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Boating NZ : FREE TO READ March 2014
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inside the planking rather than the surface. Ngaio and Waimiga both required at least eight weeks of air-drying before their underwater sections were ready for the next stage. SALT AND DIESEL CONTAMINATION An allied issue in the underwater sections is salt contamination. While salt is a natural preservative that’s usually good for timber, its presence hinders epoxy resin from adhering properly. Salt can be flushed from timber by regularly spraying the underwater planking with fresh water. Dale Pennington, who project managed Ngaio’s sheathing, adds vinegar to the water to help bring the salt out of the planking. Wayne Olson, who has carried out many sheathing jobs, including Waimiga’s, used fresh water, but rolls methylated spirits onto the hull after each wash. Meths helps to dry the hull and to bring the salt to the surface where it’s washed off on the next flushing cycle. Diesel contamination is a possibility on some older launches where diesel in the bilges has, over years, soaked right through the planking. Sometimes the contamination is so bad paint won’t stick at all, in which case epoxy has no chance. Removing diesel from timber is extremely difficult and occasionally impossible; the best method is multiple wipe downs with a strong solvent. Don’t forget the gloves. Next month, part 2: Stiffening, splining and the sheathing process. Sheathing versus authenticity The attitudes of classic boat owners towards sheathing range from “I’m not putting that frozen snot on my boat”, to “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done”. An authentic, good quality classic, be it boat, car, aeroplane, guitar or painting, has the higher intrinsic value. While normal patina is acceptable, poorly executed or ill-thought modifications are usually shunned. On the surface, sheathing doesn’t appear to compromise authenticity; the form of the boat hasn’t changed as it would if, say, it was fitted with a boxy plywood doghouse. While the attractions of a gleaming two-pack paint job over an epoxy/fibreglass skin are undeniable, sheathing a classic boat in epoxy/glass does change that boat in an important way. Instead of a mechanically-fastened collection of separate pieces of timber, which can be replaced piece-by-piece if necessary, that boat is now a glued monocoque hybrid. Besides requiring two-pack paints from here on, any future repairs will be much more difficult. That’s a significant change for any classic boat. Sometimes that change can be warranted. Many classic boats are well past middle age; they’re being raced harder than ever, and their owners have busy lives ashore. Done properly, with care and skill, and an appropriate budget, sheathing can add years of life to some classic boats. There will always be purists who feel that maintaining a classic boat’s original structure, along with traditional maintenance methods, is the only correct way and that’s fine too. Different boats, different long splices. Where everyone does agree is that a poorly done or cheap sheathing job is worse than useless and will cause future issues for that boat. The best classic purists can hope for is that any epoxy/glass sheathing job is carefully considered, well-researched, carried out with skill, attention to detail and a decent budget. Our wonderful classic boats deserve nothing less. NORTH ISLAND DEALERS ALL MARINE Ph 09 438 4499 Whangarei NORTHLAND BOATINg Ph 0800 339 726 Dargaville PINE HARBOuR CHANDLERy Ph 09 536 5157 Auckland guLfLAND WHANgAPARAOA Ph 09 424 5556 Auckland ABSOLuTE MARINE Ph 09 273 9273 East Tamaki STEvES MARINE Ph 07 578 9593 Tauranga THOMPSON MARINE Ph 07 348 4997 Rotorua SOuTH ISLAND DEALERS BOAT NZ Ph 03 384 3849 Christchurch MR BOATS Ph 03 384 2726 Christchurch SOuTHERN OCEAN SAfETy Ph 03 212 8893 Bluff ODDIES MARINE Ph 03 573 8369 Picton Available from all good chandlers including; 0314-14 subscribe online at www.mags4gifts.co.nz/boating-nz 79 Feature_Fibre glassing_March14.indd 79 18/02/2014 2:18:12 p.m.
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