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snapshotdiaries · 15-02-2016, 01:51

Dear Cruisers,

I have been living and studying for my Masters degree on a Waarschip 725 for the past 7 months. Recently I noticed, that the hull is damaged. Some water has been leaking in from the sides and caused some damage to the wood (please see link for photos). The wood in the hull is wet and swollen in some parts. I am unable to locate where exactly the water is entering from.

Hull damage - Album on Imgur

Is this a common problem for a wooden boat? What would you recommend for me to do?

Many thanks in advance!!
Christoph

UNCIVILIZED · 15-02-2016, 04:42

I'm Far from an expert on wooden boats, & you might try posting this on the Wooden Boat Forums, also.

But, that said, sometimes you can identify the source of a leak (on the inside), by drying everything off, & then drawing a horizontal line with a water soluble marker or piece of chalk.
It should show you roughly where things are coming in. But leaks in boats are a little loco, in that where the water is actually coming into the boat at, & where the drip is, can be a good distance removed from one another.

So that if it's not a simple one to diagnose, then the services of a shipwright are needed. Which would probably be wise anyway, given that you're stating that there's already damage to the wood.

Concerning which, have you probed the damage, in order to see if/how rotten things are? And also how widespread said damage is.
Also, is the leak, fresh water (although it may be brackish), or salt water? As the former damages wood much more quickly than the latter.

**roverhi** · 15-02-2016, 15:18

Freshwater causes rot. If you can't stop the leak, add salt to the water and it will slow down the deterioration of the wood. Boat looks to be cold molded so it may be very hard to repair any damage.

Snowpetrel · 15-02-2016, 18:19

As I understand it the waarships are kind of lapstrake plywood. I'd probably drill a few 3 mm holes and scrape of any paint after you fix any leak and try to dry out the area. Antifreeze can be used to possibly slow down any rot, but at some point you are going to have to start digging any rotten wood out and scarf in some new wood.

Thin epoxy can buy you some time if run into holes.

Sent from my HTC_0PCV2 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Cruisingscotts · 15-02-2016, 23:09

Post it on the wood boat forum, lot of experienced builders who will be able to recognize the construction and point to potential issues. From the pictures it looks like a plywood hull with solid stringers and a very thin layer of cloth fiberglass or epoxy over it. The white flakey spots are either epoxy, fiberglass or varnish separating from the wood. Looks like varnish but good one of the others. The black area is mold/mildew/something. Very common staining on wood that has gotten wet and not had good ventilation. If you can follow a water stain up to the deck somewhere and it's raining a lot you have a deck leak that could be wicking in from any place on deck near it with a fastner going though, trim hardware etc. A good starting point is to clean everything up with soap and fresh water, something like simple green is good as it kills ,mildew and mold. If you encounter anything that feels at all soft or spongy, STOP. call a professional.

If you can't detect a overhead or coach roof side leak. The next question is what is the weather like? Is it cold and are you heating the boat if so with what?

As gross as it sounds there is a good chance the water is coming from you! If its cold and you are using any heat, you need adequate ventilation, especially under a berth. Propane heat also make a considerable amount of condensation if not properly installed. All else failing a electric oil register is a good dry heat source if that is a option and you are indeed in a winter climate.

regardless a post to the WBF would be a good idea, cleaning things up and good ventilation is a must for a starting point.

Rustic Charm · 15-02-2016, 23:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by snapshotdiaries

Dear Cruisers,

I have been living and studying for my Masters degree on a Waarschip 725 for the past 7 months. Recently I noticed, that the hull is damaged. Some water has been leaking in from the sides and caused some damage to the wood (please see link for photos). The wood in the hull is wet and swollen in some parts. I am unable to locate where exactly the water is entering from.

Hull damage - Album on Imgur

Is this a common problem for a wooden boat? What would you recommend for me to do?

Many thanks in advance!!
Christoph

What is the outside hull condition like? And paint like?

snapshotdiaries · 16-02-2016, 03:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

What is the outside hull condition like? And paint like?

I bought the boat last August and checked the hull when the boat was outside of the water. There were no damages apparent. Also I got the antifouling done professionally and they said the hull is in good condition.
I am 95% certain, that the water is coming from the top, however I am unable to locate where exactly the rain water is entering.

Would anyone be so kind and show me where the wooden boat forum is, I cannot find it.

Many thanks!!

Snowpetrel · 16-02-2016, 03:18

I am just repairing some rot at the moment on yet another project *rolls eyes* epoxy makes it easy even if the joints aren't perfect. Its nasty nasty stuff though near pure BPA, so be careful with it.

If the woods swelling up its probably bad news, as in no real easy fix except removal back to good wood and replace with new ply scarfed in. But if you catch it early it shouldn't have spread far. It can be halted by drying the wood, treating with boric acid ands antifreeze and then consolidating with thin epoxy if it's not totally spongy. If the area is very small you might get away with digging out the soft stuff, all of it, and then filling with epoxy filler and glass covering to give it back some strength.

Probably (as said earlier) caused by condensation gathering on the stringer. Ideally it should have limber holes, or be beveled to drain.