Waterlogged keel

[Anjer]

Need advice for drying a waterlogged keel and plywood on a SeaRay 1989 18’ center console that I am restoring. Thank you Anjer

 

[76SeaRay]

I don't know anything about your particular boat but you probably won't be able to dry it out. I have had my boat in dry storage for 5 years now and just removed the last little bit of floor in the bow. The stringers and foam were still saturated with water after all this time.

 

[JASinIL2006]

A lot more info and some pictures are needed before anyone can really offer you any good advice, but i concur with @76SeaRay that it's highly unlikely you can make things right by letting it dry. Tearing it out and replacing it is the more likely scenario.

 

[Lectro88]

The 2 previous replies are spot on and plenty other replies all over the internet will mirror the same.
I will add to that as I have removed soaked foam from 2 boats of mine.
The 1st. I did, I put the foam on a small trailer and laid plywood over to kinda protect from elements and debris.
I had full intentions of dumping it but that just kept getting postponed, not high on my list as I have plenty of room.(and plenty to do)
It sat covered open to side flow air most of the hot summer in NC.
Now again MONTHS in hot summer.(90-100 degree days) the ground was cracking open it was so hot and dry....
I finally 1 day got tired of seeing the junk and decided to put it in the dumpster.
I picked a chunk of it up and it seemed oddly heavy. I thought for sure it would dry open to all sides not confined in a boat.
Nope,... you could squeeze it and it was still SOAKED 1' inch in from surface. Solid Soaked. like a watermelon.
Folks have tried wet vacs, compressed air. dry storage and who knows what else.
I removed 500-800 Lbs of Wet/Soaked foam from my 19' boat, that was entire, side hulls and under floor(all)2nd boat.

Bottom line,. if you want dry foam, you will have to remove the wet foam and replace with it new foam. {period}

 

[76SeaRay]

Always check the entire boat. Sounds strange but most of my waterlogged foam was in the bow (due to a lower walkway for the galley and plugged floor drain). So, in checking the transom and aft stringers, it did not appear to be waterlogged foam. Even though I had rot in the transom and stringers, the aft foam was reasonably dry mostly just wet on the outside. I am replacing it all anyway as all of my stringers and bulkheads were rotted.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Two methods to dry out that wood:

Method #1 a funeral pyre. Use napalm to make sure the fire is hot enough

Method #2 build a cradle, pull the deck and pull everything out of the hull. Then cut out all the rotten and wet wood, and do a proper restoration

 

[Chris1956]

I had an 18 foot SeaRay bowrider. The "keel" consisted of a piece of 3/4" plywood, laid on it's end and scribed to match the hull. it was stapled to the deck, with steel staples, which failed due to rust. This "keel" was only under the ski well. What do you have?

I replaced it with a piece of dry pressure treated solid lumber, glassed to deck and hull.

 

[Lectro88]

Pressure treated will last but unless it's been laying around in a barn for YEARS. !! and really dried out, not what we call wet, or green.
And from the box stores,. it will be wet and green.
(Green = still has a lot of moisture content)

Epoxy and poly doesn't bond well to pressure treated, Most times it will delaminate.
If its really dried out you "May" get away with it.

**Also pressure treated is about the "most heavy" lumber you could pick**

 

[Chris1956]

You don't work much with pressure treated lumber. It takes a few days in a dry environment to dry out where it is about as dense as non treated lumber. I have used it very effectively to effect repair of structural members and decks.

I glassed some P/T 2X2s to the deck of my speedboat. The seats are screwed to them. They are as solid as the day I glassed them in and they are exposed to all types of weather and water. They did not delaminate, they do not rot and they hold screws real well without the need for silicone caulk. I suppose they could fail in 25 years or so as they are exposed to the weather...

 

[KJM]

You don't work much with pressure treated lumber. It takes a few days in a dry environment to dry out where it is about as dense as non treated lumber. I have used it very effectively to effect repair of structural members and decks.

I glassed some P/T 2X2s to the deck of my speedboat. The seats are screwed to them. They are as solid as the day I glassed them in and they are exposed to all types of weather and water. They did not delaminate, they do not rot and they hold screws real well without the need for silicone caulk. I suppose they could fail in 25 years or so as they are exposed to the weather...

I hope you treated the cut ends. I had to replace parts of my pressure treated decks on the house this summer because the guy that built them didn't put anything on the ends when he cut. They rotted after about 9 years. The PT is only injected a very small distance into the wood from the surface. Underneath is just plane wood that will readily rot if wet.

 

[Chris1956]

Not sure what PT wood you got, but I have not had that issue. My deck railing is nearly 300 two by two pieces of lumber as balusters and have never been treated on the ends or anywhere. They are about 20 years old and were flooded a couple of times.

None show any rot.

 

[Lectro88]

You don't work much with pressure treated lumber. It takes a few days in a dry environment to dry out where it is about as dense as non treated lumber. I have used it very effectively to effect repair of structural members and decks.

I glassed some P/T 2X2s to the deck of my speedboat. The seats are screwed to them. They are as solid as the day I glassed them in and they are exposed to all types of weather and water. They did not delaminate, they do not rot and they hold screws real well without the need for silicone caulk. I suppose they could fail in 25 years or so as they are exposed to the weather...

 

[Lectro88]

I have worked with PT more than you have any idea. (at 52)
Your comment on how quick it dries and how 'not' dense it is after a "few" days makes me question several things about you.. and what quality & where your supply is from.
I can call/Identify a PT piece of lumber by not even looking at it, by picking it up over white pine. by its weight and outer texture alone, days, weeks, weeks, months later.
You are correct about screw holes, and I could see it lasting as you describe. under epoxy or not.
I also understand and have had epoxy flat out rebel from contaminates, first hand.
And PT and especially full ground contact PT has plenty of contaminates.

but all that being said, I have only attempted to epoxy PT 1 time, it did boarder line of "ok" and I questioned how well the "epoxy" would hold up exposed to elements and marine environment.
It is well accepted that PT and epoxy or polyester is not the best mix.
And my experience was not the best either.
So that was my caution extended to a new member with 1 his 1st. comment on this site.