"Gary Warner" wrote in message
...


That boat, as some may be tired of reading, is a 1958
Chris Craft. It's a plywood lapstrake hull. Mostly we
trailer it. When running there is a small leak and the
bilge gets an inch or so of water. Each time we pull
her out all the water dries up. But that wood
remains damp for some time. ~ As I understand it
rot is really micro-organisims that eat away the wood
and they thrive when there is dampness but also
oxygen.

So my question: Is there anything, salt maybe?, that
I can put in the bilge water while running that will
curtail these criters & their rot while not harming
the wood or making a mess?

Or is it nothing to worry about?

Gary



Antifreeze will kill the micro organisms.
I wouldn't go pouring it into my bilge, but you could use a bug sprayer to
coat all the wood while the boat is dry docked.
Then let dry for a few days and hit it again. The ethylene glycol will soak
deep into the wood and protect it for quite some time.
Treating once again each season should protect it from rotting.