Keel box retrofit

by Mark Postlethwaite
(Melbourne Australia)

Is it possible to retro fit a keel box to a carvel hull Couta boat?

The existing boat does not have one.

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Splining a carvel hull good or bad?

Is splining a carvel hull a good idea,

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Lyman restoration

by Pete Csigi
(Liverpool NY)

Is am ready to caulk the hull before painting.what caulk do I use?

Any application suggestions?

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Caulk

What brand of caulk and application suggestions 1955 lyman 16 foot lap streak plywwood

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6 volt or twelve volt

I have a 1954 Centurey Resorter.

Did it originally have a 6 volt battery?

thanks Brian

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1959 Elgin pictures

by Tmlanz
(Minneapolis )

Does anybody have pictures of original look for a Elgin 1959 14ft deluxe runabout?

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Jun 02, 2021
 50's Elgin
by: Jim

Seven years since resto.
It is registered as an Elgin from the trailer. Looks to me it could be a Speedliner or Wagemaker.
I found her in Appleton, Wisconsin.
May 30, 2021
 Elgin Pix
by: Jim in Wisconsin

The trailer is stamped Elgin.

I could not find any ID on boat.

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Caulking

by John scheele
(Osprey fl)

Whats the best caulk to use between the 2 in decking on a century palimino?

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painting a boat

by Earl
(Arkansas)

Hi! I am trying to find out if I build a wooden boat, sealing all joints to keep it from leaking and then just painting the boat using exterior paint, will this and for how long seal the wood?

( Wasn't old plywood ski boats back in the fifties just painted, )
thanks for any help given.

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Jul 29, 2020
 Painting your boat
by: barb

I refinished a wooden boat built in 1958.

After much research and consulting with two local boat shops, I went with a high grade exterior paint.

So far, so good.

The turquoise color has faded and cracked some but the white is just fine.

I used a high grade primer/sealer on the entire boat before painting the top coat.

Good luck!
You can find my project here:
https://www.diy-wood-boat.com/lady-like-me-1958-sea-babe-restoration.html

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Max humidity of wood before it can be varnished?

by John
(The Netherlands)

Does anyone have information about max allowable humidity percentage of the wood (wooden rowing boat) before it can get varnished?

Our club: https://www.rv-iris.nl/

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Jan 24, 2020
 Varnish
by: Anonymous

The adhesion of the Varnish will be better if the surface is nice and dry.

If you are working outdoors and unsure if the day is warm/dry enough, splash a little water on the old varnish, leave it for 10 mins, if the surface has dried then it is OK to varnish.

If you are planning to use a traditional, oil based varnish you could use oil, Tung or pine oil to cover any bare patches of wood until conditions improve.

As traditional varnish oil based it should stick to it just fine.
Jan 24, 2020
 Varnish
by: Bill

Are you varnishing over existing varnish or onto bare wood?

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Dinghy design

by Bob Gould
(Milton Keynes UK)

Anyone know where is the best place to get a Dinghy design for an 8 to 10 foot clinker dinghy.

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Which way grain in oak rib

by John
(Portland, Ore)

Should white oak ribs for a small boat show the grain vertically or horizontally at the end of the rib?

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Dec 20, 2019
 rib direction
by: Anonymous

horizontal !!!!
Jul 17, 2019
 Ribs
by: Bill

Best if the grain is parallel to the side of the boat, to reduce the danger of fasteners splitting the rib.
Jul 17, 2019
 Ribs
by: Bill

Not quite sure what you mean, the grain should, ideally, run along the length of the rib.

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Ring Cleats

by LJ
(Vancouver, B.C.)

What is the best knot and way to moor with only ring cleats available?

Thank you.

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Jul 29, 2020
 best knot
by: Annie

Round turn and two half hitches.

This holds well, but can always be undone when you need to.
Jul 31, 2018
 Mooring Rings
by: Mike

Were possible I prefer to ‘cleat off’ my mooring lines, it makes it easier to undo them should the lines come under tension.

So, with a mooring ring I would be inclined to pass the lines through the rings and cleat off on board.

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mahogany transom checking

by bob
(middletown nj)

Hello.how can I stop my transom from checking.

I need to strip it but I do not want to revarnish.

Thanks for any help

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Jul 16, 2018
 Checking
by: Mike

Hi Bob,

Just a few questions.

What material is the transom, is it Ply or solid planked wood?

Are you planning to finish it with paint?

Is this just surface checking or deeper cracks?

Surface checking along the rays of the wood can be caused by too quick drying of the surface, best prevention is to keep it well sealed with paint or varnish.

Plywood with a softwood veneer can suffer from it too.

One old repair method is to fill small cracks with a paste made up using sawdust and cascamite wood glue, best not to use silicone based caulking.

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