Cracked stringer on project boat

[dLj]

The replica of Henry Hudson's boat, Half Moon, was built that way, and they had rot problems soon after building. I recall they used a lot of pine, which rots quickly. I think a wooden boat not encapsulated will probably last longer than one encapsulated!

I friend had a Beetle Cat with a beautifully varnished tiller, probably at lest seven coats, and recoated annually. Once, sailing, the tiller just broke in half! Turns out the only thing left was a thin, outermost layer of wood and the varnish. It had rotted out and was hollow, with no outward signs.

Gotta love the half stories... One of the common mistakes made is to not encapsulate the end grain, or joint surfaces or drilled holes.

So research each of those and discover the more likely truth. There are in fact boats built this way and components built this way that have been in service without any degradation for many decades.

dj

 

[dlochner]

Back to the original issue, the cracked floor.

This is an important structural component. Not only does it support the mast and transmits the weight of the mast and the rigging tension into the hull structure, it also serves to keep the two sides of the hull apart. Supporting the cabin sole is the least important function, although still an important function because the sole helps to stiffen the boat and keeps the hull from twisting.

From the photos, this floor can not be repaired, it must be replaced. The mast needs to come out. It will only be in the way and any effort to shore it up while on the boat will only add stress to the hull possibly distorting some of the hull. But mostly because it will be in the way.

All of the other floors should be evaluated. Pearson, like many builders back in the day, used wood as the core and encapsulated it with glass and then drilled a limber hole and didn't seal the exposed wood in the core. This provides good access for water to get into the core and cause rot.

The old floor must be cut out and a new floor installed. All the other floors should be carefully inspected for damage and rotted cores. The strength of the floors is not in the core, it is in the skin, so the core material is not all that important. Foam, solid wood, or plywood all work as core materials provided the external glass layer is sufficiently strong and thick. The core provides some strength by keeping the sides of the box from bowing inward, but that is about it.

Repairing this is a major structural repair, not to be taken lightly. Consult some well researched sources, such as the West System manuals and Guogeon Brothers on Boat Building, for more advice. Andy on Boatworks Today may have additional information on structural repairs, especially on the videos about the Bertram repair.

Good Luck!

 

[jviss]

In other words, based on the cost to repair and the value of the boat, it's "totaled." That doesn't mean it's not worth fixing, if you want to do it yourself, or even pay to have it done, but know that for the latter, it will be cheaper to find a boat that doesn't have this problem.

You might want to visit the Pearson Yachts Portal and ask in their forum.
Pearson Yachts Portal
For your boat:
Pearson 37-2

If it was mine, and I really wanted to fix it, it would mean completely stripping the interior, and designing and then fitting a new framework, which I would do with structural FRP pieces - factory fabricated, I-beams, and etc. I would consult an engineer or naval architect for this, regarding strength. Then, after my new framework was in place, replace the interior.

Note that these have balsa cored hulls and decks, so you might want to evaluate them as well. I've heard that deck hardware was bedded with gaskets instead of beding compound and quickly leaked, leading to rotten cores.

 

[jssailem]

Repairing a boat can be done.
Mark spent several years rebuilding his Hunter 40 after it was damaged in Hurricane Matthew.
He recorded the adventure here.

Repairing Hunter 40 damage from Hurricane Matthew

Hi guys, My 1986 Hunter 40 Legend took some damage (possible understatement!) from Hurricane Matthew. a couple of holes in the side, some damage to the bow, and the interior was ruined from a partial submerging. This will be a long running thread showing repairs to get her back in the water and...

forums.sailboatowners.com

It takes a confident person with dedication, patience, and perseverance to recover an old boat.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Yea, and you know what? How long do you think the builders expected them to last? For the Royal Navy in the 19th century it was only five or so years.

I'm not experienced in ancient wooden sailing ships, but I grew up with wooden boats that were decades old and still in service. Most of those vessels were working boats. The charter captains wanted easy maintenance balanced with marketable beauty. Few of them spent many man-hours in daily care other than scrubbing the squid guts off the decks, cabin, and topside. The 56' plywood schooner sheathed in glass I lived aboard in 1975-78 is still sailing and resides on a mooring in Key West today. I'm sure the owners have had their issues with rot and had to repair or replace a handful of structural parts, but the maintenance over-all has been pretty simple.

Artisan Boatworks, Glass vs Wood
"As for longevity, we have done several first restorations of traditionally built wooden boats that were 60 to 80 years old. Many fiberglass yachts have needed restoration at half that age. The reality is that a properly maintained wooden boat can last 100 years, and still look beautiful for your great grandchildren. You can’t say the same for fiberglass boats – they just haven’t been around long enough to prove it.

-Doug Hylan"

One can't point to historical landmarks, such as the USS Constitution, for example of longevity because those vessels may very well be the proverbial axe that belonged to great grand dad, the handles only been replaced four times and the head twice.

