Wooden Boats Leak? Who Would Have Thought That?

In this video I talk about leaking in a wooden boat, particularly right after launch.

[@sromo522]

I always learn when I watch your videos

[@todddunn945]

Thanks for the kind words.

[@jeffgrier8488]

I always find the information you provide on this subject valuable, and you present it in a way that can be understood, thanks!

[@todddunn945]

Thanks Jeff. I guess a career as a professor paid off after all.

[@bradbarrett9236]

Never heard of the borax use, very much appreciated

[@todddunn945]

You are welcome. I learned it during a visit to the San Francisco Maritime national historical park.

[@scottcaple3552]

glad to discover you. i have a rather leaky boat , had it for about 5 years, sailboat, also carvel/cotton caulking, smaller than yours(24'). Similar story, she gets hauled end of every season ( on the great lakes), upon launch always takes on a lot of water initially, it lessens considerably, but is always there. Any other thoughts ( or sources for reading, etc?)on how continual presence of water in bilge affects the wood? I have scraped and painted the bilge three times in five years due to paint lifting. otherwise, thanks for the numbers. I am aware of Geordie, his videos ae helpful. Cheers!

[@todddunn945]

The only thing I can suggest is to recaulk the hull. That will help a lot. Also when you store for the winter don't put the boat on a hard surface (concrete or asphalt. Gravel or dirt is much better. Before launch I always tented the hull from the waterline to the ground and poured water under the hull several times a day to raise the humidity and swell the hull before launch. That made a big difference. As long as the water is salt water having it in the bilge won't hurt the wood. If you are worried, pour some borax into the bilge. That will kill any rot fungi in there and also freshen the boat up as far as smell goes. Incidentally I sold Tortuga a couple of years ago.

[@johnshoureas1629]

Peter couldn't wait. He's motoring to another location today as you uploaded this video. I hope he will be Okay, because the boat is still taking on water, but much slower.

[@todddunn945]

I saw that. I bet he is leaking more when he gets where he is going. I hope he stays put for a week or so when he gets there. Friday afternoon his boat was leaking two to three times more than the worst mine did immediately after launch following a month in a heated shop.

[@edtully2740]

Interesting discussion, always learn a lot watching your work. A few questions come to mind: How do you manage the planking above the waterline, where the planks are not normally exposed to water? Also, how does the water saturated wood handle a deep freeze in the winter, especially when the boat is in storage??

[@todddunn945]

Thanks for watching the video Ed. I will try to answer your questions. Above the waterline planks are generally quite dry compared to below the waterline planks since they are not in the water. In addition topside paints are much less water permeable than bottom paints. So although topside planks do shrink and swell, they change much less than below the waterline planks and the issues are primarily cosmetic. I haven't noticed that freezing is an issue with my boat which is stored in a shed every year for the winter. The planks do dry out quite a lot within a few weeks of haulout before the really cold weather hits. I suppose that an early hard freeze (sub zero) could damage the wood, but I have not seen that.

[@dfharris03]

Hi Todd: I just purchased a wooden converted trawler and her seams were done last year along with fastners. I plan on hauling her out next spring (she is in Nanaimo) to paint the hull. What is your rule of thumb for the amount of time you can be on the hard without worrying about the boards contracting?

[@todddunn945]

It depends on the weather conditions and what the boat is sitting on. During cool, damp weather you can stay out for weeks to months without significant issues. On the other hand, during some of the hot dry spells you have been having during summer the last few years you would have quite a lot of drying in just a couple of weeks. What the boat is sitting on matters too. Dirt is much kinder to a wooden boat than sitting on asphalt or concrete. What I did with my former woody Tortuga was to spend a week of two hydrating the hull before launch by tenting the hull from the waterline to the ground with plastic sheets and pouring water under the hull to keep the ground under the boat wet. I didn't have running water. If you have running water a soaker type hose works well to keep the hull from drying too much. You can also put some water inside the boat, but not too much or the water could spring a plank. No matter what you do the hull will dry some. So expect the boat to take on some water on launching and try not to take the boat out into rough conditions until it takes up.

[@dfharris03]

Thanks...I will time the haul out early (late April?) before it gets too dry and hot,

[@Mumbo_Jumbo_Kiwi.1]

Hi Todd, I'm looking at a boat that's been on the hard for several yrs. Is their anyway I can contact you?

[@todddunn945]

Go to my KZbin page and click on about. There is an e-mail address there.

[@Mumbo_Jumbo_Kiwi.1]

@@todddunn945 hi Todd, the email doesn't feature

[@todddunn945]

@@Mumbo_Jumbo_Kiwi.1 try [e-mail]