Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing ( I live in Homer
Alaska and now the highs are15-30F and lows are 5-25F) can cause
problems with the caulking and/or planking if they freeze before
drying. I do not have an area to store it either in the water for the
winter or in a garage. I will have to store it outside and with a tarp
built over it to shed snow. How can I best prepare it for this:

Should I heavily salt the inside.?
Should I try to heat the inside with a small heater for a few weeks
(how long necessary?) Should I try to tarp the waterline to the trailer
and heat the outside too?
Will this very dry air dry it too fast and be a problem?
If I don't use heat and it freezes what will happen?
Do you have any other recommendations on what I should or shouldn't
do???

I am a novice wooden boat owner. But since buying it 2 months ago have
become quite attached to it. It is a fine looking boat, seems to be
built solidly, is very tight with very little water coming into the
bilge. I have always admired the skills, knowledge, tradition, and art
that go into wooden boat construction. Now that I am responsible for
one I want to treat it right. Any help with these questions will be
much appreciated!

Thanks!!

A wooden boat owned me for several years. 8 to be exact. It had been
uncovered for the two years prior to my taking possession of her, as
have countless other wooden boats rescued from the edge of oblivion.

Ergo it was frequently wet and frozen. I would work on getting it out
and covered. If you cover it with blue, or dark tarps, the upper range
of your temperatures will probably warm enough under the tarp to dry
soon enough any way. I don't think I would worry too much about hauling
it now, just get it covered to keep the fresh water of the winter snow
out of it.

If you are still concerned, try the forum at WoodenBoat magazine.com
with a concentrated group of wooden boat owners and builders

good luck,

Jonathan





AlaskaGuy wrote:

Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing ( I live in Homer
Alaska and now the highs are15-30F and lows are 5-25F) can cause
problems with the caulking and/or planking if they freeze before
drying. I do not have an area to store it either in the water for the
winter or in a garage. I will have to store it outside and with a tarp
built over it to shed snow. How can I best prepare it for this:

Should I heavily salt the inside.?
Should I try to heat the inside with a small heater for a few weeks
(how long necessary?) Should I try to tarp the waterline to the trailer
and heat the outside too?
Will this very dry air dry it too fast and be a problem?
If I don't use heat and it freezes what will happen?
Do you have any other recommendations on what I should or shouldn't
do???

I am a novice wooden boat owner. But since buying it 2 months ago have
become quite attached to it. It is a fine looking boat, seems to be
built solidly, is very tight with very little water coming into the
bilge. I have always admired the skills, knowledge, tradition, and art
that go into wooden boat construction. Now that I am responsible for
one I want to treat it right. Any help with these questions will be
much appreciated!

Thanks!!



--
I am building my daughter an Argie 10 sailing dinghy, check it out:
http://home.comcast.net/~jonsailr

Sounds like your options are limited.
Haul when you can. The most important thing is to get it covered quickly so
fresh water from rain or snow doesn't get onto/into the boat.


"AlaskaGuy" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing ( I live in Homer
Alaska and now the highs are15-30F and lows are 5-25F) can cause
problems with the caulking and/or planking if they freeze before
drying. I do not have an area to store it either in the water for the
winter or in a garage. I will have to store it outside and with a tarp
built over it to shed snow. How can I best prepare it for this:

Should I heavily salt the inside.?
Should I try to heat the inside with a small heater for a few weeks
(how long necessary?) Should I try to tarp the waterline to the trailer
and heat the outside too?
Will this very dry air dry it too fast and be a problem?
If I don't use heat and it freezes what will happen?
Do you have any other recommendations on what I should or shouldn't
do???

I am a novice wooden boat owner. But since buying it 2 months ago have
become quite attached to it. It is a fine looking boat, seems to be
built solidly, is very tight with very little water coming into the
bilge. I have always admired the skills, knowledge, tradition, and art
that go into wooden boat construction. Now that I am responsible for
one I want to treat it right. Any help with these questions will be
much appreciated!

Thanks!!

AlaskaGuy,

I ran into this about a lifetime ago when I lived in Maine.

The damage that I saw was limited to some of the caulking being pushed
out (the yard just hammered back in with a setting iron).

I will list aswers in line (I hate this) as it seems like the best way
to keep things straight.

AlaskaGuy wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing ( I live in Homer
Alaska and now the highs are15-30F and lows are 5-25F) can cause
problems with the caulking and/or planking if they freeze before
drying. I do not have an area to store it either in the water for the
winter or in a garage. I will have to store it outside and with a tarp
built over it to shed snow. How can I best prepare it for this:

Should I heavily salt the inside.?
A saturated salt salution freezes at -14F - why bother

Should I try to heat the inside with a small heater for a few weeks
(how long necessary?)
This may do you the most good as the winter air is very low in absolute
humidity and warning it up makes it dry thing out fast.
How long? My SAG about a week maybe more if you can.

Should I try to tarp the waterline to the trailer
and heat the outside too?
Don't bother the water that will cause you trouble is the fresh water in
the bilge.

Will this very dry air dry it too fast and be a problem?
I could not see how. The seams and wood will only dry as fast as they
want to.

If I don't use heat and it freezes what will happen?
You will probably have to reset some caulking.

Do you have any other recommendations on what I should or shouldn't
do???
If you get hung up, pour as much RV antifreeze around in the bilge as
you can. That is non-toxic propylene glycol and it will not hurt the
wood at all.

