Where to start? where to store?

Absolute newbie! Need advice on stabilization and storage for a future project boat. I have a bunch of books on order, but hope y'all might have some suggestions.

I have a 1957, 16 ft Holmes Boat Works (Houston Tx builder) Mahogany plywood boat, mid 1960's 75hp Evinrude "Starflight II" engine, Gator trailer that belonged to my Dad. It sat in his garage since 1978, when he moved away from the coast. I just sold the house and couldn't just junk it - though that would probably be the smart thing to do!

It has some Dry Rot on one side just below the gunwale. The soft areas are all within an area about 4 ft long by 6 in wide. It did not appear to have any "active" areas though, since the rot did not seem to have progressed in the last 2 years (when I first really looked at it). In the early 90's I want to take the boat and fix it but my Dad said no - it had had dry rot. If the rot was really active wouldn't it have done more in 15 years?

The outside of boat was painted in the late '60s (once) and that paint is peeling all over. The bottom was glassed at that time too

Last month took the boat to a local boatyard and had the trailer and tires worked on a bit to get it Highway safe and legal and while there it got rained on sitting in the yard. I brought it home last weekend and noticed some mold spores appearing where the rot was.:!: Lacking any information sources, I removed the real crumbly wood and sponged on a bleach and water solution, hoping that might slow it down until I could find out something better.

I don't have time right now to really get into a full restoration (I have 2.5 yr old twins!) but hope to make this a project for me and the boys to work on in a couple of years. In the meantime I don't want it to deteriorate faster.

:?: 1. Storage? I've gotten conflicting advice about where/how to store this. One boat shop said the garage is what caused the rot, because there is not enough air circulation, and said I needed to store it outside under a carport, another said a tarp is all I need outside. I have limited space in the garage at the time, so I might need to get a storage unit if it should be garaged.

:?: 2. Go ahead and peel the paint off? I worry the paint is trapping moisture.

:?: 3. What to do to kill/stop the rot? I've now seen the borate/glycol recipes - would it be a good idea to swab the whole thing down with it?

Thanks!

 

Wood Outside In Texas?

lantanatx - I anm not sure where the boat is located in TX but I live near the coast (Kemah) and storing anything wooden outside is the fastest way to loose it!

IMHO, I would strip it and keep it dry until you can start to restore it.

 

I'm in Kingsville, SW of Corpus Christi - about 20-30 miles from the water as the crow flies.

Anybody have any suggestions of someone in South Texas (anywere south of Victoria area, but close to Corpus Christi, would be nice) to work on or advise on a wooden boat restoration?

 

Sorry, no.

I live in Seabrook, and there is no one in the Galveston/Galveston Bay area that works on smaller boats. There are couple of shops that restore yachts, but only the $uper yacht$.

If you find one let me know.

Best of luck.