hull.
Thanks Dave

[Gilbert]

Hi Bremner,
I would suggest you do the garboard first. It is usually a wider plank and there fore harder to work with. It is also usually a little more tricky to shape accurately. But I don't know of any other reasons why it could not be done in any order you like.
Best Wishes,
Gilbert

[LP]

Do you still have the old planks? They could be used as a starting point for shaping the new ones. Just a thought.

Regards.

[ZEKE]

As long as you are replaceing in kind top or bottom should not be a problem. My only reasoning to start with the top side is as was stated the garboard is trickey as the angles and fitting are difficult. I am presently in process of restoring a 34' 1963 Chris Constellation so know first hand about planking.
ZEKE

[Bremner]

Thanks
Any tips when trying to replace this Garboard Plank.
Should I take the inside angle every 6 -12 inches to establish the inside angle
The original had to be destroyed when it was removed.
Should the plank butt up against the Keel as a flush fit or would you leave some room for caulking. I 'am using sicoflex 291 Bedding.
This is what was originally on the boat and I can a-test to the products durability !
What I do know it is a 6'' wide by 1'' plank!

[Dave Fleming]

Start with the GARBOARD plank both sides.

Since you don't have the old ones as templates you will need to SPILE to get the proper planking bevels.

Were the planks butted tight to each other?

There was no corking/caulking material in the seams besides the goo you mentioned?

Usually in a carvel planked boat there is at least one thread of cotton corking in the seam.


Suggest you go over to the Woodenboat Forums and using the search feature find postings on how to spile plank.

http://www.handforged.net/wbfsearch/

[dr.j]

As concerns your planking schedule, I have always installed the garboard planks first. There is usually a fair amount of twist in the aft and forward areas due to the various changes in bevels/angles as the boat narrows from midship. By not having an adjacent plank in place, the garboard plank will go in much easier. In addition,you will be able to utilise the exposed frames as clamping and wedging points, if required. Since you will be able to see all faying surfaces,It will also afford you the added peace of mind knowing that your most important plank has been installed tightly against the frames and keelson correctly. Do not forget your caulking seams! In general bedding compounds such as sikaflex 291 are employed as stop gap methods by the uninformed,those unable to do their own caulking, or as seam compound over top of caulking (like cement or putty...). Generally,carvel planked boats are built to be made water tight by use of caulking. I hesitate to use bedding compounds as seam compounds because of the difficulty involved in complete removal when the maintainance schedule requires it. Any left in the seam makes for a real tough time for the caulker because the irons and caulking get hung up and messy,which adds to the amount of labour hours required to do the job. If you forgot to mark out your plank heights before you removed them, then you will have to employ a long fair batten to lay out new plank heights. Then simply spile out your new planks and away you go. The garboard plank is the most important of all since it is usually the first to have decay and fastening problems if not maintained properly. If you have any apprehension or concerns, consult a qualified shipwright for advice before you begin.