Old Wooden Hull Lightning Has Crack Along the Keel

Hello,

I have just purchased a project boat that needs hull repair. This is a Lightning sailboat that (according to the yearbooks at the Lightning Class website) was made in 1965. The hull number is 9089, if anyone has any info on how I can find out about who may have made this boat I would like to know. I have contacted the Lightning Class website but have not heard back from them.

This boat has been sitting upside down in the hot Texas sun for 8 years. It is very dry, but does not appear to be rotten.

The hull looks to either be 1X12 Cedar or Mahogany planks on the bottom. They actually look to be pretty tight in general, but there is a 3/8 inch crack that runs all the way down the keel board.

I have been told by the Dr. Rot people that I can use epoxies to encapsulate the hull. It looks to be time consuming and fairly expensive. I will do that if it is the best way to go, but I am interested in learning as much about alternatives as possible. I have no intentions of racing, this boat is for family day sailing. That stated, I want it to look nice and to have as dry of a boat as possible.

I spoke with someone who has sailed these boats for decades and they suggested that I put her in the water and let the hull soak for a few weeks to see if the cracks close up. This sounds like an interesting possibility, has anyone ever seen a crack this wide swell closed? Any suggestions?

I uploaded some pictures at http://www.spirit28.com/lightning if anyone wants to take a look.

Thanks for your time

Alan

Re: Old Wooden Hull Lightning Has Crack Along the Keel

The guy you spoke with has the answers. If you fill the space and then get the hull wet all sorts of thing will happen. If you must fill it use a soft calk and don't trap it. The boards are going to come together.

Re: Old Wooden Hull Lightning Has Crack Along the Keel

I have worked on all sorts of fiberglass boats but this one is completely new to me.

My concern is that if I put it in the water to soak, then it will fill up to the point where it naturally floats and the interior of the boat will be soaking as well. I would rather not swell up all of the wood on the inside of the boat.

Would it make sense to try and caulk up the giant cracks with either silicone caulk or some kind of tar soaked packing to try and keep the water out of the interior of the boat while she is soaking and swelling? or another idea I had was to lay her upside down and cover the hull with wet towels, would that provide enough moisture for the planks to swell?

Re: Old Wooden Hull Lightning Has Crack Along the Keel

Not for nothing, but a guy at our lake with an old Garwood used to start the swelling up right on the trailer. He would run the garden hose right in it.

Re: Old Wooden Hull Lightning Has Crack Along the Keel

Looks like a project! But, it looks like a good starting point, too- It's not too far gone by any means.

Those are some pretty nasty gaps- But I've seen wider ones close up. I had a Swampscott Dory that had 1/4" gaps in the planking, which was yellow pine. In a matter of about a week, they sealed up tight. I put it in the water, at a dock, and ran a few dock lines under her to the dock next to me to keep it on the surface as it swelled. After that, I stored it better, so the gaps never dried that much, but even then there would be some daylight in the gaps when I went to launch- I'd usually put some water inside a day or two before, and let it swell a bit, that would speed things up.

I have caulked seams- But you have to be careful what you use as a caulk. you do NOT want to use 3M 5200 or probably even 4200, they are going to be way too strong. You want something very flexible, that will not be too hard to get off later- Something like Life Caulk. I'd avoid silicones, they are intended to be used as a 'gasket', under compression, and don't hold up well to this kind of use. They also often leave a residue behind that can be difficult to remove, and that makes future painting at best a hassle and at worst impossible.

Are the sides of the boat plywood?

It looks like the plywood decks are canvassed- You'll have to replace that...

If it were mine, all the plywood would be epoxied, and possibly glassed as well. Plywood is more dimensionally stable than solid wood, and as it doesn't need to expand and contract in the same manner, you can get away with this. As for the bottom- I have mixed opinions on fiberglassing solid planking. It can be done- Lots of people do it- But that doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done. West Systems has some good info on this, check out their website.

If you do opt to use resin, make sure you use EPOXY resin, not poly.... Poly is likely to cause more problems than it fixes, it just won't bond with the wood in the way that you need it to.

-Andrew