Old cedar lightning restoration

[dagar]

I recently received a mature lightning class ( 19ft) sailboat. the previous owner started restoring it and lost interest.
As it sits now several of the floor ribs were replaced with pressure treated wood ( green stuff from HD). A coating of Epoxy and glass cloth has been applied to the exterior bottom of the hull and the top side. but not the interior or the exterior gunnels.
I trying to determine if I'm on a fools errand or if this boat can be saved.
what will happen if I coat the interior of the boat with epoxy and maybe a gel coat on top. The boat has not seen moisture in over 6 years so I know the wood is very dry and will accept the epoxy. i'm afraid if & when moisture finds it way to the wood swelling and delamination will start.

Any advise you may have would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dlochner]

Have you looked at the Lightning Class Association website? Restoring old Lightnings is a thing.

The pressure treated ribs will probably need to be replaced. The glass work on the hull is iffy, you are probably correct that the glass will begin to delaminate.

Restoring this boat will be a labor of love. Reach out to the class association for some guidance, there will be people there who know these boats well.

 

[dagar]

Thank you for the quick reply. I will look into the Lightning website.

 

[DeniseO30]

I am (was) a wooden boat builder restorer, fiberglass and epoxy is bad enough on the outside bottom don't make a bad situation worse by trying to do the inside with epoxy it doesn't save anything and locks in any moisture and rot that's already there. Pictures would be nice I can be found on wooden boat forums also DeniseO30

CLC Eastport plywood pram designed for epoxy coating and they only recommend cloth on the bottom outside.

Red and white cedar are both very easy to steam bend white being the choice almost always.
Red Cedar splits very very easy even when drilled.

 

[PaulK]

Have built several cedar-strip boats with fiberglass/epoxy layers both inside and out, but they were designed to be built that way. Water is carefully kept out of the encapsulated wood. A wooden Lightning is not designed that way. The pieces it is made of are held together with fasteners that penetrate the wood and allow them to move, which means water WILL get in. This WILL lead to delamination and rot, especially if it is channelled between two impervious layers of plastic. Leaving one side "open" from encapsulation, as in the pram above, allows the moisture an escape route, so is better than trapping it in with a coating of epoxy on the insides. As dlochner suggests, the pressure-treated stuff will have to be removed. It is too heavy, ugly, and wrong. The epoxy/glass outside layer may adhere well enough to work for a good while. (Epoxy is better than Polyester resin at staying stuck to wood.) It likely adds quite a bit of weight to the boat, however, so don't expect to win lots of races. Photos? Good luck!

 

[Will Gilmore]

PT wood is usually made from Southern Yellow Pine, but also Spruce or Fir, on occasion. SYP is a pretty good wood for boat building all on its own. Spruce and fir do pretty well also. The pressure treatment shouldn't detract from its quality. No need to do something like cover it with anything more that paint. Save the weight.

-Will

 

[dagar]

Thank You guys for the insight...I have much to consider before I start the restoration.
My first impression was to restore it in the same manner a cedar strip dinghy would be built ( I built one 10 years ago.)
I see Now I was heading for disaster .

 

[DeniseO30]

We, now just me, built about seven or eight strip canoes a couple plywood kayaks, restored a number of Old Town canoes got real tired of sticky stuff and I said "no more sticky stuff" I went with traditional boat building, then before I sold my house somebody gave me the CLC pram that they couldn't quite finish so it was back to playing with the sticky stuff again.
Is the lightning that bad you're not going to show it to us?

 

[dagar]

unfortunately its under winter wraps....I'll take a few interior shots and post...

 

[dagar]

UPDATE ! I sustained a life changing injury last month.....first casualty is the lighting boat restoration....I am actively looking to give the boat, sails, spare parts etc and trailer away to anyone interested. I am located near Port Huron MI

 

[dagar]

I will unwrap it and take photos as my hand allows.

 

[Will Gilmore]

So sorry to read about your misfortune.

As much as sailing is important to many of us, the health and well being of our mates is far more important. I hope you don't have to change your life too much and continue to seek and enjoy life's many pleasures, wherever you may find them.

Good luck, fair winds, and be well.

-Will