It is worth considering the importance of skiff maintenance now that boats are reaching more advanced years.
Many of our boats are painted but few are varnished and this means that it can be difficult to monitor for signs of deterioration of the wood in the boat or even find the onset of rot.
This is an example of a boat that needed extensive repair where a sound paint / varnish finish had been applied but where the water had managed to seep under a break in the varnish. The result was serious and could have been disastrous. The varnish finish had separated from the timber and a film of fresh water had managed to seep underneath, saturating the wood and leading to extensive rot. The result was that about 4 feet of stem had to be replaced and the timber removed could have all fitted into a shoe box.
One of the advantages of salt water is that it does far more to prevent the rotting of timber though in the end the rot can still win through. By contrast, fresh water supports the conditions promoting rot very well indeed and for that reason if a boat is not kept dry and under cover then it is important to sheet it properly when not in use – including the ends of the stems and aprons. In addition we should prevent an accumulation of fresh water inside the boat and always do what we can to keep boats dry – not easy to do in Scotland, but to preserve our boats as best we can, we must try. This is particularly important for clubs where most of their rowing is done on fresh water.
Anyway, on inspecting this stem, rot was found from the stem head to the waterline and a little further. Fortunately the rot had not extended into the apron as between the stem and the apron there was a sound layer of epoxy put there at build. Fortunately neither had the water penetrated down the apron from the stem head. Had that been the case then an additional repair would have been necessary to replace a length of apron as well.
That said the original intention was to use CPES – (clear penetrating epoxy sealer) to harden the wood and allow it to last until the end of the season before doing a proper repair – but that turned out not to be an option, so the whole thing was replaced.
It does not matter whose boat this is, we did manage to catch the damage in time and it is a timely lesson to us all to ensure that we do look at our paint finishes regularly and carefully and do keep those finishes tidy. It is worth probing the timber a bit with a bradawl too and taking off some of the paint to check the condition of the wood underneath. Remember that what appears to be a sound paint or varnish finish can be separated from the timber and trapping a dangerous rot cell underneath. The photos show some of the damage but whilst it suggests the use of CPES, as stated above, the stem was too far gone.
It is also worth noting that as these boats get older they put on weight – not just water seeping in, but a coat of paint adds something like 2 kilos each time. So for those of us who have managed to get the boats into maintenance each year, we tend to put two coats of paint / varnish on inside and out and that adds weight – two pots of finish per coat – that’s getting on for 4 kilos! Multiply that by 10 for a 10 year old boat and you’ve just added maybe 40kgs – or an additional half crew member!! Yes we do tend to sand some of that weight off, but seldom all of it – so it’s worth having a serious maintenance programme occasionally aimed at making a really good job of the finish and taking off some weight first. This will also enable you to check for rot at the same time.
Another point worth noting is that the keel / hog / apron timber specification at build is for Larch – however do note that there are three main forms of larch in Scotland – European and Japanese – and the hybrid. The European larch is the one we need to go for in our boats as the cell structure is much better for boat building. The cell structure of Japanese and hybrid larch is different and as a result that timber is not as resistant to rot. That said, it is difficult to discern between the types of larch in the plank and the only sure way to tell the difference is by having a look at the cones and twigs – not quite so easy in the timber yard! So I suppose you need to find a reputable timber yard and trust that they are selling you what they say. Even then just take the time to get a really good coat of finish onto your boat and monitor it. Obviously a good option is to go for a bright finish and then you will be able to see any discolouration of timber early if it does get attacked by rot.
