We had to deal with dry rot in historic buildings and worked with some of the best experts in the field. We got rid of it and there is no reason that wouldn't be the same in your case. The key is to eliminate the reason for it's presence first, which is elevated humidity. Find the reason for the humidity in your core, eliminate it, dry the wood and replace the rotten parts. You can heat the afflicted areas to 60 degrees Celsius to the core for a couple of hours, this can be easily done with a cheap infrared heating lamp (supervise to make sure you don't burn down your boat). This kills the fungus as good as any chemical (provided you reach the core with the heat). However, if you don't reduce moisture level in your wood, it will come back, spores of the fungus are always present and not a problem per se. But no amount of chemicals or method will eradicate it if you don't deal with the source of the problem in the first place which is some water ingress causing the high level of humidity in your core. Good luck !
Yep! Remember there is actually no such thing as 'dry' rot. Rot never happens in dry wood. The right combination of moisture and temperature is unlikely to occur wherever there is adequate ventilation.
I have rebuilt many boats in my lifetime & you are exactly right. It will be a fresh water leak that is causing it. On the other hand salt water is fine it does not get fungus or rot problems. In the old days of wood boats we always threw handfuls of salt around the bilge.
@@calthorp Eh, salt water definitely causes rot. The salt just has a mild effect on impairing the fungus. Otherwise no leaky old ship ever would have had rot below the waterline.
@@MinSredMash They don't rot from salt water. You can come look at my 20year old commercial boat that always has salt water in the bilge & there is zero rot. It goes through its 2 year survey with no issues. It is when rain water ends up in the bilge that it rots the boat out.
HEED THIS WARNING!!! I can't sugar coat this Mark, the dry rot is your number one problem, drop everything else and deal with it. My father had it in his house and did avery DIY job on it he could think of, a ceiling still fell down and it was nowhere near where he found the rot. Motor down to Begium or France where you can get proper treatment as soon as you can not in the spring. All these jobs you will do instead will be pointless, and all the work you have done so far if the boat rots from under you. I have watched you since you started the project and we are all astounded and impressed by what you have done. Take your courage in both hands deal with the rot, we will be backing you all the way. PS: I did a lottery ticket tonight, keep your fingers crossed.
@@jackm3040 I think that's a good idea. Certainly he must gat professional advice. Mark it so courageous how he tackles his project but at he does it with a wing and a layer, afterwards he considers how he may have done it better. There is no second time with this rot. If he doesn't act now it will be the end of his dream, or worse when he's crossing an ocean and a big storm his his weakened bot will disintegrate. I hope gets some professional rot advice.
🌼⛵️🌼 Oh Mark, the colour is fab.u.lous, you're working so hard, my heart bursts with pride & then that fungus...I could cry for you 😢....but Mahi had been neglected for over 10 years & the hard work & life you have put back into her is commendable 🤗....Just chip away at that devlish fungus, but dont forget to have lots of happy times too....I feel so sad for you, but youve got this Sparks.....Proud as always & loads of love...🌼⛵️🌼Mum🌼⛵️🌼
Hi Mark, Danie here from Cape Town South Africa. DO. NOT. GIVE. UP. You are setting an example to all of us on "living the dream". It is one of the most valuable pursuits in life. And like all worthwhile pursuits - it does not come easy or cheaply!! You've ALREADY gained more life experience and pure joy during this project, than many of us experience in a lifetime! 🙌
Sorry Mark but you're wrong, he hasn't learned much, he's just ploughed on regardless with little knowledge or skill. The thing is this is real life or death stuff, get that heap in a gale mid ocean and he's a gonner.
Hi Bud I see you wasn't a good Anchor Winch I have a great Winch for sale, it's on eBay But you can have it a bit cheaper! It's brand new never been used in its original box with all the bits! Theres also a fixing bracket to fix to a bulkhead, It's a bit heavy to post so could Dad pick it up from Devon? Cheers Allan
Mark, obviously you have a serious problem there. But listen! Life is full of challenges. Sometimes a mountain raises in front of us and our instant reaction is to lift our head up and gaze up on the top of that mountain and begin to speculate of how to climb right up there. What you need to do, is to take one day at a time and begin climbing this mountain step by step. Set your focus on the foot of the mountain and work your self up. You can do that and you have shown it to us for over a year now. You can find solutions. One day at a time. This is what life have taught me through my 58 years of age. The way I face challenges nowadays it is absolutely different now compares to 10 years ago. And the last thing, remember to keep the dream alive inside you. Keep reminding your self where this boat will take you one day and the adventures it will create for you. Keep it up man.
I hate to say I told you so because I love the personality and spirit you and your family bring to the channel. Please, please listen and pay heed to the warnings you sometimes receive on your channel by experienced and knowledgeable people who are big fans of your content and only wish the best for you. Yes, there are plenty of "Debbie-Downers" who comment and just love to hear themselves talk. But there are also plenty of people who have been in your shoes, learned the hard lessons, and paid dearly for it and they want to help you avoid falling into the same trap. If someone with wooden boat experience is telling you about their concerns, take them and what they are saying seriously.
But then he wouldn't have a channel. Which has always been him playing the pathetic little boy who needs to be parented by his audience. Whether it's real or calculated, it seems to work.
@@cjg6364 maybe you haven’t noticed but he continuously talks about Hanneke with whom he’s in contact all the time. He can’t be any closer to the core information of this boat design than that. I understand he values her input more than that of people reacting here who he doesn’t know. I’ve seen his older videos where he sailed the world on another boat. He knows what he’s doing and he knows when to ask for input in his knowledgeable network.
@@Bladel1965 Hanneke is not a very objective source of information regarding the pitfalls of wooden boats in general. She is a major "fan girl" of the Wharram designs as one would expect given her relationship to the designer. Designing a boat is one thing. Maintaining and servicing wooden boats is a profession unto itself and if you had experience with plywood constructed boats that have had standing water in them for any length of time, you'd know that high levels of dry rot with the attendant structural weakening will be a certainty. The only plywood construction boats that survive are those that have been completely encased in fiberglass and fiberglass resin. And even those are vulnerable to moisture penetration, entrapment, and rot when the resin barrier is compromised. How many 50 year old fiberglas boats have you dismantled with completely rotted wooden cores in the main stringers? The only useful application of plywood in marine construction is a thin laminate core that establishes the form of a mostly fiberglass component. In that context, when the core is completely rotted away, the surrounding fiberglas still has the majority of strength needed to maintain dimensional integrity and resistance to deformation. With your limited knowledge, it would be better to remain silent and be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
It was heart breaking to see you realise what this dry rot could lead to. There are some big decisions coming up for you. I can offer no expertise on which option to choose, but have faith in your own decision making. You’ve come so far, overcome obstacles and learned and improved so much, whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for you. Hang in there Mark, keep the faith and good luck. We’re all rooting for you.
U hv faith in his decision making ? What sort of a desicion was it to buy a wooden boat that had sat in the water, and been full of water inside, for ten years ? Do tell me ...
Your perseverance is inspiring! If it were me -- I'd be worried about structural integrity after so much patching. For the age of the vesseland its state when you found her, it could be an endless, maddening, costly endeavor. You could save the sweat, time and money to build a new dependable cat. Plenty of fans out there would probably pitch in some help --its the Wharram way! Meanwhile this boat could do some light coastal hopping to keep the dream alive and sailing experience flowing. Just my two cents offered with respect. Either way don't lose heart, keep up the invincible work ethic!
