Durability of marine plywood based on different coating options

Discussion in 'Materials' started by Alex80, Jan 24, 2014.

  1. Westfield 11
    Joined: Apr 2008
    Posts: 215
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 95
    Location: Los Angeles

    Westfield 11 Senior Member

    Have you tried google? These sort of basic questions can be researched in very many places as it is all common knowledge. I bet you could search HERE using the search function and find out all you would need to know.
     
  2. Alex80
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posts: 8
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Singapore

    Alex80 Junior Member

    Yes, I actually tried to do a bit of research before. However, what information I was able to find was somewhat to general for my specific circumstances. To give an example the posts I came across mainly deal with craft stored on land between outings and those that really concerned wet berthed craft were on seasonal moderate temperature areas.

    I also bought books on wooden boat construction which appear to have constant fan base, for instance the boat building manual from Steward and Cramer or Larsson on wooden boat restoration. Unfortunately, they hardly deal with my type of questions at all.

    So I would really appreciate further input based on experience.
     
  3. Westfield 11
    Joined: Apr 2008
    Posts: 215
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 95
    Location: Los Angeles

    Westfield 11 Senior Member

    Did you contact WEST Systems? System Three? Raka?
     
  4. Alex80
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posts: 8
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Singapore

    Alex80 Junior Member

    I read through their information, of course. Especially Systems Three has a lot of free resources. However, these explain how to us the products which is certainly important but not related to my question proper.
     
  5. Westfield 11
    Joined: Apr 2008
    Posts: 215
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 95
    Location: Los Angeles

    Westfield 11 Senior Member

    If I understand you correctly, you have two unpainted plywood boats that have lasted over fifty years? What kind of regular care and upkeep do you give them? Are they stored inside 24/7 and rarely used? How do you keep unpainted end grain from deteriorating?

    Or is paint not considered to be a "coating" nowadays?
     
  6. Westfield 11
    Joined: Apr 2008
    Posts: 215
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 95
    Location: Los Angeles

    Westfield 11 Senior Member

    What was their response to your email to their tech support department asking these questions?
     

  7. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
    Likes: 498, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3967
    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Paint is a coating, just not a waterproof coating.

    The end grain is painted, but not epoxy, nor sheathings, which aren't practical on lapstrakes, though only one is a lapped build, the other is molded.

    Wooden boat care has become a bit of an art form now, though was once simply what you did to keep a wooden boat healthy. For example, if you want your bright work to stay bright, you'll get up early enough to wipe the morning dew off it, so the drops don't act like magnifying glass and burn the varnish, once the sun is high enough. This use to be standard fair for any yacht on a mooring or berth, but now is considered obsessive behavior.

    Care for a wooden boat is mostly regular inspection. With this in the routine, you'll know the condition of the coatings, finishes, hardware bedding, equipment, etc. So, long before something fails, you'll have seen warnings. Once you see a coating breach, ding or divot, you quickly address it, before it can cause problems.

    'Glass boat owners don't follow these routines and assume the boat will be fine, by just leaving it idle. I buy a few of these types of boats every year. They're not very old, in relatively good condition and only need some basic maintenance and cleaning to bring them back to near new condition, at which point I sell them to someone from several times what I paid, maybe a month earlier. A good example is the last one I bought. It was a 2002 Bayliner Capri with a 3.0 and stern drive. This boat in good condition and a healthy market will pull down about 15k. I bought it for 2k. The bimini was torn and moldy, the underside of the deck cap and consoles also moldy, the battery covered with corrosion, the port upper tilt ram hose leaking, the seats and cushions moldy and dirty, the bilge pump not longer working, etc., etc., etc.

    The boat was pressure washed and the mold removed, total time a couple of hours. I replaced the tilt hose, battery, bilge pump and bimini and buffed up the heavily oxidized aluminum and stainless (4 hours). I rebedded the hardware and broke, cleaned and re-tightened each electrical connection (3 hours). I tuned the engine, replacing the plugs and other assorted "consumables" (2 hours), then details the engine compartment with Brakekleen and some brake fluid on the rubber pieces. I polished up the slightly oxidized hull and rejuvenated the vinyl materials on the cushions and bolsters (4 hours). Had this work been performed regularly, it wouldn't have taken a long weekend to get her back in good running condition. Though it took a while, mostly because of the economy, I finally sold this puppy, for what the guy who bought it was a steal at 9k. Yeah, I had to sit on it for several months and spent a weekend working, not to mentions tossed several hundred at parts, but I did well, only because I did what should have been done, since it was purchased.

    Simply put, you can let it sit and slowly deteriorate, or you can stave off this neglect, with simple, regular inspections and maintenance. On a wooden boat this is doubly important.
     
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.