caulking planks

Bataan Here is my trial Runs with the upper seams. these seams are rather small about 1/4 inch at the opening down to about 1/16 inboard. I am using the stranded cotton as thats what I dug out 7 strands I give it a spin to bring the strands together then Loop and Tuck. after Im done driving it home I its about 1/4 to 3/8 from the outside edge and I hear that ring from time to time when Im Tapping shoud the ringing be consistant. every time I tap. Im not sure what the tone should be. check out the pictures. and let me know if it looks right. Thanks Joe

 

Pictures of Caulking Practice 101

Bataan here are the pictures of the first run Joe:?:

 

Just re-caulk it properly!!!

 

The stranded cotton string is WW2 stuff and was usually rolled in with a caulking wheel and used on small, very consistent seams.
Shouldn't see much inside, sometimes a little will come through and hang down, just cut it off.
I always use the puffy caulking cotton available from West Marine and split it into smaller strands for tiny seams.
Fill seam with cotton until putty area is 'square', or the same depth as its width.
Sika works. Best I ever used was some black Sika used to put in car windshields. It cures in 45 minutes. Be sure to mask thoroughly and clean up right away. Alcohol is a good clean up solvent for Polyurethanes and epoxy.
Be sure no to leave the boat out of the water too long this time.
Movies were Pirates 1, 2 & 3, Peter Pan (2004), War of the Worlds etc.

 

As far as 'how tight'... That's the experience part, and I can't really show you over the computer.
Looks good!

 

Thanks Bataan. What was the Number of the black sikaflex you used I have read that most people use the Sikaflex 291 LOT as its a slow cure and paintable I will check with Sikaflex. There is so much stuff out there its hard to know what to use and what not to. I hope she wont be out this long again I have been working on building the shop these past few years and the boat was put on the back burner. Do you live in CA I am from Lancaster CA just north of LA in the high desert

 

This is the reason I've not participated much on this thread. There's just no good way of describing it, in spite of my verbosity. Again, start in an area where you can afford some leaks, then get the experience as you move down the hull.

 

Joe, a suggestion from painful experience on thin softwood planking like yours, instead of Sika, get some Interlux underwater seam compound and some of their topside seam compound.
When you are done caulking a seam, go over it once more lightly with iron and mallet, just to check for 'soft' spots where the cotton isn't consistent.
When you're done, that last pass should feel the same all along a seam, solid, but not granite...
Prime the cotton in the seams with slightly-thinned paint (a drafting board brush with the bristles cut short is great for this); white in the topsides and usually red lead below the waterline.
When the priming is dry, but not hard, knife the warmed and well-mixed, oil-based compounds in and fill the seams full, scraping all excess off.
Keep the paint maintenance up and keep the boat well shaded when not in the water.
Open boats dry out from the inside too, even afloat, since that paint is exposed to sun and weather, so a Bimini is a great help when you're in the water.

After a month or so with the boat out of the water, the planks will shrink enough to slightly crack the paint of the seams, but not enough to leak.
After six months, the oil putty will be dry and trying to fall out, so don't go that long if you use putty, which is by far the easiest to maintain in the long run.
After six months, rubber too, will be failing in spots, and it is much more difficult to deal with then.
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I don't remember the Sika product # of the stuff we used in the topside seams of the Columbus replica NINA to simulate pitch, but the minimum order was a case and only auto window replacement shops carried it and it came only in black and it went off very fast, about 40 minutes.
The ship's owner had used it before, and I must say it worked well for the job.
I put lots of this in her large (she has 6" x 17" x 70 foot sheerstrakes without a butt) topside seams after hammering in 50 pounds of oakum, recaulking the entire topsides alone from a staging plank while the ship was afloat in Portland OR in 2002 with my feet in the Willamette river.
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To be ideal from an engineers point of view, a seam designed for rubber is routed to a square profile showing fresh bright wood and is carefully only bonded to the sides of the seam by use of a narrow piece of tape on the bottom of the seam.
When a rubber seam compound fails, it seems to do so locally, with some parts falling out and others sticking so tight to the wood you can't get it out without tearing lots of wood out too, so I avoid it and deal with traditional techniques.
This is not to say Sika won't work, it will and well, I just prefer the old way because it's usually cheaper and easier to fix.
All the rubber manufacturers seem to recommend a primer of theirs to make a better bond, which I am sure it does.
Remember, USN Motor Whale Boats were designed to spend their lives out of the water, and use many narrow planks to compensate for some shrinkage, so going the traditional way will likely work.

