How To Repair Seems On A Wooden Sailboat

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Any reasonably handy gunkhole owner tin caulk their ain boat, in that location is no magic involved. On a new boat, with pristine seams betwixt the planks, it is pretty straight forrad. On an older gunkhole the seams may be damaged and vary in width so, a little more care is needed. However, anyone with a modicum of commonsense volition have no trouble doing a competent job. The primary thing to exist aware of is, not to over caulk, this could lead to strained frames as the planking 'takes upwards'.

i

Become the boat ready for caulking. If you intend to repaint your boat, strip off the paint earlier starting to re-caulk.
2

Make clean out all the old putty and caulking cotton with the raking iron, taking care not to damage the wood.

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3

Prime number the seams with the oil based paint or with crimson-lead paint.

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1

Different builders have differing ideas on where to first caulking.
2

Some like to do all the butt ends first then offset on the lower seams and terminate off with the rabbet and garboard seam.
3

Even so, here is no reason why you should not start on a seam to a higher place the water line, if yous desire to get into the swing of it first.
4

The principal affair is remembering which seams have been done and which are still to do.
5

How many strands of cotton you utilize will depend on the size of the seams.
6

Ideally the cotton should fill the deepest third of the seam.
vii

This means that when borer information technology dwelling house the iron should get in past about two thirds of the plank thickness.
8

Add or decrease strands equally needed.
9

Simply e'er recollect that it is to be tapped in not hammered.
x

Don't over caulk, the cotton wool and the forest are going to smashing when wet.
eleven

Some authorities suggest laying out enough cotton to do a full seam.
12

That is fine if you are laying it out in a perfectly clean floor.
13

The cotton is rather hairy and will pick up any and as of clay or wood shaving on the floor.
14

I found that it was better to feed it directly from the ball, but keeping the ball in a paper-thin box which can be pushed along with your foot as you lot get.
15

If you accept to bring together strands mid seam do not tie a knot, this volition produce a thick, hard lump.
sixteen

Merely curl the ends together between finger and pollex.
17

Kickoff off by using the paying fe to tack or loop the cotton loosely into a human foot or 2 of the seam.
18

So go back and using a rocking activeness with the iron tap the cotton dwelling house with the mallet.
19

If there are whatever wide seams leave them for last.
xx

By caulking all the tight seams first you could discover that this has caused the wider ones to shut upwards.
21

Broad seams can be caulked in two runs, thus increasing the number of strands.
22

Some builders suggest priming the cotton earlier applying the putty.

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1

The traditional compound for stopping seams is linseed oil putty mixed with ruby-red led pulverisation.
2

When mixing this caulking compound take a lawn tennis ball sized dollop of the putty mix enough cherry atomic number 82 pulverization to give an even crimson color add linseed oil if needed to keep it soft.
3

And then add a thumbnail sized dollop of multi-purpose grease, mix information technology well and button it into the seam with a putty knife.
four

The grease volition help keep the putty soft and flexible thus preventing any hardening and swell later.
5

You lot can either smoothen the putty affluent with the planking or used a curved scraper to produce a concave seam.

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one

When it comes to launch day yous might notice that some of the seams have opened up.
2

Practice not be tempted to add together any more caulking cotton fiber.
iii

You can add some more of the paying compound but this will probably end upward being squeezes out as the woods and cotton fiber take up.
four

Providing the gaps are not excessive its better to utilise a temporary method of stopping.
5

Taping over the cracks with masking record volition slow water intake sufficiently while the planks take up.
6

Or fill the cracks with lather, apply bar soap rubbed into the crevices this will eventually simply launder away.
seven

How quickly she takes up will depend on the forest of the planking.
8

Soft wood volition ordinarily take upward faster than hardwood.
9

My commencement attempt at re-caulking a consummate hull was on Mignonne, she has been in the h2o now for three years and she is notwithstanding afloat and watertight.
ten

If I can practice it anyone can, with a little care you can exercise it too.

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Things You'll Demand

ii caulking irons.
paying iron, narrow plenty to penetrate two thirds of the depth of the seam without damaging the woods.
nib iron, this is a smaller iron for caulking curt seams such equally 'neb-ends'.
raking iron, to clean out the quondam caulking compound and the old cotton.
caulking mallet/wooden carpenters mallet.
putty pocketknife or similar for mixing and applying the caulking compound.
Some oil based paint for priming the seams.
Caulking Cotton wool. Oakum, which is fabricated from hemp soaked in pino tar, is normally merely used on the larger vessels with planks over two inches thick.
Linseed oil putty.
Ruby-red lead powder.
Grease, any ordinary car blazon grease will do.
Linseed oil.

Linseed oil putty is available at hardware stores.
It is better to nether caulk and accept a few leaks than over caulk and gamble straining the frames when the wood and cotton wool swell, 'take upward'.
Specially fabricated rakes can exist bought with two handles which give the power to remove that sometime hard caulking compound and the control the cutting edge.

However, you tin can make a rake out of an old file by bending the tine into a hook and sharpening the inside of the claw. Then wrapping tape around the bract to make a handle.

Cherry-red lead powder must be obtained from a specialist wooden gunkhole supplies store
A big screwdriver tin can be used instead of a nib atomic number 26.