I am a novice wooden boat owner. But since buying it 2 months ago have
become quite attached to it. It is a fine looking boat, seems to be
built solidly, is very tight with very little water coming into the
bilge. I have always admired the skills, knowledge, tradition, and art
that go into wooden boat construction. Now that I am responsible for
one I want to treat it right. Any help with these questions will be
much appreciated!

Thanks!!

Fair Wind and Smooth Sea.
Matt Colie Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner,and Pathological Sailor

Maybe not too relevant, but even without heat, the wood will dry.
Grandmother used to hang laundry outside in Chicago in the winter. First it
would freeze, then the ice would sublime. Things were still a little stiff
when brought inside, but no longer wet. It did take longer than normal.

Roger

http://home.insightbb.com/~derbyrm

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
AlaskaGuy,

I ran into this about a lifetime ago when I lived in Maine.

The damage that I saw was limited to some of the caulking being pushed out
(the yard just hammered back in with a setting iron).

I will list aswers in line (I hate this) as it seems like the best way to
keep things straight.

AlaskaGuy wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing ( I live in Homer
Alaska and now the highs are15-30F and lows are 5-25F) can cause
problems with the caulking and/or planking if they freeze before
drying. I do not have an area to store it either in the water for the
winter or in a garage. I will have to store it outside and with a tarp
built over it to shed snow. How can I best prepare it for this:

Should I heavily salt the inside.?
A saturated salt salution freezes at -14F - why bother

Should I try to heat the inside with a small heater for a few weeks
(how long necessary?)
This may do you the most good as the winter air is very low in absolute
humidity and warning it up makes it dry thing out fast.
How long? My SAG about a week maybe more if you can.

Should I try to tarp the waterline to the trailer
and heat the outside too?
Don't bother the water that will cause you trouble is the fresh water in
the bilge.

Will this very dry air dry it too fast and be a problem?
I could not see how. The seams and wood will only dry as fast as they
want to.

If I don't use heat and it freezes what will happen?
You will probably have to reset some caulking.

Do you have any other recommendations on what I should or shouldn't
do???
If you get hung up, pour as much RV antifreeze around in the bilge as you
can. That is non-toxic propylene glycol and it will not hurt the wood at
all.

I am a novice wooden boat owner. But since buying it 2 months ago have
become quite attached to it. It is a fine looking boat, seems to be
built solidly, is very tight with very little water coming into the
bilge. I have always admired the skills, knowledge, tradition, and art
that go into wooden boat construction. Now that I am responsible for
one I want to treat it right. Any help with these questions will be
much appreciated!

Thanks!!

Fair Wind and Smooth Sea.
Matt Colie Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner,and Pathological Sailor

I'm just going to throw this out for comments:
Regarding antifreeze, I have read that soaking dried and cracked wood in the
regular old "green" antifreeze (glycerine ?)would actually restore the wood
to its former glory.
Is this true for the pink stuff (which of course would safer as it is non
toxic) ?

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
snip
If you get hung up, pour as much RV antifreeze around in the bilge as you
can. That is non-toxic propylene glycol and it will not hurt the wood at
all.

Garland Gray II inscribed in red ink for all to know:
I'm just going to throw this out for comments:
Regarding antifreeze, I have read that soaking dried and cracked wood in the
regular old "green" antifreeze (glycerine ?)would actually restore the wood
to its former glory.
Is this true for the pink stuff (which of course would safer as it is non
toxic) ?

"Matt Colie" wrote in message
...
snip

If you get hung up, pour as much RV antifreeze around in the bilge as you
can. That is non-toxic propylene glycol and it will not hurt the wood at
all.





I think you are attempting to distinguish between ethylene glycol
(toxic) and propylene glycol (less toxic) by the color of the dye added
by the manufacturer. Don't do this... There is no dye standard
enforced by anyone. Instead, read the label and look for either
ethylene glycol or propylene glocol.

bob
s/v Eolian
Seattle

AlaskaGuy wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing


Could do what the oldtimmers did.
Fill it with rocks and sink it.
Come spring dry it out and sail a tight boat that wont leak.

Bob wrote:
AlaskaGuy wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I was not able to get my boat (1934 Skipjack -
www.homerhostel.com/boat.htm) out of the water yet this autumn. I have
been told that removing it when it is below freezing


Could do what the oldtimmers did.
Fill it with rocks and sink it.
Come spring dry it out and sail a tight boat that wont leak.

freshwater will be your worst enemy, causing rot. Most of the
commercial products need dry wood to start with, and they puts them out
in my book. Salt in the bilge has some effect, but ethylene glycol
seems to be the best thing for it. Views vary on how bad this stuff
is, but it seems to be acceptable to me. Just dont spray it on in a
fine mist or you'll end up breathing it in. It goes right through
paint, will penetrate wood, doesnt stop its action when mixed with
water. poor some in your bilge, any rot you have, and anywhere that
freshwater is likely to drip.

There are some good writeups on using it if you look around

Shaun

imagineero wrote:
Bob wrote:
Could do what the oldtimmers did.
Fill it with rocks and sink it.
Come spring dry it out and sail a tight boat that wont leak.



freshwater will be your worst enemy, causing rot.

So why did I know a guy in the Great Lakes who was under water logging
100+ year old submerged logs? Also, same thing happening in the
Columbia River. Logs that got waterlogged (interesting word) 100 years
ago and sunk out of the log rafts. Fine years later. no rot?

Now why would a log not rot in fresh water????

I like the idea of packing it with salt. One of the reasons the Scow
Schooner ALma in SF Bay survived was that it hauled salt for years. Or
so the PR says.