Thank you for all your efforts posting your adventures and going through the joys and challenges of owning a boat. I am an arm chair sailor now but over my boating career owned 5 different wood boats both sail and power. Dry rot was a very familiar adversary in my quest to stay afloat but one product that I used extensively in extending structural integrity to rot affected wood was a penetrating expoxy cement in the form of a product made by BoatLIFE called "Git-Rot". I live in Vancouver, British Columbia and the product is distributed out here by West Marine. Replacing affected material is really the best solution. Drilling lots of holes and injecting boric acid will only kill what fungus is exposed to it but what about the spaces in between that aren't. What's more, all those holes will further weaken the woods strength. Git-Rot is supposed to strengthen the wood capilliaries by flowing into the damaged areas. If it is compatible with boric acid that's great but the wood must be dry in order for the product to be absorbed effectively. You may already know about this idea and have compatable epoxy solution but just thought I'd pass this on. All the best in your endeavours.
Dear Sr., I'm a retired naval officer and I follow your channel for sometime now. Please allow me the liberty to say a few words... The time you have spent rebuilding the maritime squillion of yours, no doubt very noble indeed, when I look back to your journey it reminds me of myself many years ago, when I pick up a similar project. By the end of the all ordeal, for me in the end up just being a full reconstruction and not the fulfilment of the initial dream ( Sailing on the dam thing). I was so exhausted from constant repairs and rebuilds that when I finally sat down and look to what its financial cost was? It would just be better to buy a ready to sail vessel and get on with it ( the cost was the same, if not less). Repairs yes but on the go... not on the hard and perpetuity of going nowhere. Fair winds Sr.
Correct sir. Go to any boatyard and u will see hundreds of pcs of junk called boats, that have been undergoing 'renovation' for weeks and months and years - many of them long abandoned. About 2% of them ever make it to the sea .... And if anyone questions my authority - it's a lifetime of building & sailing boats.
Wise words. It is exacerbating seeing the living manifestation of being penny wise but pound foolish. The young man could have been sailing exotic destinations by now.
@@calthorp this can be true when there is a destination. However, not if it is getting obvious that the whole thing is one repeated journey and no destination at all!
"You got dry rot. Every boat has it. You are lucky, yours is above the water line. Well, most of it, anyway." -Captain Ron Hope the boric acid works for you. It works a treat on roaches. After the treatment, dry it out and use some injectable epoxy that's made for this situation. THEN you can fix the holes.
That is idiotic nonsense. The sky starts becoming lighter long before dawn. There are duration of daylight tables that provide the amount of light at different times. Even many dimwits who know nothing about science understand the word "twilight." It is the time when the sun is below the horizon but there is a gradual darkening or lightening of the sky.
Your dry rot treatment: 1) Use Chlorine Dioxide. You can buy 3000ppm Solutions of it, or produce it easily yourself. Just google that up. It will kill everything, but not affect the wood fibers. As it is a gas (which is easy in solution in destilled water), it will penetrate perfectly into the wood. 2) to improve the penetration of the Chlorine Dioxide, drill holes into the affected area just as you did. Get a strong vacuum pump. Cover all with vacuum foil and vacuum sealing tape (you can get this in boat building equipment stores, which provide stuff for vacuum infusion building of Boats), seal it all up and get the affected areas and the Wood vacuumed. Then infuse the vacuumed Part with the Chlorine dioxide solution (which release the vacuum, but it will get sucked all the way into the wood where you created vacuum by the pump). Maybe do this process 2 or 3 times, after PROPERLY dry out the wood before closing up the holes. This might kill the fungus forever.
Answering your question about the matter/shinyer side of your non-slip: dew settling over night. 2K-paints show that if applied in "borderline" conditions (temperatures not according to the specs). The side which looks shinyer was the first that you've painted, i guess. So it had a liitle more time to dry at a bit warmer temperatures. The matter side you've applied during temperatures going down (late afternoon) so the slowed down reaction of the hardener let the surface still wet when the dew settled during nighttime. That's the reason for that differnt more matt apperance. Good luck for your ongoing works and best regards from Berlin, Germany
It might be worthwhile locating your starter relay in a dry easily accessible place further up the power feed line. That way you can easily bridge it when underway in emergency. Clean those connections and check for volt drop using a multi-meter from the terminal post to the terminal lug and down that line. Resistance from any corrosion causes volt drops. I clean with emery paper and then alcohol, then treat with dielectric grease or petroleum jelly and make sure its covered by a boot. You need to keep that corrosion out.
Make sure that you treat the wood in a large radius around where you know the fungus is. It'll send mycelium tendrils as far as it can so you'll need to poison the wood ahead of it. Idealy you'd dig it out and replace that wood but shy of that you might inject the area with a thin resin once you've killed off the fungus.
I had netting bow and stern on my Wharram because I was afraid a deck would be destroyed by shipping waves. Even my central wood deck had bigger gaps than the plans called for.
Please keep working on that dry rot issue. Eventually you will solve it and be able to “sail on” as planned. The dry storage idea may be the best bet to drying everything out, with extra donations focused on just that. She is really looking great so far and I pray that stress doesn’t keep you from reaching your goals!
I know nothing of wood or boats ...but the comment by@10marlie makes the most sense as your fortitude and stamina really dictates that only when you do it properly will you truly be happy and I'm sure sadly one of the biggest reasons we love watching you is your work ethic and positive attitude........no matter what you will sail her and we all with you.
When the notification came up and I saw yellow I mistook your boat for that channel I detest with the yellow tri. I almost deleted but at the last second the blue caught my eye. 😁 I stuck around for shooting up acid. 💉 Thanks for sharing.
there is no fixing, it is too far gone and this boat was not properly designed and build in the first place. When you see the entire foam panels soaked inside the wall you know if is far gone.
Yes - I agree with comments on moisture in timber - dry rot grows when moisture content > 30%. So get a moisture meter and survey for the moisture in wood and mark out any areas with high moisture. A probe style meter might work best as you are in water and part of hull is underwater, just make sure you get through the surface coating (might need to drill shallow hole through paint). All high moisture areas and susceptable to dry rot. Now hopefully your outer coating is 100% waterproof ! Now from the inside you can dry out areas using a heat device - a fan heater on the area is a common choice with holes to allow moisture to be removed. Reject and get the moisture down as low as you can get it - around 12% would be great. Boric acid does help stop rot and you can pre-treat timber in it - but then it must be dried before a surface waterproof treatment. Injecting the acid will help but - make sure you dry that timber before resealing. Thylene Glycol and Boric Acid helps penetration.
Because of These many comments that say you should have bought a new boat… I‘m telling you, the satisfaction would never be the Same as being on a boat you put your everything in it.
the shine loss is due to moisture on the surface when you painted it it is called paint bloom, you can polish it out on the smooth surfaces, Get the dry rot sorted first it,s your biggest problem, cut it out and replace it or it will consume the boat.
Don't worry, you'll conquer the mold growth problem. In New Orleans, after Katrina, it was heavy Clorox Bleach, it kills everything! My recommendation is to put the sails up and get moving south ASAP. Get to Cascais and finish up your work. Waiting means spending a harsh cold and extremely wet winter in The Nederlands. You can get to Portugal in good time, which will be better. Praying for you, brother!
Hello Mark. You done an excellent work. Bravo. I am anchoring near a blue Wharram, in refit, in Panama. After killing the fungus, I will inject epoxy, starting at the bottom and working my way up. I will tape each hole after filling it. I have done this successfully on the transom of a DC 20 (foot) cruiser. If the areas are small, this is a workable solution. Keep the right and good eye. Patrick on sv Croix du Sud .
Frustrating, flippin' fungus, oh my! Sending you best wishes as you work through finishing your task list and finding a solution to this new challenge.
