Outer stem repair on 37 Egg Harbor, a short section

[sdowney717]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gMPnioASAk6TzoPp6
Right at the water line for about 12 inches, worms destroyed this.

I saved this repair for last, and made good progress last couple days.
I cleaned up what remained of the outer stem using a chisel and grinder.
There a three 1/2" wide long bolts, like from 8 to 10 inches long. The inner stem is very deep and about 4" in width. The outer stem got damaged.

I cut the stem at an angle so the bolts will pull the new wood in tight, and of course it's glued.
I crafted a decent fit white oak piece to fit exactly to the curve shape and then cut the plank end groove when the plank ends land.
I then split that large piece in half for the plank ends to sit at the right position matching it to the existing groove above and below the repair.

The groove I hand ground using 24 grit paper on a rubber grinder wheel and it cut it fast and decently, then used a Dremel with a carbide grinder to clean up.

I will glue in a wedge filler, and then craft a triangular whit oak piece to sit on top.
Oddly the inner stem white oak seems to be wider at the top of the repair, and I also cut the groove deeper than it needed, which is why you see the V between the 2 pieces, it's a tough repair to get it to fit well, and I got it.

Glued in place

 

[rangebowdrie]

Those two upper planks on the starboard side appear to have had additional fasteners driven into them at some point?
Perhaps to try and cure some leaking in the past?
The hood ends don't look so good.
Is there enough depth of inner stem to allow those fasteners to be further back from the hood-ends of the planks?
Having fasteners so close to the plank ends is worrisome to me.
Same thing with that second plank down on the port side.

 

[sdowney717]

3

Filled in the center, screws are out I glued dowels.
port side, will have to spring back middle plank as some glue squeeze out is blocking it from going back down

 

[sdowney717]

Those two upper planks on the starboard side appear to have had additional fasteners driven into them at some point?
Perhaps to try and cure some leaking in the past?
The hood ends don't look so good.
Is there enough depth of inner stem to allow those fasteners to be further back from the hood-ends of the planks?
Having fasteners so close to the plank ends is worrisome to me.
Same thing with that second plank down on the port side.

There is plenty of wood further back, the stem is very deep.
However the screws would need to be longer and would be visible on the inside.
I put spray foam there on the inside a year ago as it had a slight leak. SO would not be visible.

The next frame back is maybe 4 inches away from the plank ends.

Someone years ago, not me, added extra screws likely cause that wood that rotted away had been compromised decades ago.
The inner white oak stem behind this is in very good shape.

The large black looking hole is actually a deep recessed bronze bolt hole, pits too big and messed up. I plan to fill with a large wood plug and redrill.

Plank ends are not great but they don't need to be.
They are not rotted.
This is not a typical wet plank boat, the ends will be glued in to the new outer stem after screwing down.
And the overcoated with 3m 5200 layer. So embedded.
Extra screws, I don't think are needed. middle of this repair plank ends had 5 or 6 screws each side!

 

[sdowney717]

There is a definite width difference of outer stem from top of gap to bottom, it is narrower at the bottom for some reason.
Plan is to properly fit plank ends, make a block to glue into place, then carve the stem down to match the rest of the stem.

3 bronze bolts go thru this repair area. There are a lot of bronze bolts all up and down this stem.

I really think the reason worms ate it so bad is this area gets hit by debris in the water and the wood got exposed. Or something like it. I will likely glue the stretchy fabric I bought over top before bottom paint.

 

[sdowney717]

Today I screwed down the planks partially and it is fitting very well
Made an approximate pattern for the triangular cap wood.
Top, width is 4.25"
Bottom, width is 4" to properly fit to the plank edges
There is wear on the lower original outer stem, plan to glue on oak thin sections to widen it to properly cover the plank ends.

 

[sdowney717]

View of starboard side

 

[sdowney717]

Front on views

There are large plank edge gaps, as these old plank planks head towards the bow. Plan to fill with mahogany strips glue in .

 

[sdowney717]

Port side plank pried back, shows the large white oak inner stem and first frame after the stem. (far right of picture, barely visible and out of focus)
It's coated in yellow sanitred permaflex.
And I had scrape off a lot of great stuff closed cell foam to expose that inner stem wood.

The oak in front is the new piece glued on, and that is what the plank ends screw into

 

[sdowney717]

The new outer stem nose piece in 2 parts.
bottom piece is 4.25" wide, needed that width to fully cover plank ends

After final glue onto the boat, will cut to match existing outer stem profile
BUT, first, before shaping to fit, will glue on some thin sections to beef up the stem width below this repair to fully cover the plank edges on the port side.

That V shape will be cut out of these, and still need about 1/4" wider added onto the top piece, so will glue on a thin side strip(s)

The pattern paper describes the wood shape

 

[sdowney717]

Been getting 20's *F at night, and 30's during the day for several days now. But is warming again, we had unseasonably cold weather last 2 weeks. Loctite PL Premium polyurethane still fully cured by next day. But yeah, it is slower to harden.
Three 1/2" bronze bolts run thru this section, it's all good so far. Still, it is a tough repair, as short as it is.

 

[sdowney717]

repaired area right above with some new white oak, that giant black bolt hole, partially rotten, is gone

then drilled holes thru, they came out pretty well centered

 

[sdowney717]

Next section glued and screwed

I use painters tape to help keep PL adhesive smooth as it cures. Stuff likes to bubble. Makes a very nice smooth covering of hard rubber for on top wood for smoothing and filling and building up imperfections and gouges and the like.
If your there as it cures, you can press it smooth as it is setting, but it was cold and I was going home.

 

[sdowney717]

one more topper piece to attach,
drill holes
attach last piece
drill holes
then carve, grind wood back to match stem angles
add more wood to fatten lower stem on port side

 

[sdowney717]

Glued on the final piece

I have some trimming to do.