thompsondockside.com

Hi I have a 58 sea lancer I want to start working on. I have a couple weeks of vacation coming up and want to start fixing it. My plan was to take out the seats and get the floor out and clean it up. I also wanted to back it into the water at the boat landing to see if it has any leaks. I know I was told that these boats shouldn't leak but since it hasn't been in the water in several years, should I expect any leaks just because the wood is a little dry? If I do find leaks, obviously depending on the severity and where it is, what is the best way to fix them? Thanks.


Shaun

Shaun,

First, I would check for any rotted wood before putting into the water. Use a ice pick or similar device to probe the wood to see if it is soft. If soft it need to be replaced. Check the keel, the inner keel, know as the keelson, and ribs for any sign of rot. Take care of all these before doing anything else. This also a good time to do any stripping of existing finishes and prepping for refinishing.

Lap strake boats tend to leak at the keel and between laps when not used for long periods of time. Tighten the bolts at the lap joints. Remove the outer keel and clean out all existing caulk and re-bed with new caulk and replace the keel if needed. You can use Boat Life caulk for re-bedding the keel and between laps if needed. It is a very good product and will allow the wood to move with out cracking.

A couple weeks of vacation most likely will not be enough time to take care of everything unless the boat is in very, very good shape.

Good Luck,

Phill

Thanks. So far I haven't found any rotten wood. Boat is in pretty descent shape. I will certainly take your advice!

ditto to what Phill wrote.

On Thompson et.al. lapstrake boats the typical places for leaking is at the keel and where the planking meets to the transom.

The best means to eliminate keel leaking is to remove the keel (from the outside of the boat), clean up under it and between the planking where it butts together, replace any rotted wood, seal, prime paint etc... recaulk and reattach the keel (or make a new one of the existing one is chewed up or rotten, etc...), caulk again on either side of the keel where it meets the planking, prime and paint.

I think my tutorial on how to do this is someplace on the forum here. I know it was published in the Thompson Dockside newsletter a long time ago and also in The Boathouse magazine of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society. That article is archived at: http://www.acbs-bslol.com/RestorationNo ... strake.pdf

Andreas