I agree with you Mark about the fungus problem. I would do excitely the same things that you are doing. Unfortunately as I understand fungus, it loves to live in wood. I am a positive person. Don't give in to dispair. You have done a great job so far. God bless you & take care. 🤗⛵🐬🐕🇺🇸
Eliminating moisture is key to prevention. To find out where it is getting into the core, use a moister meter. Then drill in lots of small hole a dry, use syringe and pressurize penetrating epoxy into holes. Let dry then fill holes. So long as there are no structural issues , go sailing.
Great experiment for sure... Take pure silver, clip gator clips from mini volt charger. Dip silver halfway into glass jar of filtered/distilled water. Use new gator clips. Turn on charger and let it percolate for hours. The longer, the high silver content in your potent solution. I bet it sorts out the fungi. You can use a TDS meter. Take reading of water with calibrated meter before and then after. You concentrate should make gallons of solution.
In addition to the acid treatment do as much as you can to get the boat south asap. Spend the money on heating (lots of it), dehumidifiers to remove as much moisture as possible. If you can use sealants to try and isolate areas auch as epoxy barriers to contain growth.
I am very sorry to hear about the dry rot. That must be very disheartening. First of all I would say: keep the dream alive, you will get there! But having said that, and although I know you have put your heart and soul into this boat, I am afraid to say I agree with some of the other comments here, namely that it might be time to look for a new boat. If you look at Apolloduck for example, there are quite a few really nice boats under 10,000 pounds that need minimal fixing up and if you go a bit higher, there are boats you can just sail away. Apart from that, I have to say that your wharram might not be very easy to sail alone, and of course you might not always find people to sail with you. And especialy those times you have to go into a marina, I think it will be a stretch for anyone, however experienced they are, to get a boat parked in there alone. Anyway, whatever you decide, all the best, don't give up!
Sometimes dry rot isn't as bad as it sounds. 20 odd years ago my house got dry rot, I was advised to gut the whole place and replace all the wood, roof, everything. I had 2 kids living here and no money, so I just replaced 2 doors that were bad, then I drilled holes all over the walls, bought a gallon of wood treatment and poured it into the holes with a watering can, plugged the holes up with expanding foam. Cost me less than £100 (say £200 in today's money) instead of like 50,000 or something, and it's held good ever since.
Try cutting or blasting the dry rot out fill with fairing mix and two pack over , and it will be better and stronger than ever, stop fearing it and get up it man.😊
Hi, I will mention it once again. You have seemingly set your mind on a boom for the main sail. I still believe you can achieve the shape and handling required with a double mainsheet system. A number of main advantages. No boom crashing back and forth. No preventers required. No traveller needed. So what is there not to like? Do a bit of research. Even very big boats like the schooner America have used this system. On a catamaran is it very easy to set up because you have such a great spread between the hulls. I hope that you take this on board (pun intended). Cheers Peter.
You have built value into the boat so fix it properly no shortcuts. Sure you can sail as is but the storm that catches you and sea state that pushed the hull in when you can least afford it is waiting. Few steps backward to have a wonderful platform for the life you want. Move to dryer climes strip it back dry it out I was concerned when I saw the wet foam and rotten timber it was coming. Don’t repeat it, sail south to hot dry place take it out strip it back and you’ll get a result. I read people say go sailing, let it rot that will work too but you’ll never sell it and realise the benefit of your hard work. You can do it, some things in life you ignore at your peril .
My brother i hope all is going well with you! Honestly I second the comment about keeping this boat for local sailing . It might be a good design, but that doesn't mean the builder was a good builder. It also doesn't mean it was cared for correctly. Ive had many boats you'll never find all the rot at once. Youll fix more then bang you find more. And it could be in structural places you cant see. Confirm with a moisture metre.
@@oregon1232 in my country you can pick a basic one up from the hardware store for like $30. But that being said he would need to put it up on the hard and leave it there for a few weeks. Otherwise the meter will always read that it's wet.
Don't allow that fungi to get you too discouraged, sometimes life throws us mellons. I've been there many times but i've always have won in the end because I was determined not to Quit. Your a fighter Marc you got this! so keep fighting you'll overcome. I've got hundred percent faith in ya the key is never to Quit... Cheers.
Once you find what kills the mycelium,strip the paint off the effected areas into the good wood and start using a thinned epoxy mix and MEK 5% epoxy to draw into the plywood,keep the wood wet with the mix it will draw in to the core,put a coat on every 20 mins it’s enough time for the solvent to flash off after half dozen coats make the mix 10% do the same again as it absorbs in,then 15% and so on and so on till you you feel confident Wye wood won’t absorb any more,do your final mix ready for glassing,with the thinned mix you are trying to achieve a chemical bond hence keeping it wet,good luck young fellow.
You got this Mark. Don't get too discouraged. As a boat owner you'll realize that there's always something that needs repaur or could be done better. Sometimes good enough is good enough. If this boat will be a lifer for you then by all means strive for perfection. If you're looking for a few good years then moving along, good enough may just be good enough. Above all, don't sacrifice your safety.
Git Rot penetrating epoxy is a widely used fix for this problem.
18 дней назад+6
My advice is don’t take it near rough weather it’ll fall apart . Here in NZ there are hundreds of ply boats all sitting on moorings permanently or being given away or scrapped ,it’s not a good material for building something that’s wet its entire life ..😢😢
Good luck with the dry rot Mark - it’s not uncommon and been conquered be many before you, you can keep it at bay through constant treatment but if you want it gone forever it’s going to need surgery. It’s totally up to you when - it’ll be a good project to watch and a new skill to add to your toolkit.
We are steel, our fungus is rust! We feel your pain 😢 Don't buy expensive anti slip products, gloss paint and sand is cheapest. In our case we used cork granules in the paint - you can sand them off again - and for us it means dropping a spanner on deck don't chip the paint... Chin up, great videos! M&J 'Amanita'
Sorry Mark. It underlines the importance of a pre purchase survey, especially on a wooden boat. At least you found this out before subjecting the boat to any serious mechanical stress whilst sailing offshore. I think you should take it out of the water and get it assessed by a professional surveyor. Unless I missed a video, you seem to have done most of the work and the lovely paint job above the water line. The areas below have generally taken a lot more moisture over the life of the boat. I hope it works out.
I am sorry to hear of this setback. Wondering if you can just plan on replacing bits here and there instead of feeling the need to do it all at once. Maybe replace with epoxy saturated pieces over time and just make it part of the maintenance schedule. I am concerned about the amount of moisture you are adding to the plywood, how all of that will evaporate etc. Keep it up, it’s a story, a journey, and a yarn that can go in many different directions but you’ve built up a solid channel as a foundation for your continuation.
I suspect you will have to pull the boat out of the water this winter and do some aggressive cutting. Depending on how extensive the rot is you may have to make some hard decisions. Probably be smart to get someone competent to assess the issue aooner than later. If not this boat then the next.
Thank you for the recap of all the work you have done to your boat. I found you recently, and wanted to know the background since you bought your boat. I will be following you each week from now on.
in case you decide for the cheaper and less invasive option of injecting fluids that strengthen wood ,not just stopping rot ( instead of reconstructive surgery ,which would be best ) ,travel with all you need for further injections on the go and double/strenghten the bulkheads . For your protection on the wheel ,which is a security issue by getting less tired , investigate the option of telescopic roof with solar ,to have low profile when sailing and more comfort on anchor ,but only if done secure .