The first advice I got when I bought my used sailboat was to do the minimum repairs and get on the water to go sailing. I've heard and read that advice over and over on this forum. Inspect everything, but don't fix what's not broken. Those frames under the mast may be the only rot you need to address.

-Will

 

[Tally Ho]

I am following these kids who basically rebuilt this old wooden sailboat from the ground up…well, they had it done. They thought a few planks needed to be replaced when they took it to the yard…but Yaba was there for 3 years? Maybe more. Every plank had worms, then every interior support below the water line was inspected and half of those replaced, then the deck, and so on.

They are finally in the water and I am really curious how long this boat floats. The craftsman who rebuilt the boat were amazing, working outside, with hand tools mostly. They did have a big band saw for cutting lumber, relied on chainsaws and other crazy techniques, but they knew what they were doing. The planks are very thick.

The male owner (Ben) has no idea what he is doing most of the time…he just screwed rope clutches down with some wood screws, and does other silly (dangerous) things all of the time. MP, his SO is way more meticulous and her dad helps them with electrical and other things.

Anyway, lots of wooden boats in their part of the world (I think they are in Brazil). Many fishing boats came into the yard where Yaba was rebuilt during their time there.

Sailing Yabá

Hi! We are Ben & MP and we now own a massive wooden schooner that needs A LOT of work done. Many people told us the boat we chose was doomed, but we refuse to settle on that thought and we are going to do whatever it takes to make this boat a happy sailor again. We are both rookies when it...

www.youtube.com

Greg

 

[dlochner]

One can't point to historical landmarks, such as the USS Constitution, for example of longevity because those vessels may very well be the proverbial axe that belonged to great grand dad, the handles only been replaced four times and the head twice.

And so we go down the rabbit hole that Plutarch wrote about in ancient Greece and a modern day question.

Are These The Same Boat? What Would Plutarch Say?

The Riddle of the Refit and How It Applies to Tally Ho

loosecannon.substack.com

Leo of course responded.

Leo of Tally Ho Takes Issue With Article

Rebuts Some of the Folks Quoted, Defends Fiber Rigging

loosecannon.substack.com

I hope the OP has enough information to plan his repair and doesn't spend needless wondering about Theseus's boat.

 

[garymalmgren]

OKAY Fellas. time to back on track.
Rotten wooden floors and mast base frames.
1. Use a suitable tools (multitool, sabresaw) to remove all rotten material.
2. Make up cardboard templates of the removed pieces.
3. Cut replacement pieces from chosen material (1 inch ply, foam sheet).
4. Round corners and cut out limber holes. With epoxy and tape waterproof all edges.
5. Grind down hull and dryfit replacement pieces.
6. Epoxy in replacement pieces and cover with fibreglass.
7. Tab replacement pieces to hull soundly.

Job done and it will last long enough.
Here is how Mads dealt with his rotten floors and frames.

 

[American_Mainsail]

OKAY Fellas. time to back on track.
Rotten wooden floors and mast base frames.
1. Use a suitable tools (multitool, sabresaw) to remove all rotten material.
2. Make up cardboard templates of the removed pieces.
3. Cut replacement pieces from chosen material (1 inch ply, foam sheet).
4. Round corners and cut out limber holes. With epoxy and tape waterproof all edges.
5. Grind down hull and dryfit replacement pieces.
6. Epoxy in replacement pieces and cover with fibreglass.
7. Tab replacement pieces to hull soundly.

Job done and it will last long enough.
Here is how Mads dealt with his rotten floors and frames.

I recently took part in a project replace three, very large frames that support the mast step of a large sailboat. This is a solid list of the steps involved in completing the repair. I would emphasize that a cordless multi-tool is extremely useful for this job. Various pry bars, picks, and vaccuums are also helpful for removing the rotting wood core out of the frames.

We used solid oak pieces that were custom shaped to match the shape of the frames and hull. The loads on our frames for this particular boat were enormous. Oak was a cost-effective and very strong material that, given how we improved the drainage around the stringers and embedded the oak in epoxy, we figured would easily last the remaining lifetime of the boat (30+ years). The rotting wood core we removed from the frames smelled aromatic like Cedar. We used West System epoxy to fill and bond the new, oak cores to the frames. Make sure to clean and prep the inside of the fiberglass frames and cores as much as you can in order to facilitate a good bond.

Epoxy pours associated with bonding the frames can be large. I would recommend picking a cooler day and using West System #209 Extra Slow Hardener to avoid building up heat as the epoxy cures. For laminating fiberglass to restore the tops of the frames back on, you can use normal or fast hardener as long as it's not an excessively hot day.

The job was a lot of work, but I wouldn't call it a super technical or inaccessible job. Epoxy is a great material. As long as you mix it accurately and don't let it overheat while curing, it is extremely forgiving and strong.