 

Bataan Thanks for your time in this I really appreciate the assistance. Your story of the Nina is very interesting. They don,t make ships like that everyday. With Geraldine she won't be in the water all the time and I and unfortunately the boating season is only 3 months max up here. I plan on keeping her out of the weather and humidifying her during the winter months. I worked at a Yard in Wisconsin and we stored an wood Alden sailboat and kept her moist with Humidifiers during inside winter storage and it worked well. She will be in and out and trailered back and forth to the lakes here and wanted to try the Sika as the seams have been a constant issue before with the seams cracking and the biannual painting before. Such is ownership of a wood boat. Its a love/hate relationship like wimen. Ya cant live with em and ya can,t shoot em so ya just put up with em. With a wood boat you don.t have to lift the seat. I will keep you posted on my progress. Again thanks for your time. This Forum is a great thing I should have got on sooner.

 

Joe, you are a very good listener and all who post appreciate anyone's willingness to do that.
So OFTEN here we get ignorant/arrogant folks on this Forum who have their minds made up (wrongly) and just want us all to tell them how their stupid idea is really totally brilliant.
And we do, except point out that whatever it is won't float, will capsize, won't be cheap, will rot quickly, will destroy their marriage then sink in the middle of the night etc.
You are a very sensible person with a nice trad boat and are going to have a lot of safe fun and make the go fast boys in their ***** Boats(tm) look stupid, $200K toys burning $50 an hour in fuel, while you slip along close to shore in near quiet, enjoying the birds and fishing....

 

Bataan.. Hey Thanks Im not one to say I know it all thats why Im here. I appreciate the words of encoragement and your knowledge is valuable. I think I do have a nice tradional boat with a lot of character and old world charm, Geraldine has a unique history being a former Coastie just like me, I did 4 years in the USCG {Uncle Sams Confused Group} She served up in Lake Superior on a Light house Station in Michigan and was found by the previous owner and given a second chance in life. Im just keeping her going to keep the craft alive and enjoy her and maybe get my boys interested in boats like I am and learn to appreciate the older classics in life. Shes slow and graceful in the water and has a nice lines like a classy older woman thats been there done that. And she has the nicest looking stern. and just glides through the water like a swan just leaving a ripple of a wake. Not like those P**** Extender boats you mentioned. They are like a younger Girl that wants to run around and make noise and get attention and Break Hearts or Wallets with Gas going for $5 an gallon. I get about 6 knots all day long at1/2 Gallon Hr in quiet comfort unless the CDs playing. I hope to have her done for the Clayton NY Show in August to share her with the people who appreciate her uniqueness. I am wanting to get some history onher when she was in the Coast Guard do you know where I could get some info on the old Whaleboats Ive looked on the internet and open to sugesstions for some sites. Thanks Again Joe

 

I was USCG 1965-69. SN in USCGC MATAGORDA W373, then Kure LORSTA, then USCGSTA FORT POINT in San Francisco in a 44 and a 40 footer. Semper Paratus dude.

 

Whoa Man I went in in 77 til 81 Just did my four and got out. I was on the USCGC Glacier 310ft Icebreaker did a north and south trip and the MK School and then Station Monterey CA 41s an a 44 MLB and 6 months on 95FT Patrol Boat Cape Wash and 2 Months Florida for Cuban Refugee assistance. Hey its good to see another Coastie. Semper Paratus So you can see why Geraldine is a special Case. She has a special Purpose now and deserves the best FTG[ Forever The Guard} MK3 Sabo

 

FTG! Forever....

 

So I can assume you both are 6' 6" or taller?