As you probably know from your research the problem is how far the mycelium extend. Borates are a recognised treatment at 1-1.5m from visual signs of decay. Most say remove all infected wood, but afloat that's a problem. Maybe if you replaced the internal bulkhead, inner skin and foam core. Inject the outer skin 1-1.5 m from visible decay. After treatment an epoxy injection will help stabilise the plywood. That probably the best you can do till you're in warmer climes and able to lift for a better assessment. I remember handling dry rot in buildings and it was wholesale destruction. Timbers out and burnt on-site plaster off the walls, liberal dosing the brickwork with fungicides before everything was replaced but then the customer was looking for guarantees so we were over-cautious
I have used Bora-Care, a boride consentrate. Active ingredient = Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate. One Galon jugs. Nisus Corporation, Rockford, TN. Safe e on any surface you don't eat off of. It works!❤
Hi Mark I think my Idea for a garden Bubble on top of your Boat would be a really good idea. As they are like a clear thick plastic. If you fastened it down properly you would have full 90 degree visibility. It would keep you dry. It would just be like a captains cabin. You could also be in there if it is raining. It would keep you dry and they are relatively cheap from garden centre and you could put a tarp on the floor and put some cushions in it and do some stargazing at night if you wanted to. They are worth looking at.
Mistox ATP is gell that is applied to the fungal timber , the timber absorbes it and kills the fungal action it works within the timber for 10 years, the substance spreads through the cell structure, it is used by timber preservation companies and on historic buildings to save the removal of timber
I know that if the moisture in plywood was above a certain level (depending on the quality of the plywood) the plywood desintegrates over time, especially if you cover it with epoxy or paint before the moisture level is low enough again. You will end up with sawdust. If you're lucky the moisture level is not too high in most of the plywood.
"So, I put my drainage pipe from my air conditione heater into a bottle into a shoe ... and collected distilled water" MArk, you are a magic-maker, a story-spinner and boat-builder, a dreamer, and a wonderful person. You are also an increasingly capable DO-ER! Huge congrats for tackling this gnarly problem. I encourage you to sail south as soon as possible (if safe weather windows allows), or get a lift on a barge (anyone have any lucky contacts?). Don't delay, spend the winter dealing with it in a sunny dry location, and keep the spirits up! You rock! :) Lee
Look up vacuum infusion. Look up copper available as a powder, a paint, as a killer of mold. Use alcohol with any water product to make the moisture evaporation. Ozone can be generated and used with a membrane to kill mold spores. When you drill ahole you are moving the spores on the drill bit. It likely you need a different process. Carbon monoxide could be generated and infused to kill mold spores.😊I am mike from Oregon, I worked with Hannaca and james building out a prototype in 2011 if I remember. we built out the red/black and white Tahiti for the build contest in turo.
Dry rot needs a min of 28% moisture content in wood, and a min 72 deg F, and humidity over 95%. So your activities of sealing the deck and it's fittings, and minimize bilge water, are the best way to get rid of it. Plus epoxy is not food for it, so... You're on the right path! The cold of winter will give you a break.
So many folks here cluelessly commenting and revelling in Mark’s boat issue. How incredibly sad. There’s a lot of good knowledge in some of the comments; keep your head down, keep sorting out the jobs, and you’ll be out sailing real soon.
I think your plan to tackle the dry-rot with Borax is a good idea for the moment, and once you are in warmer climate you have more better conditions. Good planning 👍👍⛵️⛵️enjoy the adventure
Hey Mark sorry to hear about the problem you're having it would be depressing hopefully you can contain it hope you have a good week see you next week then keep your head up dude I know that's easy for me to say I'm not the one that' it is happening too you will get it
This young man has alot of soul, guts and determination which I admire greatly. One year into a refit myself in a big boatyard and I have seen so many plywood or balsa cored yachts with owners ripping into rot month after month. For anyone out there looking to buy a boat I would strongly recommend only looking at solid fibreglass hulls. Using plywood sandwich çore construction is excellent for home build but appears to have a shelf life depending the quality of the initial build. Once rot gets in there its like cancer and spreads and never seems to leave. Mark is committed and the depth of his sheer grit and perseverance will see him through. Either way it is character building and so impressive for a young man. Mark has a bright future ahead of him and more than likely this will not be his last boat project. Keep on going Mark💪
Sorry to hear about the dry rot, bummer!. Re masking tape I’ve found that it’s not the cost or necessarily the quality it’s the time it’s left on the substrate. I do a lot of antifoul painting and I’ll paint the whole hull up to the waterline then mask and paint so it’s only on for less than an hour. The warmer the temperature the more it sticks. Looking forward to the next episode
I have followed you from the beginning. I am not a knowledgeable sailboat owner. In fact I am am old man, a USMC , Vietnam Veterw. Which should mean nothing to you. But, I you seem to posses similar attributes. Improvise, adapt and overcome. ..I believe . Just do it. I and many others, are rooting for you. Get'er done Son! 😍
From the internet : Wood rot fungi require 4 things: The right temperatures. Generally wood fungi have optimal growth temperature range of 65 to 95°F. Near freezing or above 100°F decay activity stops Adequate - but not too much! - moisture. Moisture is the most critical requirement for fungi to colonize wood. Fungi will not attack dry wood (i.e., with a moisture content of 19 percent or less). Decay fungi require a wood moisture content of 35 to 50%. Wood that is over-saturated won’t rot because all that moisture deprives the fungi of: Adequate oxygen. Most fungi require oxygen for growth. Food such as wood or cellulose. It was actually too wet before to grow the fungi so it is drying , you need to get it below 35% = 19% is better . Maybe by removing the fiberglass trapping in the moisture and a fan and dehumidifier but you need to determine the extent so you need to beg and borrow a moisture meter .
That approach won't work unfortunately if the wood rot is already there. Complete replacement of infected areas is the only sure fired way of solving it. But where replacement is impractical/too expensive injecting very thinned epoxy was a method I used successfully to get rid of it on my boat. This can be problematic because treated areas have no strength and it's difficult to know if you've reached all the infected areas
Yeah. I ended up doing what you did. And added a chlorine solution to the paint of affected joints n ply around it after sanding the general area back. From memory lt worked ok. Several years later l tore that area up and replaced it
Getting your boat to warmer climates may be the answer - I read they grow best at 23c and start to die off above that....ideal heat treatment is 15 minutes at 40c....can you heat treat from the inside? Hairdryer etc??
knowledge is power.. i think the main thing is to locate all the affected areas.. that's what will give you confidence.. knowing that information is everything.. it's the truth.. and maybe locating the affected areas might involve locating the unaffected areas so there's much less area to examine closely.. inspect, cut out and replace if needed.. maybe you'll never be 100% sure.. so the question is can you be sure enough.. and how does it compare to all the other things you can't be sure about .. after all you're floating on a tiny ship in a huge ocean.. things can go wrong is so many ways.. perhaps the most important thing is having an epirb and a life raft.. flares.. emergency water and food for 8 weeks even.. Sven, a super experienced sailor, only drinks 1 liter a day.. so have 56 liters of water in multiple bottles.. 28x 2L... have 20 packs of jerky and peanuts. protein and vitamins.. have a sat phone.. have blankets and clothing and a 2nd life boat on the first life boat! a few gps devices to get information to people looking for you.. epi pen.. antibiotics.. first aid kits.. maybe a watch with vitals monitor that calls for help.. plan for the worst.. even expect it to happen.. practice.. make a game out of it.. but hope for the best and don't dwell on it once the work is done.. of course it may always be in the back of your mind.. but it probably should be.. anyways.. just my thoughts.. i know nothing
Mark. It is looking great. I understand the dry rot is giving you a headache. But keep your head up. Your doing fucking great. I believe you will get back on the water sooner then you think sir.
