16ft cedar planked bottom Chris Craft

[47 Chris Craft]

Hello Everyone, I am new to the forum and would like some advise/help.

I am trying to refinish / waterproof my 16ft. 1947 cedar bottom (planked) Chris Craft rocket -the integrity of the original cedar wood is very good - it was varnished and I have removed all of it along with the original plank seam caulk and canvass -
I would like to use current day materials to refinish the bottom and make it water tight - but - I have heard so many differing opinions on what you can use or should not use that I am confused and don't know who to believe.
I have chosen 3M 5200 caulk as the material to fill the plank seams - but don't know what coating (varnish/paint/epoxy/fiberglass/ etc.) I should apply now to make it water tight - flex with the seasonal wood changes - stand up to normal wear and tare - can be repaired at a later date in case there is a problem.
My boat will only see "fresh water" and will be on a trailer most of the time - (I don't live on a lake)

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated - thank you in advance for your time.

Rich
47 Chris Craft

[dacust]

You may get some good advice here, but if I were you, I'd post over on Woodenboat Forum and see what you get there.

Most people frown on using 5200 as hull caulking. It's almost impossible to remove. And for caulking, you want something that can be removed and replaced.

But I could be wrong. The wood boat I had was a large one and designed for the wood to be wet (swells up to close cracks) whereas many small wood boats are designed to be waterproof. So the materials used would be different.

-dan

[47 Chris Craft]

Thank you Dan for your thoughts
Rich

[Steve Rust]

5200 is an adhesive sealant as dacust said. You will rip your seams apart if you ever have to remove it. There is another version called 4200 that is used in place of 5200 when you need to take things apart. Whether this is best I don't know. Check out a product called Slick Seam. There are many types of sealants that can be used for this. Your biggest problem is storing the boat on the trailer for long periods. This is the hardest lifestyle for a wooden boat. You need something flexible to handle the shrinking and swelling of the planks. The use of fiberglass or epoxy would be a mistake unless the boat was undergoing a major rebuild. You can't just glass the outside. You would need to epoxy coat the inside of the hull planking to completely seal it from moisture. This is a method sometimes used to fix older wooden boats. Dry out the hull, fix any bad planking or structural issues and apply a heavy layer of cloth and epoxy to the exterior. Coat the interior with several coats of thinned epoxy to seal the wood. A couple of layers of thin wood veneer is another option instead of cloth.

This is a hard thing you are asking of this boat. I would try and find a slip so it could be kept in the water. It will greatly reduce your upkeep.

[47 Chris Craft]

Steve, thank you for your advise and insight
Rich

[GordMay]

Guidance on Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance of Wooden Hulls ~ USCG
NVIC 7-95