Teak Decks

Looking for some advice. I have a small leak in our forward cabin of our 1970 Grand Alaskan. I can tell that we probably need to replace the foredeck as previous owner repairs are starting to fail so I have enlisted a notable shipwright that wants to hall her during the winter. I am very hesitant to hall her for the winter.

Here is what the boatyard said:

So before we start to prepare proposals- I wonder how you feel about staying on land for the winter. I understand it's not your ideal spot for the boat, but it would help to facilitate the repair. If so, we could coat the bottom with Lin seed *oil- and then bottom paint once dry. We have done this in the past with other wooden boats that we hauled for the winter to repair, and it's a good way to stop the bottom from drying out over the winter months.*

Previous owner said:

I'd not heard of the linseed oil trick, but it will no doubt help. Still, there will be some seam caulking required before launching, and she will require some "sling time" and probably an extra pump while she takes up. *Most will occur in first 12-18 hrs, then tighten up over 4-5 days. *I always remained onboard overnight to keep a eye on things the first night while she does that initial take up.


Has anyone ever heard of the linseed trick. Thanks in advance for any guidance you may have.

Jim

You should enquire about this on the GB Woodies site. That is if you can stand Bob Lowe. Good information from other owners.

It was standard procedure when hauling boats (pre GRP) to paint a bottom coat of cheap bottom paint after the boat was hauled , in most yards.

It would slow down the wood shrinking during winter's dry winds.

I'm not sure about boat use, but linseed oil is about the best natural wood preservative.

Boiled or raw linseed oil? Boiled will polymerize, raw will not anytime soon. Oil paints were once upon a time (probably boiled) linseed oil plus opacifiers (clay, lead oxide) and pigments.

Go onto the WoodenBoat forum.

Planks continue to shrink depending on the weather. In hot or extremely dry winter weather. Spraying down the inside helps. Leave some salted water in the bilge if the blocking will stand it.
It's possible to over caulk the seams of shrunken planks. I use oakum, put in a little loose, because when wet it will double in size. As the planking swells, the water is squeezed out and you have a nice tight seal. Another old trick is to force saw dust under the hull where any leak appears.

"Another old trick is to force saw dust under the hull where any leak appears."

After launching the celebration of a new boat the crowd would quickly be moved up into the yard, away from the boat.

Folks with open ended boxes of sawdust on a long pole would push them down along the hull to slow down the leaks before the first swelling.

Lots of wooden hulls in Maine. Come winter haul out, a heavy coat of raw linseed oil rolled on to hold moisture in. Some owners would even take heavy canvas or cardboard and staple along water line to keep cold drying winds off hull. Hard pieces of saw dust can hold the plank edges apart. I have seen old timers take a product like Crisco baking lard and press it into the seem. It holds the water out while the planks swell up and is then pushed out. Of course you cannot run the boat fast for a day or so. It is cheap and not a pollutant as natural material ..

FF said:

"Another old trick is to force saw dust under the hull where any leak appears."

After launching the celebration of a new boat the crowd would quickly be moved up into the yard, away from the boat.

Folks with open ended boxes of sawdust on a long pole would push them down along the hull to slow down the leaks before the first swelling.

Click to expand...

Yep old school or 3rd world...


I prefer the Nile river method of using dried camel dung...Amazon was out of stick...but maybe now...

oh boy do I appreciate frp!

"oh boy do I appreciate frp!"

But if it catches fire , Bail OFF!

My gorgeous but all time consuming 1956 Chris Craft Commander was hauled for the winter every winter. I was a hard core WoodenBoat magisterial reader at the time. They swore by a coat of boiled linseed oil on the bottom and after the first year of using it the shrinkage dropped significantly. The second trick they taught me was to use flashing cement in the seams a week before launching and bottom painting. Another genius recommendation. It never hardened, held back the water AND squeezed out with ease as the planks swelled. Wooden Boat forum might be the best place for more tips

Some real old tricks coming out! In the early 70's I used to make solid spruce masts 60-80ft , we used to harvest the tree's late winter with the last of the snow, I'd strip the bark same day bore a hole in the base and pack with linseed soaked rags and drop the end of the tree in a bucket of linseed to replace the lost sap as the tree dried out and to prevent shakes and cracking We sadly sometimes forget about the "Old ways" but they were tried and tested over centuries. Glad Chris K raised this old knowledge.!!