We had to deal with dry rot in historic buildings and worked with some of the best experts in the field. We got rid of it and there is no reason that wouldn't be the same in your case. The key is to eliminate the reason for it's presence first, which is elevated humidity. Find the reason for the humidity in your core, eliminate it, dry the wood and replace the rotten parts. You can heat the afflicted areas to 60 degrees Celsius to the core for a couple of hours, this can be easily done with a cheap infrared heating lamp (supervise to make sure you don't burn down your boat). This kills the fungus as good as any chemical (provided you reach the core with the heat). However, if you don't reduce moisture level in your wood, it will come back, spores of the fungus are always present and not a problem per se. But no amount of chemicals or method will eradicate it if you don't deal with the source of the problem in the first place which is some water ingress causing the high level of humidity in your core. Good luck !
yes he is right, heat treatment is probably pretty easy to achive in your case .
Yep! Remember there is actually no such thing as 'dry' rot. Rot never happens in dry wood. The right combination of moisture and temperature is unlikely to occur wherever there is adequate ventilation.
I have rebuilt many boats in my lifetime & you are exactly right. It will be a fresh water leak that is causing it. On the other hand salt water is fine it does not get fungus or rot problems. In the old days of wood boats we always threw handfuls of salt around the bilge.
@@calthorp Eh, salt water definitely causes rot. The salt just has a mild effect on impairing the fungus. Otherwise no leaky old ship ever would have had rot below the waterline.
@@MinSredMash They don't rot from salt water. You can come look at my 20year old commercial boat that always has salt water in the bilge & there is zero rot. It goes through its 2 year survey with no issues. It is when rain water ends up in the bilge that it rots the boat out.
You have to do the surgery Mark, it’s a major issue best faced head on. Good luck mate, we’re all rooting for you 😊
I agree,let it hurt your wallet and clock now and not ruin your voyage later
I like the way Hanika helps you with her immense knowledge. She is one great lady. She is a good friend to you.
Hanneke.
Agree 100%. This channel is a good promotion for the boats though.
HEED THIS WARNING!!! I can't sugar coat this Mark, the dry rot is your number one problem, drop everything else and deal with it. My father had it in his house and did avery DIY job on it he could think of, a ceiling still fell down and it was nowhere near where he found the rot.
Motor down to Begium or France where you can get proper treatment as soon as you can not in the spring. All these jobs you will do instead will be pointless, and all the work you have done so far if the boat rots from under you.
I have watched you since you started the project and we are all astounded and impressed by what you have done. Take your courage in both hands deal with the rot, we will be backing you all the way.
PS: I did a lottery ticket tonight, keep your fingers crossed.
@@jackm3040 I think that's a good idea. Certainly he must gat professional advice. Mark it so courageous how he tackles his project but at he does it with a wing and a layer, afterwards he considers how he may have done it better. There is no second time with this rot. If he doesn't act now it will be the end of his dream, or worse when he's crossing an ocean and a big storm his his weakened bot will disintegrate. I hope gets some professional rot advice.
🌼⛵️🌼 Oh Mark, the colour is fab.u.lous, you're working so hard, my heart bursts with pride & then that fungus...I could cry for you 😢....but Mahi had been neglected for over 10 years & the hard work & life you have put back into her is commendable 🤗....Just chip away at that devlish fungus, but dont forget to have lots of happy times too....I feel so sad for you, but youve got this Sparks.....Proud as always & loads of love...🌼⛵️🌼Mum🌼⛵️🌼
Mary, Wicks used to sell tins of wet and dry rot killer and hardener .🤔🧙🏼♂️
He is so blessed to have a great mum like you around. God Bless you !
Ignored the advice of we experienced sailors and shipwrights. Sad but predictable, and a repeat of the last 2 sailboats really....
@@saylaveenadmearedead ....you really are so wrong on so many levels 😕
Touch of glamour on the boat! Maybe you can become crew?
Hi Mark, Danie here from Cape Town South Africa. DO. NOT. GIVE. UP. You are setting an example to all of us on "living the dream". It is one of the most valuable pursuits in life. And like all worthwhile pursuits - it does not come easy or cheaply!! You've ALREADY gained more life experience and pure joy during this project, than many of us experience in a lifetime! 🙌
Sorry Mark but you're wrong, he hasn't learned much, he's just ploughed on regardless with little knowledge or skill. The thing is this is real life or death stuff, get that heap in a gale mid ocean and he's a gonner.
If I had the money , I'd buy you a brand new finished boat, you have truly put in the work and deserve to realize your dream, I wish you the best !
Hi Bud
I see you wasn't a good Anchor Winch
I have a great Winch for sale, it's on eBay
But you can have it a bit cheaper!
It's brand new never been used in its original box with all the bits!
Theres also a fixing bracket to fix to a bulkhead,
It's a bit heavy to post so could Dad pick it up from Devon?
Cheers Allan
Mark, obviously you have a serious problem there. But listen! Life is full of challenges. Sometimes a mountain raises in front of us and our instant reaction is to lift our head up and gaze up on the top of that mountain and begin to speculate of how to climb right up there. What you need to do, is to take one day at a time and begin climbing this mountain step by step. Set your focus on the foot of the mountain and work your self up. You can do that and you have shown it to us for over a year now. You can find solutions. One day at a time. This is what life have taught me through my 58 years of age. The way I face challenges nowadays it is absolutely different now compares to 10 years ago. And the last thing, remember to keep the dream alive inside you. Keep reminding your self where this boat will take you one day and the adventures it will create for you. Keep it up man.
Great advice Sir! Mark needs it but so too do I. 😊
I hate to say I told you so because I love the personality and spirit you and your family bring to the channel. Please, please listen and pay heed to the warnings you sometimes receive on your channel by experienced and knowledgeable people who are big fans of your content and only wish the best for you. Yes, there are plenty of "Debbie-Downers" who comment and just love to hear themselves talk. But there are also plenty of people who have been in your shoes, learned the hard lessons, and paid dearly for it and they want to help you avoid falling into the same trap. If someone with wooden boat experience is telling you about their concerns, take them and what they are saying seriously.
That is a great comment with which I totally agree.
But then he wouldn't have a channel. Which has always been him playing the pathetic little boy who needs to be parented by his audience. Whether it's real or calculated, it seems to work.
@usefulcommunication4516 this is just plain mean!
@@cjg6364 maybe you haven’t noticed but he continuously talks about Hanneke with whom he’s in contact all the time. He can’t be any closer to the core information of this boat design than that. I understand he values her input more than that of people reacting here who he doesn’t know. I’ve seen his older videos where he sailed the world on another boat. He knows what he’s doing and he knows when to ask for input in his knowledgeable network.
@@Bladel1965 Hanneke is not a very objective source of information regarding the pitfalls of wooden boats in general. She is a major "fan girl" of the Wharram designs as one would expect given her relationship to the designer. Designing a boat is one thing. Maintaining and servicing wooden boats is a profession unto itself and if you had experience with plywood constructed boats that have had standing water in them for any length of time, you'd know that high levels of dry rot with the attendant structural weakening will be a certainty. The only plywood construction boats that survive are those that have been completely encased in fiberglass and fiberglass resin. And even those are vulnerable to moisture penetration, entrapment, and rot when the resin barrier is compromised. How many 50 year old fiberglas boats have you dismantled with completely rotted wooden cores in the main stringers? The only useful application of plywood in marine construction is a thin laminate core that establishes the form of a mostly fiberglass component. In that context, when the core is completely rotted away, the surrounding fiberglas still has the majority of strength needed to maintain dimensional integrity and resistance to deformation. With your limited knowledge, it would be better to remain silent and be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
It was heart breaking to see you realise what this dry rot could lead to. There are some big decisions coming up for you. I can offer no expertise on which option to choose, but have faith in your own decision making. You’ve come so far, overcome obstacles and learned and improved so much, whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for you. Hang in there Mark, keep the faith and good luck. We’re all rooting for you.
