Wooden Sailboat Leak Repair

[deblen]

https://www.westsystem.com/instructi...truction-book/


https://www.lightningclass.org/conte...dule_id=286807

[Jim Cate]

I'm no expert on the Lightning class, but I have some general thoughts on your situation.

First, there have been some very extreme estimates of what your costs might be to get the boat back int he water for casual usage. If it was your thought to restore to like new condition, suitable for racing at the highest level, then sure, it would be expensive. But if you only want her to be usable for casual sailing whilst enjoying fond memories of your grandfather, then figures well less than 10 % of those estimates will be achievable.

For instance instead of the quoted 20K$ for a suit of sails, perusal of used sail lofts such as Minneys in California or Bacon in Annapolis should reveal useful sails for perhaps 100$ each or less. You won't win races with such sails, but they will propel her in a pleasurable manner.

And to describe a Lightning as useless other than as a racer, well, just not true IMO. NOt perhaps the most comfortable boat for casual day sailing, but certainly usable, especially when coupled with the family history to add to the mix.

So, IMO it is a reasonable project for you if it will bring you pleasure in doing the work and then having the occasional sail in you GD's pride and joy... and perhaps your own pride and joy!

Good luck,

Jim

[SteveSails]

Like others have said there are many on this forum that would like to help. BUT before we can point you to a resource we need to know where you are, this is a worldwide forum and what might be close to us is half a world away from you, not very useful.
So help us help you. No need to be too specific, country, state or town will do. Where are you?

[TrentePieds]

Lippy:

Listen to Steve if not to me!

You might like to know that a "frozen snot" (fibreglas) Lightning, sail #752 I think, is for sale somewhere in Ohio. Ready to go. On a trailer, I gather, for 550 bux.

You can get in the door at West Systems Epoxy, or Gudgeon Brothers, but you can't get out again with the materials you need for such a pittance of money!

Think carefully about what you are proposing to undertake! I have many ways of remebering and doing honour to MY beloved grandfather. Throwing money into a hole in the water is not one of them :-)!

Cheers

TP

[danstanford]

Any wooden boat I have been involved with had to sit in the water for the planks to swell and stop leaking. I would try to find a spot to leave her at least over night sunk slightly below the normal water line before I did much in the way of remedial work.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Libby,

Welcome aboard CF!

In your shoes, I would google on "wooden boats groups", and see which ones are closest to your locale. Go chat them up.

Since we came from the US to Australia, we've seen lots of old timber boats restored.

If that boat has been sitting outside and not in the water, it shall have dried out. What some of the locals do here, is set the boat in the salt water to start taking it up, and the timber expands. Your boat may well need re-caulking, and this is a job that people get better at with practice. It will be easier for you if someone decides to mentor you, as there are lots of obscure tricks of the trade that wooden boat enthusiasts pick up.

It's a long time since we left the States, but at that time, there were significant timber boats enthusiasts in Maine and in Washington State. Maybe there are others, maybe yours was a fresh water Lightning. It is for reasons of helping assist you better that people want to know your approximate location, to match resources to you.

It's gonna be an adventure for you! Have lots of fun with it.

Ann

[Bowdrie]

From the pics it is plain to see that the boat has endured more wet-an-dry cycles than an ancient Maytag.
At this point further soaking in water does no good.
The hull needs to be stripped down to bare wood and kept dry, (inside, out of the sun/weather,) upside down if at all possible.
Then the condition of seams/fasteners/caulking, (and the wood itself,) can be correctly assessed.
Only then can any kind of "plan" be formulated to address the situation.
Edit; lightly built boats using traditional planking techniques and that are subject to a lot of wet/dry cycles do much better with light colored, (read white,) topside paints that do not absorb so much heat.

[cal40john]

Looking at North Sails a brand new set of sails suitable for racing, main, jib, and spinnaker is $4000. For your purposes, used at a much cheaper cost is all you need.

The couple of wood boats I've seen fixed by fiberglassing over the outside, rotted the wood in a few years. So I wonder how to do that fix without ruining the boat.

I would suggest the OP needs someone familiar with fixing wooden boats come by and inspect the boat before putting any time into it.

Our club sold a boat to a couple of guys that had restored boats in the past. This was a boat in the water, sailing, with essentially no leaks. By the time they took out all the rotted wood, they decided to throw away the boat and sell the hardware to recover the costs. Someone I knew bought a Snipe to restore. Same problem, every step of the way there was rotten wood to replace. He finally gave up.

[jkowalonek]

Lightning class is a great little boat! You'll get all the help you need from experts in the class at:

https://www.lightningclass.org/


If you think you'll ever race it or sell it to a racer, I suggest you go light on the use of fiberglass because it could take what might be a race competitive "woodie" and make it quite slow. I had a wooden Thistle class sailboat in the 70s and a friend got one that had been fiberglassed over wood below the waterline. Mine stayed competitive with the other woodies and the new fiberglass boats; he was always slower. Amazing what that little extra weight can do.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Lippy:

Are you sure you wish to sink money into this project when you can buy a cruising boat all found and ready to go for less money that this project will cost you?

