Iron Nails

It'll be a copper bottomed investment.

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I've never seen a professional start caulking at the sheer. It makes more sense to lock in the garboard and plank ends before anything else.

 

#47

Yeah well, is the OP a professional caulker? PAR #45 makes the point that it is George Bueler who suggested that an amateur start at the sheer in the hope that by the time he reached the waterline, his skills would have improved to the extent that the hull would be watertight.

Makes sense to me, but your mileage may differ. BTW, is your avatar a genuine likeness? It just doesn't look old or grumpy enough.

Apologies, but I had to ask; I've read too many of your previous posts.

 

Listen to Gonzo.

 

"Listen to Gonzo."

With which ear:?:

 

Thanks for all the info, gents. I've got a lot more to consider. Over the next few weeks I'll pull her out from under her wraps and start taking things apart and get a clearer idea of where we go from here. I have a better eye now to evaluate her condition, what would need to be done in any case, and work out a plan.
If I do keep her as carvel, I'm likely going to have to learn caulking the hard way, as I doubt there is anyone local who could do it, and even if there were the cost would be ridiculously high. Most fishing boats skippers tend to do their own work, it seems. This could potentially alter things towards eventually covering her in glass.

 

That's me on the avatar about ten years ago.

Maybe you can get some friendly skipper to give you a hand during the off season.

 

Once you encapsulate then what? Caulk as usual or glue them together?

 

If you encapsulate them, the planks won't swell. They get glued together.

 

Again, you can take several routes in attempting to make a carvel something else, then you have to address what it's become. For example you could batten seam her, at which point you've got to install and bunch of battens, notch the frames, etc. Yes, as Gonzo mentioned, once planks are encapsulated, they are usually glued in place, though they don't have to be. You could edge set them and use a seam sealant, like polysulfide, but the planks are treated differently, because (as mentioned) they don't swell, so . . .

 

How about using SS ring shanked nails, "Threaded Annular Ring Nails" and just renail the hull. Maybe drill a pilot hole first? then pound nails.

Here all the deadrise boats, they use SS nails and when the wood rots, I see nails in like new condition in the rotten wood. The nails are quite large and long, maybe 3 to 4 inch and 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick.

It seems to me, they never pull nails to repair, they cut and split the wood and replace with new wood. They also never seem to bother trying to repair old wood.

One way I have removed old galvanized ring shank large nails, is chuck the stuck nail in a drill, and spin the nail, while pulling, and they come out. Did that on some 4x4 fence posts.

 

That depends on whether you want to hear what he says or not.

The only problem with this technique is that once your wife knows which ear works, do not try to use this technique on her. Bad things will happen.

 

Gonzo is correct, the appropriate approach to caulking a carvel, is from the rabbet up. I do the full length of the rabbet on each side, then up the stem, stern knee or transom frame a plank and a 1/4 - 1/2, before moving to the outboard edge of the garboard/broad interface. Once the broadstrake is caulked full length, I continue moving up the stem/stern post or transom. All the while doing butt joints or any other mid plank seams as I go. This firms up the boat from the keel, which is ideal. These are also the seams that take the most skill, because you can break stuff if you drive things too hard, in this area of the boat, as seams will run out of room once you get around the turn of the bilge. This is one reason you see broken frames at the bilge turn, in old carvel powerboat hulls with a tight radius in the aft quarter bilge turn. The over driven planks take on an edge set which literally crushes the plank lands, pulls out fasteners, cracks frames, etc.