U hv faith in his decision making ? What sort of a desicion was it to buy a wooden boat that had sat in the water, and been full of water inside, for ten years ? Do tell me ...
It is always darkest just before dawn as they say. Keep going, its the journey brother not the destination
Your perseverance is inspiring! If it were me -- I'd be worried about structural integrity after so much patching. For the age of the vesseland its state when you found her, it could be an endless, maddening, costly endeavor. You could save the sweat, time and money to build a new dependable cat. Plenty of fans out there would probably pitch in some help --its the Wharram way! Meanwhile this boat could do some light coastal hopping to keep the dream alive and sailing experience flowing. Just my two cents offered with respect. Either way don't lose heart, keep up the invincible work ethic!
Thank you for all your efforts posting your adventures and going through the joys and challenges of owning a boat. I am an arm chair sailor now but over my boating career owned 5 different wood boats both sail and power. Dry rot was a very familiar adversary in my quest to stay afloat but one product that I used extensively in extending structural integrity to rot affected wood was a penetrating expoxy cement in the form of a product made by BoatLIFE called "Git-Rot". I live in Vancouver, British Columbia and the product is distributed out here by West Marine. Replacing affected material is really the best solution. Drilling lots of holes and injecting boric acid will only kill what fungus is exposed to it but what about the spaces in between that aren't. What's more, all those holes will further weaken the woods strength. Git-Rot is supposed to strengthen the wood capilliaries by flowing into the damaged areas. If it is compatible with boric acid that's great but the wood must be dry in order for the product to be absorbed effectively. You may already know about this idea and have compatable epoxy solution but just thought I'd pass this on. All the best in your endeavours.
Dear Sr., I'm a retired naval officer and I follow your channel for sometime now. Please allow me the liberty to say a few words... The time you have spent rebuilding the maritime squillion of yours, no doubt very noble indeed, when I look back to your journey it reminds me of myself many years ago, when I pick up a similar project. By the end of the all ordeal, for me in the end up just being a full reconstruction and not the fulfilment of the initial dream ( Sailing on the dam thing). I was so exhausted from constant repairs and rebuilds that when I finally sat down and look to what its financial cost was? It would just be better to buy a ready to sail vessel and get on with it ( the cost was the same, if not less). Repairs yes but on the go... not on the hard and perpetuity of going nowhere. Fair winds Sr.
Correct sir. Go to any boatyard and u will see hundreds of pcs of junk called boats, that have been undergoing 'renovation' for weeks and months and years - many of them long abandoned. About 2% of them ever make it to the sea ....
And if anyone questions my authority - it's a lifetime of building & sailing boats.
Wise words. It is exacerbating seeing the living manifestation of being penny wise but pound foolish. The young man could have been sailing exotic destinations by now.
Although sometimes it is the journey not the destination that gives the most satisfaction.
@@calthorp this can be true when there is a destination. However, not if it is getting obvious that the whole thing is one repeated journey and no destination at all!
@@75echo Exactly! This channel is SCAM city.
"You got dry rot. Every boat has it. You are lucky, yours is above the water line. Well, most of it, anyway." -Captain Ron
Hope the boric acid works for you. It works a treat on roaches.
After the treatment, dry it out and use some injectable epoxy that's made for this situation. THEN you can fix the holes.
"if anything is going to happen, it'll happen out there"
It is always darkest just before the dawn. Stay strong!
That is idiotic nonsense. The sky starts becoming lighter long before dawn. There are duration of daylight tables that provide the amount of light at different times. Even many dimwits who know nothing about science understand the word "twilight." It is the time when the sun is below the horizon but there is a gradual darkening or lightening of the sky.
Mahi is taking her first Acid Trip 😵💫
Keep up the good fight ❤😊
Your dry rot treatment:
1) Use Chlorine Dioxide. You can buy 3000ppm Solutions of it, or produce it easily yourself. Just google that up. It will kill everything, but not affect the wood fibers. As it is a gas (which is easy in solution in destilled water), it will penetrate perfectly into the wood.
2) to improve the penetration of the Chlorine Dioxide, drill holes into the affected area just as you did. Get a strong vacuum pump. Cover all with vacuum foil and vacuum sealing tape (you can get this in boat building equipment stores, which provide stuff for vacuum infusion building of Boats), seal it all up and get the affected areas and the Wood vacuumed. Then infuse the vacuumed Part with the Chlorine dioxide solution (which release the vacuum, but it will get sucked all the way into the wood where you created vacuum by the pump).
Maybe do this process 2 or 3 times, after PROPERLY dry out the wood before closing up the holes.
This might kill the fungus forever.
I tried it without using a propper vacuum. Initial results looked ok. Went over it a year later.. not happy! Repaired it properly
Time to fix this was before starting the renovation , crazy to miss that for so long and be faced with fixing it after "renovating " the boat already
Hey guys, I have found Captain Obvious!
Answering your question about the matter/shinyer side of your non-slip: dew settling over night. 2K-paints show that if applied in "borderline" conditions (temperatures not according to the specs). The side which looks shinyer was the first that you've painted, i guess. So it had a liitle more time to dry at a bit warmer temperatures. The matter side you've applied during temperatures going down (late afternoon) so the slowed down reaction of the hardener let the surface still wet when the dew settled during nighttime. That's the reason for that differnt more matt apperance. Good luck for your ongoing works and best regards from Berlin, Germany
It might be worthwhile locating your starter relay in a dry easily accessible place further up the power feed line. That way you can easily bridge it when underway in emergency. Clean those connections and check for volt drop using a multi-meter from the terminal post to the terminal lug and down that line. Resistance from any corrosion causes volt drops. I clean with emery paper and then alcohol, then treat with dielectric grease or petroleum jelly and make sure its covered by a boot. You need to keep that corrosion out.
Make sure that you treat the wood in a large radius around where you know the fungus is. It'll send mycelium tendrils as far as it can so you'll need to poison the wood ahead of it. Idealy you'd dig it out and replace that wood but shy of that you might inject the area with a thin resin once you've killed off the fungus.
I had netting bow and stern on my Wharram because I was afraid a deck would be destroyed by shipping waves. Even my central wood deck had bigger gaps than the plans called for.
Please keep working on that dry rot issue. Eventually you will solve it and be able to “sail on” as planned. The dry storage idea may be the best bet to drying everything out, with extra donations focused on just that. She is really looking great so far and I pray that stress doesn’t keep you from reaching your goals!
I know nothing of wood or boats ...but the comment by@10marlie makes the most sense as your fortitude and stamina really dictates that only when you do it properly will you truly be happy and I'm sure sadly one of the biggest reasons we love watching you is your work ethic and positive attitude........no matter what you will sail her and we all with you.
When the notification came up and I saw yellow I mistook your boat for that channel I detest with the yellow tri. I almost deleted but at the last second the blue caught my eye. 😁
I stuck around for shooting up acid. 💉
Thanks for sharing.
Haul it out, and fix the rot. Deal with the problem once and for all. You got this.
there is no fixing, it is too far gone and this boat was not properly designed and build in the first place. When you see the entire foam panels soaked inside the wall you know if is far gone.
Yes - I agree with comments on moisture in timber - dry rot grows when moisture content > 30%. So get a moisture meter and survey for the moisture in wood and mark out any areas with high moisture. A probe style meter might work best as you are in water and part of hull is underwater, just make sure you get through the surface coating (might need to drill shallow hole through paint). All high moisture areas and susceptable to dry rot. Now hopefully your outer coating is 100% waterproof ! Now from the inside you can dry out areas using a heat device - a fan heater on the area is a common choice with holes to allow moisture to be removed. Reject and get the moisture down as low as you can get it - around 12% would be great. Boric acid does help stop rot and you can pre-treat timber in it - but then it must be dried before a surface waterproof treatment. Injecting the acid will help but - make sure you dry that timber before resealing. Thylene Glycol and Boric Acid helps penetration.