Racing against OTHER Lightnings in "class races" is the Lightning's raison d'etre. That is what the Lightning was designed to do. That's ALL they were meant to do. Lightnings are useless as cruising boats or family boats, and unless you have an active class association near you, one that races frequently, you'll get tired of this boat really, really quick, even if you spend thirty or forty thousand on her!

Unless this hull has especial sentimental value for you, save your money! Use the wreck as a garden ornament or run a D9 over it and burn the scraps. But not in the fireplace in your house. The fumes from the old paint would be toxic!

For five grand you can probably buy a “frozen snot” - fibreglass – Catalina 27, or better still, a Columbia 26, and give yourself and your family some real sailing pleasure on Lake Michigan. There are marinas in Grand Haven where you can keep a boat. The Cat27 is a better boat to “camp” in than is the Col 26. But the Col 26 is a damn sight nicer to sail than the Cat27 :-) You would be able to sail either of those boats the very day you fork over the cash. Ice permitting, of course :-)!

All the best to you.

TrentePieds

Maybe some of us appreciate a family attachment. I know several wooden boat owners who would NEVER dispose of the boat that has been in the family for a few generations. Since we don't know the real extent of the condition, it may not be as bad as many here are thinking and perhaps never even worked on a wooden boat.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Lippy_Brightman

Hello,

A few years ago my family inherited a sailboat from my late grandfather, which (as of now) hasn't been used in about 8 years. Last time it was used it was leaking quite a bit.

It is a wooden lightning sailboat from the 1940's.

I'd like to repair it as it's in very good shape overall but as somebody with little sailboat knowledge I'm not sure how to approach it. I've taken some (hopefully) relevant pictures that will give an idea of the condition of the boat. I believe the main cause of leakage is some cracks along the hull (primarily where it joins to the centerboard) although I may be wrong. Any helpful advice is most appreciated and thanks for reading.

Tl;dr - I have a wooden Sailboat which has a couple of cracks along the hull and I'm not quite sure how to fix them or if it is possible. See pictures.

Depending on your location, seek out some expert advice from a wooden boat builder, restoration yard. Here in my area of NJ, there are 3. All have been very willing to look at boats and give an opinion and guidance on the condition to new wooden boat owners. They do it for the love of wooden boats and wanting to keep seeing them on the water. I know several wooden boats owners that would never discard their family boat that has been handed down for a couple of generations. Good luck and I hope you make it a comeback vessel.

[gulfislandfred]

It's an old wooden boat. Plug the seams (places where plank edges meet) with a soft putty like butyl rubber (buy it in a roll at your local hardware store as window caluking), get the loose paint off, put on fresh paint, and go sailing!


As others have said, get in touch with the Lightning Association. They will give you good advice.



I had a buddy with a lightning that he let me use, in Port Townsend, Wa. in the 1970s. It was in the water all summer. Great family day sailor. Lots of fun on a low budget. Don't listen to people who say it's only a racer.



Don't put anything hard in those seams!! If the wood swells against epoxy, or other hard filler, it will pull the planks against the fastenings hard enough to do damage.


First thing to do is find out whether, and how much the planking will swell when it gets soaked with water. You can wet it down every day, for a week or two, without too much weight of water in the hull. Put a tarp over it to keep the moisture in.


If the boat will spend most of it's time out of the water, a soft, easy to use seam compound like butyl rubber will be your best friend.


Fred Apstein, founder and General Manager of Silva Bay Shipyard School. When it was in operation, it was Canada's only accredited school of wooden boat building.

[Pete the Cat]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

See if there’s an owners group - they will have lots of advice and usually be happy to share it.

Oh, and I agree that epoxy is the way to go unless you desperately want to keep it “authentic”.

I agree. Epoxy is a last resort and probably will render the boat worthless. Consult the owners group. And do not solicit advice from open forums on wooden boat preservation.

[Goodxcharly]

Contact Porttownsend Wooden Boat Center, Washington State.They should be able to set you straight with a path to restore your boat.
Also coming up is the Porttownsend Wooden Boat Festival. A 3 day event , sept 8,9,10with numerous classes and seminars related to restoration and care of a wooden boat.
I’m thinking you are on the east coast though so it would be a bit of a drive. )
Though worth it.

Dave

[karkauai]

If I were doing this project, I would sand everything down to bare wood. Anyplace that is soft or looks suspicious should be explored for rot. Only after doing this will you know the extent of repairs necessary. You didn't say if it has been outside or inside. If outside and exposed to rain, and especially freeze, you will likely have a big project. Repairs can take several paths, and the Lightening forum is probably the best place to ask once you know the extent of the problem. Adding fiberglass will add considerable weight, and trap any moisture that gets into the wood. If it was my boat I don't think I would do that.
Some repairs of wood rot can be done with penetrating epoxy if not too extensive.
If you really want to learn about this, consider signing up for a class at the Wooden boat school in Maine. Fabulous experience and you'll learn a lot!

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.