Our ship is an East coast Smack build in England in 1876. Used as a
trawler till 1976. Registered as MN21, Maud. The ship is 37
ft long. (for Smack info:
http://www.alberta-ck318.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm ) About 25 years
ago the previous owner placed a new iron beam under the ship made a
second skin from ferro-cement around the ship, and sailed it to the
Netherlands. Now we have the problem.
The wood on the inside is slowly rotting away. It still has some
strength but it shouldn't be much less, I think. So we want to stop
the rotting process. To renew the planking or timbers is impossible
because of the ferro-cement
The inside of the ship never gets dry, if we measure it with a meter
it gives a humidity of 50%, even for some parts replaced half a year
ago. So for me the idea of getting the planking and timbers dry
doesn't sound real.
I think I read most threads about this subject, but I still have
some questions.
Because of humidity problems it looks like the only choice we have is
to work with glycol recipe's from Dave Carnell. But then I'm wondering
or we can still sleep inside afterwards. (toxic gas?)
How much time should I reckon for the solution to reach the bottom of
the keel, probably a 12 x 8 beam.
Or is it even in humid condition possible to work with a Borate
solution? And which one?
And in case of the Borate solutions I'm wondering or it reacts with
the concrete and the metal inside that?
Then afterwards we like to reinforce the rotten wood with something
what we could impregnate in the wood, and what would give some more
strength. At a museum in Holland they told me a PEG would not work
because it disappears in water. But I should look for a Polyurethane
product. If you inject that it would push away the water. But in the
subjects here people talk only about Epoxy products. (CPES). But
according to my information it hardens to fast to really impregnate
the wood. .
But if this is the only way to go I will consider it.
Then the problem is does the wood get dry enough to use CPES after the
treatment to stop the rotting process? How dry should it be?
This discussions here are going on for quit a while now so there
should be some people with experience now. As you might understand
your information is important for me because in a situation like this
you can do it only once.


Gerdjan van der Lugt

P.S. I'm not a chemical engineer and the next thought is probably very
stupid but isn't there a catalyser what can start the polymerization
from ethylene glycol to a PEG after the impregnation of the wood.?
This is probably only a fantasy.