Rückschläge können passieren !!!
Aber lass dich davon nicht unterkriegen!
Dein Kanal ist wirklich hochinteressant und dafür ein FETTES DANKESCHÖN 👍😀🌏🥂
Because of These many comments that say you should have bought a new boat… I‘m telling you, the satisfaction would never be the Same as being on a boat you put your everything in it.
SO true Peter!🤗⛵️🤗
the shine loss is due to moisture on the surface when you painted it it is called paint bloom, you can polish it out on the smooth surfaces, Get the dry rot sorted first it,s your biggest problem, cut it out and replace it or it will consume the boat.
Don't worry, you'll conquer the mold growth problem. In New Orleans, after Katrina, it was heavy Clorox Bleach, it kills everything! My recommendation is to put the sails up and get moving south ASAP. Get to Cascais and finish up your work. Waiting means spending a harsh cold and extremely wet winter in The Nederlands. You can get to Portugal in good time, which will be better.
Praying for you, brother!
Good advice. NW Europe is just so miserable on so many fronts.
Hello Mark.
You done an excellent work. Bravo. I am anchoring near a blue Wharram, in refit, in Panama.
After killing the fungus, I will inject epoxy, starting at the bottom and working my way up. I will tape each hole after filling it. I have done this successfully on the transom of a DC 20 (foot) cruiser. If the areas are small, this is a workable solution. Keep the right and good eye. Patrick on sv Croix du Sud .
Mark. You’ve put your heart and soul into this project. Good luck with curing the problem. We’re all wishing you well.
Frustrating, flippin' fungus, oh my! Sending you best wishes as you work through finishing your task list and finding a solution to this new challenge.
I agree with you Mark about the fungus problem. I would do excitely the same things that you are doing. Unfortunately as I understand fungus, it loves to live in wood. I am a positive person. Don't give in to dispair. You have done a great job so far. God bless you & take care. 🤗⛵🐬🐕🇺🇸
Eliminating moisture is key to prevention. To find out where it is getting into the core, use a moister meter. Then drill in lots of small hole a dry, use syringe and pressurize penetrating epoxy into holes. Let dry then fill holes. So long as there are no structural issues , go sailing.
Great experiment for sure...
Take pure silver, clip gator clips from mini volt charger. Dip silver halfway into glass jar of filtered/distilled water. Use new gator clips. Turn on charger and let it percolate for hours. The longer, the high silver content in your potent solution. I bet it sorts out the fungi.
You can use a TDS meter. Take reading of water with calibrated meter before and then after. You concentrate should make gallons of solution.
In addition to the acid treatment do as much as you can to get the boat south asap. Spend the money on heating (lots of it), dehumidifiers to remove as much moisture as possible. If you can use sealants to try and isolate areas auch as epoxy barriers to contain growth.
"... ...into a bottle, into a shoe..." BEST CHANNEL ON YOUU-TOOOOB!!!! (Mark is just the best!!!)
I am very sorry to hear about the dry rot. That must be very disheartening. First of all I would say: keep the dream alive, you will get there! But having said that, and although I know you have put your heart and soul into this boat, I am afraid to say I agree with some of the other comments here, namely that it might be time to look for a new boat. If you look at Apolloduck for example, there are quite a few really nice boats under 10,000 pounds that need minimal fixing up and if you go a bit higher, there are boats you can just sail away. Apart from that, I have to say that your wharram might not be very easy to sail alone, and of course you might not always find people to sail with you. And especialy those times you have to go into a marina, I think it will be a stretch for anyone, however experienced they are, to get a boat parked in there alone. Anyway, whatever you decide, all the best, don't give up!
Sometimes dry rot isn't as bad as it sounds. 20 odd years ago my house got dry rot, I was advised to gut the whole place and replace all the wood, roof, everything. I had 2 kids living here and no money, so I just replaced 2 doors that were bad, then I drilled holes all over the walls, bought a gallon of wood treatment and poured it into the holes with a watering can, plugged the holes up with expanding foam. Cost me less than £100 (say £200 in today's money) instead of like 50,000 or something, and it's held good ever since.
Try cutting or blasting the dry rot out fill with fairing mix and two pack over , and it will be better and stronger than ever, stop fearing it and get up it man.😊
Tip: When using a hand saw, try using your index finger to help guide you to cut a straight line. As if your hand looks like a mock gun
Hi, I will mention it once again. You have seemingly set your mind on a boom for the main sail. I still believe you can achieve the shape and handling required with a double mainsheet system. A number of main advantages. No boom crashing back and forth. No preventers required. No traveller needed. So what is there not to like? Do a bit of research. Even very big boats like the schooner America have used this system. On a catamaran is it very easy to set up because you have such a great spread between the hulls. I hope that you take this on board (pun intended). Cheers Peter.
You have built value into the boat so fix it properly no shortcuts. Sure you can sail as is but the storm that catches you and sea state that pushed the hull in when you can least afford it is waiting. Few steps backward to have a wonderful platform for the life you want. Move to dryer climes strip it back dry it out I was concerned when I saw the wet foam and rotten timber it was coming. Don’t repeat it, sail south to hot dry place take it out strip it back and you’ll get a result. I read people say go sailing, let it rot that will work too but you’ll never sell it and realise the benefit of your hard work. You can do it, some things in life you ignore at your peril .
My brother i hope all is going well with you! Honestly I second the comment about keeping this boat for local sailing . It might be a good design, but that doesn't mean the builder was a good builder. It also doesn't mean it was cared for correctly. Ive had many boats you'll never find all the rot at once. Youll fix more then bang you find more. And it could be in structural places you cant see. Confirm with a moisture metre.
I see moisture meters come in a very wide range of cost. Wonder which affordable range would be satisfactory?
@@oregon1232 in my country you can pick a basic one up from the hardware store for like $30. But that being said he would need to put it up on the hard and leave it there for a few weeks. Otherwise the meter will always read that it's wet.
Keep going Mark . The harder the battle , the sweeter the Victory .
The music was great this week
Don't allow that fungi to get you too discouraged, sometimes life throws us mellons. I've been there many times but i've always have won in the end because I was determined not to Quit. Your a fighter Marc you got this! so keep fighting you'll overcome. I've got hundred percent faith in ya the key is never to Quit... Cheers.
When life gives you mellons, make mellonade.... Hang on that's not right, anyway just go sailing, you've come this far 👍
Your right. There is only replacement of the rotten wood. Some ship wrights can tell you how. Your a good manMark
15:40 this happened when I did my topside awhile back. Had to do with moisture absorption during the curing process - so I was told.
Love the music! Got that Baroque groove goin’ on!
Once you find what kills the mycelium,strip the paint off the effected areas into the good wood and start using a thinned epoxy mix and MEK 5% epoxy to draw into the plywood,keep the wood wet with the mix it will draw in to the core,put a coat on every 20 mins it’s enough time for the solvent to flash off after half dozen coats make the mix 10% do the same again as it absorbs in,then 15% and so on and so on till you you feel confident Wye wood won’t absorb any more,do your final mix ready for glassing,with the thinned mix you are trying to achieve a chemical bond hence keeping it wet,good luck young fellow.
You got this Mark. Don't get too discouraged. As a boat owner you'll realize that there's always something that needs repaur or could be done better. Sometimes good enough is good enough. If this boat will be a lifer for you then by all means strive for perfection. If you're looking for a few good years then moving along, good enough may just be good enough. Above all, don't sacrifice your safety.
