Preview: Quick Wooden Boat Repair of a Stem and Plank Ends
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December 1, 2011
Email this Video to a FriendSo you’ve got a soft, rotting stem and plank ends? No problem! Eric Blake shows us that sometimes a load of common sense and skillful craftsmanship will enable you to get your boat into the water for the season. When making wooden boat repairs, it takes a sensible approach to the lifespan of the boat and the conditions at hand.
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Comments, Thoughts or Suggestions?You can leave a comment or question for OCH and members below. Here are the comments so far…
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16 Responses So Far to “Quick Wooden Boat Repair of a Stem and Plank Ends”
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David Miller says:
Ever use a product called Git Rot or Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer?
I’ve used it but never so effectively as your more simple and more environmentally friendly method.
Mark MacLeod says:
The sounds of the kids at play nearby—that’s real nourishment
Peter Grise says:
I have stopped rot dead in its tracks by plastering a bleach-soaked towel on the rotten area, and leave it for a few days. When the towel is dry, remove it and let the sunshine in. Rot turns to dust, easily brushed off. Nice new wood exposed. Then a quick and dirty fill of auto-body filler does the job if you don`t want to get too picky.
Alan Stewart says:
Hello Folks,
I’m repairing a 21′ cod skiff here in Lakefield, Ontario – a long way from its home waters off Fogo and Change Islands where it was built. My Skiff has similarly rotten stem end planks, a floor and framing members that need to be replaced. Lots of dry old spruce that is at the end of its life. I love Eric’s method of soaking older wood with thinned epoxy and later finishing with gobs of filled epoxy. Unfortunately I don’t know what he means by ‘thinned epoxy’. Does he mix epoxy plus hardener and then thin it with something? Does he use hardener at all? Later he has uses epoxy with a filler but gives no details. I would like to follow his example and use his good ideas to fix my skiff but I need more detail. A couple of quick answers about the epoxy would be very helpful.
Steve Stone says:
Hi Alan. “Thinned” just means not thickened. Straight resin and hardener. There are several thickeners that have different properties depending upon your needs. Mostly whether you need to sand it or not afterward cut also for color and other properties, so talk to your local store or the very helpful customer service people West System or at one of the online retailers to figure out which thickener(s) you need for your job.
Kaci Cronkhite says:
Just the quickie fix I needed above the waterline this weekend. Thanks, Eric!
Scott McRae says:
I think Cy is a lucky kid.
Daren Lindley says:
Eric, it was fun to see your boat! I love the practical approach. Sometimes we feel that if it can be done “RIGHT” we shouldn’t be doing anything until we can. This is so helpful. Not just in your techniques but in the whole philosophy. Sometimes it seems we can get a little uptight and miss the whole point! Getting our families out on the water and creating some cool memories.
Loved it.
David Wagenblast says:
Just this past April I did a similar repair to a fiberglass covered wooden canoe. About two inches of the stem was rotten, along with 6 inches of deck and gunwale.(inner and outer).
Thin epoxy, scarfed inner, new outer, new deck and some long silicon bronze screws and bingo, ready for the water! Like your lobster boat, no white water but plenty of years before a total rebuild! Thanks again, love OCH!
Edward Goldberg says:
Just shows how a “quick fix” can cover up major issues in an old boat. If you see an old boat like this after a fix, how can you tell that the Stem is still in need of repair?
What is the best way to find and avoid getting a boat that has a patched problem?
Patrick Daniels says:
gimme the hammer dad!!!
Greg Ross says:
Eric,
Well done, this as well represents my relationship with multiple conveyances (boats and cars) throughout my 40 + years of adult life. And so delightful to see the next generation being schooled in the practicalities of life.
Greg Ross
PEI/ Newfoundland, Canada
Jo Vos says:
I like this website so much, because all the boat construction is secondary to the enjoyment of sailing. Great video! Again I learned a lot. I also have a suggestion: when I make this kind of repair, I inject the wood with ethylene glycol before the repair. This kills all the fungi etc. and thereby stops further rotting from the wood around. It will make the repair live longer.
Jay MacDowell says:
I would love to see how you finished out the repair. It was a great rendering of a cosmetic fix, of which my projects seem to abound! Sadly, for me, it went from glue up to finished and i so wanted to see how you cleaned it up.I greatly appreciate this type of “poor man’s” repair. though not the ideal, it gets us on the water with understood parameters. I loved the video and how handily you incorporated your “helper!”
Robert Chan says:
Very nice repair. In similar situations where I am forming epoxy in small voids I often use foil faced duct tape (with the removable paper backing). It is a little stiffer than masking tape and although it needs to be applied prior to adding the epoxy many jobs can be molded using the tape alone. Thanks for sharing your techniques!
Ken Page says:
I just loved watching this Eric….really. Been there, done that!