rot stop idea... comments?

pcrussell50

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 21, 2008
Messages
296
i've got a small, 16 foot performance outboard powered boat that due to some shoddy workmanship in the past is getting water to the transom and the stringer. as a small boat, it only has one stringer. anyway, everything is still strong and solid right now, and i check it every time i go out. it is kept in the warm dry climate of the mohave desert.

anyway, if i understand rot correctly, there is a biological/microbial component to it, where live "bugs" do the work of making the wood soft or rotted.

well, might it be effective in slowing down the rot, if one were to wet down the areas that see water with some bleach? i was thinking that bleach would kill off whatever was alive in there, weakening the wood.

just thinking out loud...

-peter
 

NoKlu

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
786
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

The best way to stop the rot is to correct the shoddy workmanship and fix the problem before it gets bad.
 

oops!

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
12,932
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

you are correct in thinking about the little bugs eating the wood.....once it starts......there is no stopping it. try your bleach.....i dont think it can hurt the glass around the stingers.

the best way to avoid rot....is to make sure the water can completely drain from the boat.....this is very important.....in side every boat there are drain passages for the water to drain.....these must be kept clear from debris.

after that.....store with the bow of the boat.....way ...way up high.....and keep the drain open.....let the air circulate thru the hull....but keep it covered to stop sun damage.

cheers
oops
 

jspano

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
790
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

is the wood inquestion alreadt incased in glass?
 

jonesg

Admiral
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
7,174
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

Wooden boat builders swear by antifreeze as an organocide.
It might be easier to just replace the wood if access isn't a problem.
Heck use a composite and forget wood problems.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,468
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

Ayuh,... For an easier to understand analogy,...
Rot in wood is exactly like Cancer in people...
The only real Cure is to cut it out...

Your shot at Chemo might work,...
I've heard automotive antifreeze will kill the spores, without hurting the wood...

Bleach might work, but it's the 1st component used in the making of Paper,...
Beach breaks down the binding of the wood fibers...
 

rjcullis

Recruit
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
1
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

Wooden Boat magazine has an extensive discussion on this. You have to use the correct anti-freeze, ethylene glycol. Some anti-freeze is polyethylene glycol and that will not do the trick. I restored a late 50's plywood cabin cruiser that had lots of spots of dry rot. I used ethylene glycol and it was great. Some people mix some Borax in with the ethylene glycol which makes it even better. The nice thing is once the mixture is in the wood and had a chance to dry (I left it for a week just to be sure it was really in there) you can paint or epoxy it just like normal. this is the URL for the Wooden Boat information: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?150310-Ethylene-Glycol-Rot-Treatment-amp-Epoxy.

All that said. I would only chemically treat if I could not remove the affected part and those stringers are a pretty easy remove. I would put in new stringers, level them up, foam in between them, and epoxy on the new deck. New stringers gives lots of confidence and the foam will stiffen up the hull considerably.

Lots a luck...Richard
 

tpenfield

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Staff member
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Jul 18, 2011
Messages
17,621
Re: rot stop idea... comments?

rjcullis-

Welcome to iBoats . . .

This is a 2-1/2 year old thread. . . . Forum rules frown on responding to old threads unless the Original Poster (OP) reactivates the thread.

You might want to post a new thread on the subject or send the OP a PM.
 
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