Posted by Jim on August 20, 1998 at 19:13:30:
A friend showed me an article in Classic Boating
Magazine, March/April 1997. I strongly recommend
anyone building or restoring wood or fiberglass boats
to get a copy of this article. It's a real eye-opener!
The article is entitled "Better Wearing Bottoms" by Don
Danenberg, and addresses the restoration of old plank
on frame boats built by Chris-Craft, Hacker, etc. But
it ends up teaching a lot about general wood
preservation, and the proper materials to use.
The author doesn't "encapsulate" wood. Encapsulation
only penetrates 0.01" into the wood. He uses Smith's
"CPES" (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer) which penetrates
very deeply into the wood, and then remains flexible.
Sounds like just the ticket for almost anything that gets
wet. I plan to seal the new transom, stringers and
plywood floor in my Glasspar G-3 with the stuff.
I found a web-site where it's sold, and gives a wealth
of info about the methods. Check them out at
www.rotdoctor.com.
I'm not on his payroll, and I haven't even bought anything
from him yet! I just want to share what looks like a
good product and some helpful info.
Have fun!