Subject: Planks (with rot) on wood boat
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999

Hello my problem may be a simple one. I hope I have a plank on a 1960 Owens Cabin Cruiser that has some dry rot about 10 inches above the water line..it is not the whole plank but just a narrow section what plan of attack should I use to make these repairs? I am hoping you don't suggest replacing the whole piece. Thanks Doc.

No need to replace the whole plank, as long as you understand that there is always a chance that the rot has gotten beyond the plank and is into the framing of the hull. I'd suggest looking inside the hull in that area to see if you can find any deteriorated wood.

Assuming that the wood in the bad area is still there and is not completely deteriorated away, remove the paint in the general area, make sure the deteriorated wood is reasonably dry, and then saturate it with CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer). To do this effectively you may have to drill some small, downward-sloping holes and inject the CPES into them. Allow the wood to absorb all the CPES it can. Give it a couple of days and then repeat the process. The second time the wood will absorb much less of the CPES. If there are any gaps, or if you need to fill drilled holes, use our Fill-It Epoxy Filler to smooth things off.

I would also strongly suggest that you go inside the boat and, assuming that you can access the area without ripping the cabin apart, apply the CPES to the inside wood in the same deteriorated area. Even if you look inside and see no signs of wood rot, it is still good policy to saturate the area. The rot fungi may be there anyway, and you do want to make life difficult for them.

Come on back if you have additional questions.

Doc