This has been a bad winter and we are only at the end of January. Arwen is stored outside on a driveway under three tarps but this year something has gone wrong. I religiously sponge her down, hose her down and dry her off after every trip. Each winter I unpack her two or three times and she has been fine. I unpacked her in November and apart from odd bits of mould which just polished off - everything was fine
But this new year, I've unwrapped her for the second time and a catastrophe has emerged................
Rot! Black stains, soft wood.....all along the outer gunwales. The epoxy seal has lifted and has flaked away - serves me right - I should have gone for varnish or some wood sealant! It's in patches and I think I have caught it in time - its surface deep (a matter of mm's) and it seems to scrape off easily enough.
So now I have some questions and if anyone can offer advice. I'd deeply appreciate it.
Question one: Do I scrape out all the damp wood?
Question two: If I scrape it out - do I then dry it out - if so how - given I have nowhere to put her under cover?
Question three: do I do it as soon as we get a sunny but cold day or do I wait until the warmer weather of April comes along?
Question four: I coated the bowsprit in deks oljie and it has gone a lovely silvery weathered colour. Exactly what do I coat the gunwales in after clearing out the rot patches? Deks Oljie? Burgess woodsealer? Several coats of varnish? Does anyone know or have experience of this situation and what do they do?
I checked her so carefully and didn't notice any rising epoxy - so lesson learned really - don't seal with epoxy!
And then there is a second problem - far worse than previous years - mould. It is everywhere.
Question one: what is causing it?
Question two: what is the best way of getting it off without damaging paintwork?
Question three: can it be prevented?
It's everywhere - transom, thwarts, external hull planks.......and just don't take a look in the anchor well! I'm pretty sure if you put an unprotected hand in there - the flesh will melt off it and you will come out with just a skeletal bony hand and forearm.....something like they experience from alien bugs on planet PXC 409 or whatever (big Stargate Atlantis fan....sorry!)
Ho Hum!
And finally problem three - rust......not the trailer (in perfect condition) but - well the photo speaks for its self. I religiously rinse wheels every trip but..................
so....
question one: how do I sort out this lot?
Any answers to any of the above very gratefully received........really gratefully received.........honest!
Steve
But this new year, I've unwrapped her for the second time and a catastrophe has emerged................
Rot! Black stains, soft wood.....all along the outer gunwales. The epoxy seal has lifted and has flaked away - serves me right - I should have gone for varnish or some wood sealant! It's in patches and I think I have caught it in time - its surface deep (a matter of mm's) and it seems to scrape off easily enough.
there are worse pictures but I didn't want to put you off your meal........
Never seal anything with epoxy??????
So now I have some questions and if anyone can offer advice. I'd deeply appreciate it.
Question two: If I scrape it out - do I then dry it out - if so how - given I have nowhere to put her under cover?
Question three: do I do it as soon as we get a sunny but cold day or do I wait until the warmer weather of April comes along?
Question four: I coated the bowsprit in deks oljie and it has gone a lovely silvery weathered colour. Exactly what do I coat the gunwales in after clearing out the rot patches? Deks Oljie? Burgess woodsealer? Several coats of varnish? Does anyone know or have experience of this situation and what do they do?
Arwen's bowsprit - a lovely weathered silvery look
I checked her so carefully and didn't notice any rising epoxy - so lesson learned really - don't seal with epoxy!
And then there is a second problem - far worse than previous years - mould. It is everywhere.
Question one: what is causing it?
Question two: what is the best way of getting it off without damaging paintwork?
Question three: can it be prevented?
on the side decks............
It's everywhere - transom, thwarts, external hull planks.......and just don't take a look in the anchor well! I'm pretty sure if you put an unprotected hand in there - the flesh will melt off it and you will come out with just a skeletal bony hand and forearm.....something like they experience from alien bugs on planet PXC 409 or whatever (big Stargate Atlantis fan....sorry!)
on the transom interior...........
......the anchor well......
Ho Hum!
And finally problem three - rust......not the trailer (in perfect condition) but - well the photo speaks for its self. I religiously rinse wheels every trip but..................
...sorry about slight fuzziness of photo......I was balancing precariously at the time.......
so....
question one: how do I sort out this lot?
Any answers to any of the above very gratefully received........really gratefully received.........honest!
Steve
4 comments:
Hi Steve,
I think all of your problems would be solved if you had a small heat source inside Arwen. An old-fashioned 60-watt light bulb would do, a small ceramic heater with a little fan and a thermostat would be better. There is also something called a "Goldenrod" that is a little low wattage heater that might be a little safer than a light bulb. The idea is that you keep the inside of Arwen a little warmer than the outside temp. A few degrees is all it takes. That helps prevent condensation, which is the root of your problems.
The black on your mahogany may not be full-on rot, just discoloration from moisture. Dry it out and, on a warm day, sand or scrape it until it looks better to you and coat with epoxy. Don't give up on the epoxy, just make sure it's protected with three or more coats of good spar varnish for UV protection.
Arwen is going to be fine. Boats are tough.
Brandon
hey Brandon - that's brilliant advice - will investigate immediately - I know she'll survive - could never give up on her - thanks for such a prompt reply; good to hear from you.....and thanks - much appreciated
steve
Steve, you will probably hear this a lot, it's all about moisture. You need to either remove it or prevent it from being inside the boat. I notice you are using the blue tarps. We call them "poly tarps" here in the US, and they've spread like a blue plague across the world. They work OK to keep water out, for about one season. After that the weave loosens up and water can infiltrate. The UV causes these tarps to degrade quickly, and they won't last long. When I see the snow sitting on your tarp, I know that some moisture is wicking it's way through to the interior.
While I am building my Navigator, it's under one of those portable steel framed "car port" covers, then I cover it with a poly tarp to keep out wind driven rain and dust. Most of the work of shedding the precipitation is done by the framed cover. With all the bare wood I don't want any water in there!
If you can't use one of those framed covers (no space, no money, neighborhood regulations, etc.) you'll want to invest in a better cover. A friend of mine spent some good money on a custom made blue canvas boat cover. The lady doing the work specialized in boat covers. It keeps out that water really well.
If you can't do anything else for a better cover, you need to work really hard to get rid of that moisture. Drying elements like the previously mentioned lightbulb, or marine dehydrators (just a low wattage heater) work for enclosed spaces. I'd be worried about the air boxes under the seats and the forward compartments. Nothing dries like moving air, and a small fan circulating air will dry stuff out faster than heat. Since I build stuff, I am putting together a small system with a 12V solar panel to drive one or more computer muffin fans. This can circulate the air all day long, without any load on my power bill.
Failing all of that, you may need to get out to the boat after every time it rains or snows and open up the boat to let air circulate and/or dry it out by hand.
Isn't it funny, though? We need to spend all this effort to keep them dry so we can take them out and dunk them in a large body of water.
As for the hubs on the trailer, I suspect it's exposure to the local elements causing the rust. Maybe some loose covers (keep air circulation!) over the wheels to keep direct precip. off. Either that or wire brush them and repaint once a season.
Good luck.
thanks Mike - I'm getting a clear picture now - i susp[ect its time to purchase a proper canvas cover which can be kept on for towing etc
thanks for the advice - much appreciated
Steve
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