restorable or not?

[pooraka paddler]

Hi guys, this is my 1st post. i looked on ebay on sunday and under "sailing dinghy" is a lazy e. i have yet to go and have a look at it. quite near my place! the seller says the deck is shot! O.K i think i can manage that. the photo of the cockpit makes it look average. will sanding back of the ply and using bote coat or similar be enough to make this dinghy usable again. look forward to your replies. Noel

[Dairyman]

I just looked at the photos on ebay. It can be hard to tell from the photos, but I suspect it could be easily repaired with bote cote or similar.

[PAR]

If they are saying the deck is shot, why are you considering salvage? Most times, it's usually best to just cut out the bad stuff and replace it, rather then attempt to restore or repair. I've repaired and restored many boats over the years and the only time I try to "save" something is if it has some special significance or value. This is because it's twice, possibly three times as much effort and money to restore a shot piece, then it is to hack it out and install a new piece.

As an example, I've been in the middle of a big restoration. It's a 37' powerboat, the last of a famous, now dead designer. The owner needed new hull planking for this 50 year old yacht, but he insists on "saving" the original. He wants to improve the design so it doesn't leak like it did (cedar over oak carvel), but he wants it to look just like it's supposed to, using the original planks. Well, I couldn't save the garboards and few other planks, that were just too far gone, but I have saved 90% of the original planks. To do so and address his desire for it to be "tighter" and still look like a carvel build, each plank has been removed a few at a time, resawn right down the middle, making 1.25" thick planks into fat .5" planks. These now thinner planks are being double planked back in position, with staggered seams to prevent leaks, but retain the look of carvel.

I can assure you this is a whole lot more effort (and cost) then just hacking off the old planks, using them as patterns for new ones and rehanging the new stock. The same is true on small craft with worn out decks, hull planking, etc.

[b.o.a.t.]

I have been figuring out, painfully slowly, just how extraordinrary it is what
you do Paul. While to you this might "simply" be a succession of time-consuming
"simple" tasks, to we hoi polloi, it is a huge job.

By way of comparison, in 6 months I have merely succeeded in lifting my TS16's
floor, & drinking enough cask wine to stuff the resultant cavity with bladders.
(ok... there is mixed argument over whether that counts as an achievement or
not, but I'm arguing that a cast iron stomach & ineffective taste buds can be
a Good Thing..)

But you get the drift.... What you do Paul, is pretty darned impressive.

cheers
Alan J.

[PAR]

Alan you're obviously an easily pleased person. The thing I really enjoy about what I do, is problem solving. Each day is a constantly changing set of variables and issues. Like how do you take a 16' long plank, that has a compound curve it's full length and run it through a big band saw, on edge and slice it down the middle, with a reasonable amount of accuracy? I had about 28 of these per side of the boat to do, so it was a serious consideration. The end result, after much head scratching and a little cussing, was a set of rollers to keep the plank in vertical alignment on the band saw table and a couple of "dry runs" per plank with a couple of helpers; one feeding, one taking the out feed pieces. We went slow, everything worked out and now the boat has most of it's inner skin on, less half of it's former bulk. Admittedly, I came up with a few different ways to do this, including one very elaborate home made machine to do the job nearly hands free, but I didn't trust it, so good 'ol eyes on the work and steady hands where used instead. It's not particularly impressive, unless you happen to stop by, the day these planks where coming out of the front of the shop, some at a 45 degree angle to the saw. I guess that would look impressive or possably daring, depending on if you were paying the bill or not. You hit the nail on the head until it's home. If you miss, you hit it again, preferably with your thumb clear on the next swat.

[pooraka paddler]

thanks for the replys. went and looked at it today. it has major wood rot as in holes in the bottom of the hull. such a shame. apparently it used to be one of the top Lazy E's in the state years ago but has been left sitting outside. Now only good for firewood or use in a child's playground!!! thanks anyway guys Noel

[cookiesa]

Sometimes the wise choice is to walk away........ (But sometimes the heart strings over rule the head! lol)

Have to agree with PAR, you can spend more time and money on "restoring" a section than replacing it.

[m2c1Iw]

If they are saying the deck is shot, why are you considering salvage? Most times, it's usually best to just cut out the bad stuff and replace it, rather then attempt to restore or repair. I've repaired and restored many boats over the years and the only time I try to "save" something is if it has some special significance or value. This is because it's twice, possibly three times as much effort and money to restore a shot piece, then it is to hack it out and install a new piece.

As an example, I've been in the middle of a big restoration. It's a 37' powerboat, the last of a famous, now dead designer. The owner needed new hull planking for this 50 year old yacht, but he insists on "saving" the original. He wants to improve the design so it doesn't leak like it did (cedar over oak carvel), but he wants it to look just like it's supposed to, using the original planks. Well, I couldn't save the garboards and few other planks, that were just too far gone, but I have saved 90% of the original planks. To do so and address his desire for it to be "tighter" and still look like a carvel build, each plank has been removed a few at a time, resawn right down the middle, making 1.25" thick planks into fat .5" planks. These now thinner planks are being double planked back in position, with staggered seams to prevent leaks, but retain the look of carvel.

I can assure you this is a whole lot more effort (and cost) then just hacking off the old planks, using them as patterns for new ones and rehanging the new stock. The same is true on small craft with worn out decks, hull planking, etc.

Paul,
I've read this a couple of times and I still don't think I get it. How did you offset the seams? Am I correct in guessing you doubled the new garboard and cut one wider continuing that approach for all the rest. That would still require a considerable amount of re spilling etc yes.
Then I started to wonder about how you control wood movement in the overlap and seams. Again I'm reminded about how little I know about wooden boats.

Interesting as always.
Cheers

[PAR]

The lower portions of this hull has a box keel and V bottom out to the chine. Starting at the box, the first layers was offset 1/2 plank high and a filler piece placed below it. Many of these planks needed replacement anyway and had a lot of "shape" to them, so new stock was employed, naturally spilling the fits with a tight seam. The same was done on the V portion of the bottom as the shutter to box plank (garboard 2?) was in need of replacement, so it was cut at 1/2 height and the rest of the planks moved a few inches down to new locations. This did require some reshaping, but I'd already sawn each plank in half, so some edge milling was expected, if for no other reason then to remove the cobbled up caulk seams.

The outer layer is going on now and it's in the same location it was previously, just new fastener holes and slight adjustments for caulk seam loses, that I'll make up at the sheer, hidden under the rib strips and bulwark covering boards (it's a fairly big boat). This is classic double planking and one of the tightest of the traditional methods. Movement is controlled with the fasteners, as the outer layer is fastened to the inner and the frames. In reality, it doesn't move much, unless the fasteners are shot.

The only way to make this better (tighter) is to laminate a layer of plywood, between the inner and outer skins of planking. The plywood further stabilizes the inner and outer solid wood layers. Of course everything is bedded, between layers.

[m2c1Iw]

Thanks for that I get it now.