transom bulwark and old "deck beam"

Comment

Comment by Hans Petrie on August 5, 2011 at 9:36pm

To add.  I'm not sure that "paint" (even oil based) qualifies as sealing.  Areas inside my boat hull plywood that have been painted have badly scallopped and split and the paint is not actually sealing anything.  The wood appears to breath through the paint in the sense the paint is so badly beat up that it is virtually non-existent.  The areas that where never painted are in just as good, if not better shape than areas that were painted.  That is my observation, anyway.  Nothing in the bilge, for example is painted and it is actually pretty good, even though constantly damp.

Comment by Hans Petrie on August 5, 2011 at 9:30pm

I actually think the "breathing" ability of having one side "exposed to air" without being sealed is rather important.  I know a guy who built a "totally" sealed box in plywood using fiberglass on both sides and it rotted out in less than a year.  I know my ply on the interior of the boat is relatively in good shape.  I have also heard from some hard core "old salt" wooden boat builders saying if you don't allow your wood boat to breath it will suffocate and die.

Comment by bob mitchell on August 5, 2011 at 9:26pm

 I have not cleaned it up yet, but will probaly paint it white. Thought about leaving it natural and totally epoxied, but then I started thinking about maybe I want the inside to be able to breath (read dry if it ever got wet)

Comment by Hans Petrie on August 5, 2011 at 9:23pm

It actually looks a lot better than my transom which has been epoxied together in at least four spots and has lots of different types of wood coming and going, from plywood, to doug fir 2x2's, and 2x4's and lots of epoxy and overglassing.  The only reason I know it is seaworthy is that it is so incredibly overbuilt and solid.  But yours is a beauty to behold.

Comment by bob mitchell on August 5, 2011 at 9:19pm

    Here is a shot of the new transom and transom bulwark, with the old "deck  beam" in place to mark and check to see how the new one should fit. In the foreground is the new deck beam at the end of the cockpit. The clamped board in front of the transom is just scaffolding. In a job like this you measure your progress by how much of what is there can you stand on - and there is no question I am making progress! Everything from the new deck beam back is new construction.