Borates to fight Dry Rot

by Susan Gateley
(upstate NY Lake Ontario)

Ahoy,

Living on the EdgeThose of you with older boats that have a few soft spots-

We had very good luck with using borates as a preservative for six years on our tired old boat.

They are a lot less toxic to vertebrates than cupernol type copper based preservatives and fungicides.

We found a log house supply website that sold "Impel Rods" made of borates-

You drill a hole shove the borate "rod" in and it does a slow release of preservative.

It won't work in a really wet (underwater) sort of spot but it's usually those damp corners and joints (like our deck beams) that have the rot issues anyway.

The Impel Rods will buy you some time until you get the courage to tackle putting a new piece of wood in...

You can also make up a mix of ethylene glycol and borax and boric acid or buy something called Bora Care to soak trouble spots in to kill the fungus.

Comments for Borates to fight Dry Rot

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borates
by: Anonymous

We have to replace a wooden boom gallows.

Borates gave us an extra year or two of structural integrity but it is time now for a re-do of the steam bent oak structure...
rot and warpage
by: the newb

hello again I'm doing the pm38 build and I was wondering if I cant finish glassing her before winter sets in.
I'll have her in a tent, in my yard, and im hoping to keep everything dry and strait,until glassing her.
I've thought about moving blankets inside and out, but you guys seem to know and have better ideas. It's all wood 14ft, your input would be greatly appreciated,
the newb
borate follow up
by: Susan Peterson Gateley

Me again.
I should have added to the borates tip Dave Carnell's name.

He has a recipie on the web for making your own budget version of Tim-Bor.

We found it useful in our battle against entropy with Sara B the old woodie who rules our lives...
Impel Rods
by: Mike

Nice one Susan,

This has got to be perfect for those long term restoration projects.

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start.

This sounds like a perfect way to stabilise those parts that need to be seen to but which have to wait while you get on with the bits that are more pressing.

And without the word 'Marine' on the label there is no subsequent price hike.

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