1956 Chris Craft Capri Bullnose & Plank Rot 5 10 2020 Snake Mountain Boatworks LLC

As is so often the case with antique and classic wooden boat preservation, vessels tend to keep secrets. Our 1956 19’ Chris-Craft Capri Runabout gave no hint of what previous butchers had done to her and the horrific water trap they created in the process.
She let us in on this secret yesterday as Joe was finishing sanding her topsides fair. “We are almost to bleaching! I have only the last four or so feet to do on each side and I will be at the bow.” Right. Then his inline sanded started throwing up chunks, and suddenly, he had broken through a plank just aft of the bullnose bow.
Careful probing told the story. Our Capri’s bullnose is severely rotted along its starboard margin, as are the forward ends of the top three planks. One plank on port is rotted through as well. All of it is because the butchers were too lazy to address foredeck framing issues properly, by releasing planks rather than reaching for a circular saw and simply making an athwart cut through them all the way across the deck.
A sloppy athwart seam butt joint “repair” failed, of course. The seam opened at some point, allowing water to infiltrate and keep the planks and bow wet. Talk about a perfect storm for rot!
As I explain in the clip, Joe will address the bullnose rot using a Dutchman repair. Then the offending planks will be replaced, which is both best for the boat and likely also best for her owner as it’s a least-cost path relative to trying to scab new planking onto the ends of the existing and rotted planks.
Now that I have released the damaged planks, I am tooth-picking, filling each and every screw hole in the frames and battens with three white ash toothpicks and Gorilla Glue. It is a tedious, gooey task, but is the only right way to go. (Toothpick source: cibowares.com/...)
Replacing the #8 with #10 screws is absolutely the wrong way to go. The holding power of that aged wood is compromised, and, since the #10’s have larger heads than the #8’s, larger countersinks must be driven, which, in turn requires inserting larger bungs, if you can find them.
Go the lazy way and you “earn” weak fastening and wood bungs that are noticeably larger than all the others on your boat. UGHHHHH!

[@denmark219]

Awesome work! Please please please do an episode on replacing a set of ribs. How to replicate ribs that are broken, how to fair them, how to get them faired to the chine landing, keel and stringers.... thank you!

[@snakemtboatworks]

You mean frames, yes? Been there, done that multiple times. See: snakemountainboatworks.com/vintage-boat-preservations/1946-chris-craft-brightside-u22-preservation/ for a collection of clips that treat frame repair and more.

[@billlamb2512]

This is a prime example of the limitations of the "preservation " vs restoration. Without plank removal you cannot for certain know that there is not underlying rot. With removal of the topside planks you can inspect for rot, remove broken fasteners, treat all sides with CPES and bed it back with 5200 if the plank is in good condition. With bedding with 5200, it makes the entire topsides more stable. If you decide to not remove the planks you should at the very least refasten the sides before you start to fair them. With the years of plank swelling and drying out, fasteners brake or loosen up. Without addressing this problem, you are asking for problems down the road.

[@ryancostenbader9263]

Do u work on plywood boats. Looking to replace a hull on 15 Trojan sea queen

[@snakemtboatworks]

Ryan, the Trojan Sea Queen hull is cold, molded plywood, so replacing the entire hull is akin to starting at scratch without any of the jigs that the factory used originally. I guess it is possible, and a quick Google search found one person who tried to do it and went through hell. He succeeded, but reports that doing it "took forever." Could we do it? Yes, but you are likely talking about a labor budget running into tens of thousands of dollars, likely lots of them.

[@tomkerins3886]

my God i want any boat that comes out of this place

[@Brokenbones2]

1st beer on me!

[@snakemtboatworks]

Thank you Russ!

[@johnshoureas1629]

Will you be repairing those cracked longitudinal stringers ?

[@snakemtboatworks]

Yes, of course. Both split battens will be repaired.