1950's wood boat question

[Ontario Boy]

I'm looking at buying a chris craft boat and it take on water between boards, the bottom is in fairly good shape can I sand it down to the wood and seal with something, any info would be help full.

 

[ondarvr]

Most wood boats from the 50's are in very poor shape, which means it's most likely a huge project if you plan to get it back on the water. So unless you have few years to work on it, good skills, and a real desire to resurrect an old rotted hulk, you may want to pass on it.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Wood contracts and expands. Pretty much all wooden boats leak to a degree. When you leave her in the water the wood will swell up. After it swells up the amount of leakage should be small, if it is in good enough shape.

 

[garbageguy]

Some pictures would help you get some more specific input. I would suggest some of the whole boat and then maybe some closer up

 

[Ned L]

More information is needed before any sort of good advise can be given. During the 1950's Chris Craft used two very different types of hull construction. Most of their boats (such as their mahogany speed boats) were hard chine construction with batten seam sides and double planked bottoms (about 1/4" diagonal inner layer), then a layer of cotton muslin canvas set in bedding compound, and finally the longitudinal outer planking (about 3/8"). Their other construction was lapstrake used on their sea skiffs ( plywood lapstrake planking, a bead of thiokol in each lap, and steam bent oak ribs.
Which type of construction are you considering, what condition is the boat (bottom) in, and has any rebuild work been done to the bottom.
The only answer to your question without more information is "maybe".

Also, for clarity could you explain what you mean by " and it take on water between boards".

Would love to hear more about your boat, and see pictures!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Wood boats require being slung in the water for days with a bilge pump running until the wood expands enough to stop leaking.

Generally there are two types of old 1950's Chris Craft boats. Those that just finished a multi-year restoration, and those in need of a multi-year restoration. The difference between the two is going to be a factor of 10x in price between the two.

I myself would love an old mahogany speed boat project to be towed behind a 1950's suburban

 

[Ontario Boy]

the boat is actually a 1959 Andress, built in Ontario Canada, from the water line up the boat looks really good with just a couple minor wood imperfections, the waterline down looks ????, all the seams have been stuffed with cotton and the bottom painted with some kind of paint, I would not be leaving the boat in the water so what will happen if I want to go for s sunday drive? will it fill with water because the wood has not swelled and sink or is ther a way to seal it really good, the currant owner told me that when it goes in the water in the spring the billage pump runs quits a bit for the first week and after that maybe once a day, this will be my first wood boat so any input will be very help full

 

[Ned L]

I have done some looking on the Internet and it looks like Andress boats are batten seam construction. If so, this " all the seams have been stuffed with cotton " may not be a good indicator. Can you post some pictures of the bottom ( inside and out), and some close-ups of the seams?
The cotton in the seams may be an indicator that without some attention to the bottom 'dry sailing' her may not be as enjoyable as you would like. That doesn't mean that you can't get her to that point.

 

[Ontario Boy]

there has been a change of plans, I purchased a port carling sea bird with a Buchanon rocket 6 cylinder engine, cant wait to get it, ill post pics when it arrives, its being delivered this monday

 

[Ontario Boy]

No Title

 

[mickyryan]

Nice boat more pics

 

[Ned L]

Very pretty boat! Agree,.. We'd love to see more pictures.

I'm sort of curious if the Andress you were looking at was the same one I found a blog about (a guy restoring her for a couple of years, caulking the bottom (using cotton) and now seems to have her for sale. Oh well.

Your seabird looks to be a "project boat", or maybe at least new varnish? Looks like fun, and you will be able to have things the way you want. I'd love to see the Buchanan engine.

 

[harleyman1975]

The only way I know of to "dry sail" a wood boat is to either (a) be fresh off of a restoration or (b) have an encapsulated hull. (i.e. west system or similar)

 

[Ned L]

The only way I know of to "dry sail" a wood boat is to either (a) be fresh off of a restoration or (b) have an encapsulated hull. (i.e. west system or similar)

I wouldn't limit it to just those two options.

 

[harleyman1975]

I am not a woody expert only have worked on a few so I gladly defer to those with more sawdust in their blood

 

[82rude]

Here,s a pic of my old woodie,now sold, leaving port on a test run.From the splash rail down it was covered in epoxy resin and glass cloth.You could leave unpainted and it would look like varnished wood but seals her up tight ,no leakage atall.Cedarstrip construction.

 

[Ontario Boy]

Very pretty boat! Agree,.. We'd love to see more pictures.

I'm sort of curious if the Andress you were looking at was the same one I found a blog about (a guy restoring her for a couple of years, caulking the bottom (using cotton) and now seems to have her for sale. Oh well.

Your seabird looks to be a "project boat", or maybe at least new varnish? Looks like fun, and you will be able to have things the way you want. I'd love to see the Buchanan engine.[/QUOTE
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Sounds like the one, he had a blog and the boat is located in Kemptville Ontario Canada, the head gaskets are blowb on it now and the regular maintenance that comes a wooden boat has made him put it for sale

 

[Ned L]

I found all sorts of discussion on that blog about "caulking wooden boats" and various materials and techniques. None of what was being said was really "wrong", the problem though was that there was no discussion about about what materials and what techniques to use for what construction types. You can do damage by not matching the construction type with the technique and materials.
It certainly read as if what was being done was not correvt for the boat.

I guess it's kind of like looking at a dog and saying .." It's a dog, and dogs love water, so I'm going to take it for a swim in the ocean with me". That's fine if you are looking at a retriever, not so good if you are looking at a chahuahua. ...... You need to understand the variations.

 

[Ontario Boy]

the boat I bought is a project for sure but it what I want, if I have to remove all the boards on the bottom and start over I will, I'm going to try and start it once it arrives and see if the motor runs, ill take lots of pics when it gets here, I have a old hay wagon frame ready to set the boat on to start working on it

 

[Ned L]

Sounds like fun!!!! If you have the ability, 'projects' can be a lot of fun, and you don't have to deal with others mistakes. (Of coarse some of us discribe 'fun' as laying on our backs scraping and sanding the bottom of a boat in 95 deg sun. Lol. )
Looking forward to seeing your pictures....
How long since the engine ran?