Thread: Wooden Boat - Epoxy

Your boat sounds as if it's carvel construction, which would be typical for a down east build.

With good planking, properly caulked and solid fastenings, no weeping should be seen. I caulked a well built carvel a few years ago, that still has a dusty bilge. Not a drop. Generally, the water found in the bilge is sweet water from rain and condensation. Unfortunately, this type of water is also the worst to have in a bilge.

If you can push on a plank and it moves enough to leak you have two issues. The first is fasteners, the second is caulk.

Neither can work well without the other bearing it's share of the load. The fasteners hold the planks to the frames. The caulk wedges the planks tight together, preventing leaks. If the fasteners are loose, the caulk has nothing to push against. If the caulk is shot, the fasteners move around with normal hull strains, pulling on the fasteners.


Coating the boat with epoxy is the wrong avenue of pursuit. It will make matters worse and you'll be replacing plank in a few years.

Have the boat hauled out and check the plank to frame fasteners for tightness. Most likely you'll find they are loose, have rot in their holes, etc. This is a common problem and quite repairable. If the framing stock is sound and the holes not in bad shape, you can just step up to the next size screw and refasten. With the planking tight against the frames, a new caulking job will seal up the boat tight.

More often then not, this problem has gone on for longer then desirable, so the fastener holes have "egged" out, maybe with some rot in them. This is repairable too, but is more extensive. They're are several method to fix this problem. My preferred way is pull off the plank, drill out the fastener holes, glue in a dowel of the same species (oak in this case) then drill for a new fastener in the repaired hole, once the plank is rehung. This permits you to use the same fastener holes in the planking.

Often, especially if the plank has been "working" for a few seasons, the plank fastener holes also "egg" out (the hole actually looks egg or oval shaped from the movement). If this is the case you need to plug the old holes and drill new ones. Cedar is especially prone to this as well as splitting around the fasteners.


The bottom line is your boat probably needs refastening and caulk. It's a job you can do yourself, but it can seem daunting and tedious at times. Systematically planned out and a little at a time, you can bang this out if so inclined. I don't recommend you caulk the boat yourself, as it's a job that requires a fair amount of skill to do without screwing things up.

In your area, there are many yards that can advise you, if you plan on jobbing the work out. Some yards permit owner repairs on this level, others don't so you'll need to do some leg work finding the right place.