FRAME/GUSSET REBUILD STRATEGIES

[bob mitchell]

      After totally replacing the apron, and rebuilding the bow and the stern, I thought I was in the clear - but in reality I was in for another challenge. When I took off the port sides I found this!  This is one of a pair of gussets that form the sides of the finger jointed upper frame member and lower frame member, located right behind the chine.  The naked copper wire is the main ground wire for the masts, stapled with copper stables to the gusset. From there it runs down to the ground strap fastened to the number 8  (of 9) 7/8" bronze keel bolt. If the deck happened to leak a little, and it did, the copper starts electrolytically destroying not only the nails that fasten the gusset, but the wood as well (because electrolytic action forms very acidic or very alkaline environments, depending on whether it is at the anode or the cathode, which destroys wood fiber). After some examination I realized that since the mast ground wire runs into the bilge, and the metal engine floors are in the bilge, .........there is a perfect connection if there is water in the bilge.... which of course facilitates electrolytic action (in this case the destruction of any galvenized steel by the copper wire and bronze keel bolts). If you don't know about electrolysis in boats you certainly need to read up on it.  So after some examination I felt like all the frames in this area (unfortunately under and beside the fuel tank) had suffered a little bit more than the rest of the boat, simply because they were connected to the steel floors under the engine with the copper ground in the same area.

          A more standard problem is glue exhaustion. Close examination of the gussets on my extremely abused boat (the fact is that there really wasn't a boat there, just a lot of inexperience on my part) sometimes show air between the gusset and the oak frame. I personally feel that this problem is quite easy to correct with a glue "refresher". I simply drill a few holes into the boundary between the gusset and the frame, and inject in epoxy. You can immediately tell if you needed it because if you didn't you can't inject any, or when full the plunger "pushes back". After injecting immediately clamp - but not too hard.

In the photo above you can note the four dowels that I closed the holes up with. I probably should have done a couple of holes higher - and I will go back now that I have got the technique. This process is very little trouble and quite fast.

          Another situation arises when one of the members, either the upper or the lower fame member is beyond recovery. First of all, a bad gusset on a bad joint readily comes apart - it is not rocket science, and the gusset is easily and quickly replaced. A frame member is a little more complex because the two members are finger jointed. But that turned out to be no big deal either. Just put the new member to be atop the old member - either one, and then mark what is to be cut out. Make the cuts, and then take a drill bit slightly smaller than the width of the grove, and then drill the back of the groove. Remove the waste and walah - rejoin with abundent thickened epoxy, and fasten on new gussets. I promise it is quite easy.  If you reach the point where you are replacing whole frames you can read about that in some of my earlier posts. If you do that at least you will have a heads up on what might come up.