Keep your spirits up and keep going, dry rot can be defeated using the right products.
When you're sailing around the hope or in the Kimberley like life in a nut shell. You put this behind you. Russell
Git Rot penetrating epoxy is a widely used fix for this problem.
My advice is don’t take it near rough weather it’ll fall apart . Here in NZ there are hundreds of ply boats all sitting on moorings permanently or being given away or scrapped ,it’s not a good material for building something that’s wet its entire life ..😢😢
As long as it's properly laminated, why wouldn't marine grade plywood be just as good as many of the other core materials used in boat construction?
If you coming to Portugal... Meu querido amigo Mark, tu vais ultrapassar esse problema, tenho a certeza absoluta,Um forte abraço
Good luck with the dry rot Mark - it’s not uncommon and been conquered be many before you, you can keep it at bay through constant treatment but if you want it gone forever it’s going to need surgery. It’s totally up to you when - it’ll be a good project to watch and a new skill to add to your toolkit.
Ahh thanks mate, yeah I hope I can just keep it at bay for now and enjoy the rest of the refit and sailing to hotter, less fungi friendly weather ✊
You’ll get it figured out and addressed. Lovely seeing your beautiful parents! 😎🥰
🎉what a bummer the rot you were doing so well wish you the best friend .
Chin up ! You have done an amazing job on that yacht. Keep going, this is just a hump in the road 👍
Good luck keep positive you have done so much so far, dry rot seems miniscile compared to the day you said yes to a boat half submerged
Absolutely love the color contrast!!
His boat is rotten and the real contrast is not about color but that his previous boat was a money maker and this boat seams to be a money pit.
wishing you good luck finding a solution man! have really enjoyed following what you’re doing
We are steel, our fungus is rust! We feel your pain 😢
Don't buy expensive anti slip products, gloss paint and sand is cheapest. In our case we used cork granules in the paint - you can sand them off again - and for us it means dropping a spanner on deck don't chip the paint...
Chin up, great videos! M&J 'Amanita'
yeah, why purchase sans at 20 times the price when you are being cheap on everything that matters, it makes zero sense.
Sorry Mark. It underlines the importance of a pre purchase survey, especially on a wooden boat. At least you found this out before subjecting the boat to any serious mechanical stress whilst sailing offshore. I think you should take it out of the water and get it assessed by a professional surveyor. Unless I missed a video, you seem to have done most of the work and the lovely paint job above the water line. The areas below have generally taken a lot more moisture over the life of the boat. I hope it works out.
You've done really well. The rot will not win!
I am sorry to hear of this setback. Wondering if you can just plan on replacing bits here and there instead of feeling the need to do it all at once. Maybe replace with epoxy saturated pieces over time and just make it part of the maintenance schedule. I am concerned about the amount of moisture you are adding to the plywood, how all of that will evaporate etc.
Keep it up, it’s a story, a journey, and a yarn that can go in many different directions but you’ve built up a solid channel as a foundation for your continuation.
I suspect you will have to pull the boat out of the water this winter and do some aggressive cutting. Depending on how extensive the rot is you may have to make some hard decisions. Probably be smart to get someone competent to assess the issue aooner than later. If not this boat then the next.
Smuggle in some good dry rot treatment, you will need less than a liter: it will save the boat
@@sophiebeachus257 Not every step belongs on the internet.
Thank you for the recap of all the work you have done to your boat. I found you recently, and wanted to know the background since you bought your boat. I will be following you each week from now on.
in case you decide for the cheaper and less invasive option of injecting fluids that strengthen wood ,not just stopping rot ( instead of reconstructive surgery ,which would be best ) ,travel with all you need for further injections on the go and double/strenghten the bulkheads . For your protection on the wheel ,which is a security issue by getting less tired , investigate the option of telescopic roof with solar ,to have low profile when sailing and more comfort on anchor ,but only if done secure .
Hang in there man. Lots of good advice in the comments. This too shall pass.
As you probably know from your research the problem is how far the mycelium extend. Borates are a recognised treatment at 1-1.5m from visual signs of decay. Most say remove all infected wood, but afloat that's a problem. Maybe if you replaced the internal bulkhead, inner skin and foam core. Inject the outer skin 1-1.5 m from visible decay. After treatment an epoxy injection will help stabilise the plywood. That probably the best you can do till you're in warmer climes and able to lift for a better assessment. I remember handling dry rot in buildings and it was wholesale destruction. Timbers out and burnt on-site plaster off the walls, liberal dosing the brickwork with fungicides before everything was replaced but then the customer was looking for guarantees so we were over-cautious
Looking forward to when we can raft up and get some action going 😉
I have used Bora-Care, a boride consentrate. Active ingredient = Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate. One Galon jugs. Nisus Corporation, Rockford, TN. Safe e on any surface you don't eat off of. It works!❤
Hi Mark I think my Idea for a garden Bubble on top of your Boat would be a really good idea. As they are like a clear thick plastic. If you fastened it down properly you would have full 90 degree visibility. It would keep you dry. It would just be like a captains cabin. You could also be in there if it is raining. It would keep you dry and they are relatively cheap from garden centre and you could put a tarp on the floor and put some cushions in it and do some stargazing at night if you wanted to. They are worth looking at.
Mistox ATP is gell that is applied to the fungal timber , the timber absorbes it and kills the fungal action it works within the timber for 10 years, the substance spreads through the cell structure, it is used by timber preservation companies and on historic buildings to save the removal of timber
So wholesome gettin tae watch tha famileh havin genuine fun
I know that if the moisture in plywood was above a certain level (depending on the quality of the plywood) the plywood desintegrates over time, especially if you cover it with epoxy or paint before the moisture level is low enough again. You will end up with sawdust. If you're lucky the moisture level is not too high in most of the plywood.
"So, I put my drainage pipe from my air conditione heater into a bottle into a shoe ... and collected distilled water" MArk, you are a magic-maker, a story-spinner and boat-builder, a dreamer, and a wonderful person. You are also an increasingly capable DO-ER! Huge congrats for tackling this gnarly problem. I encourage you to sail south as soon as possible (if safe weather windows allows), or get a lift on a barge (anyone have any lucky contacts?). Don't delay, spend the winter dealing with it in a sunny dry location, and keep the spirits up! You rock! :) Lee
That's one way to see it. Another way would be to point out that you can buy a gallon of distilled water for a few Cents in any big supermarket...
loved the music ;)
Look up vacuum infusion. Look up copper available as a powder, a paint, as a killer of mold. Use alcohol with any water product to make the moisture evaporation. Ozone can be generated and used with a membrane to kill mold spores. When you drill ahole you are moving the spores on the drill bit. It likely you need a different process. Carbon monoxide could be generated and infused to kill mold spores.😊I am mike from Oregon, I worked with Hannaca and james building out a prototype in 2011 if I remember. we built out the red/black and white Tahiti for the build contest in turo.
Dry rot needs a min of 28% moisture content in wood, and a min 72 deg F, and humidity over 95%. So your activities of sealing the deck and it's fittings, and minimize bilge water, are the best way to get rid of it. Plus epoxy is not food for it, so... You're on the right path! The cold of winter will give you a break.
So many folks here cluelessly commenting and revelling in Mark’s boat issue. How incredibly sad.
There’s a lot of good knowledge in some of the comments; keep your head down, keep sorting out the jobs, and you’ll be out sailing real soon.
I think your plan to tackle the dry-rot with Borax is a good idea for the moment, and once you are in warmer climate you have more better conditions.
Good planning 👍👍⛵️⛵️enjoy the adventure
Hey Mark sorry to hear about the problem you're having it would be depressing hopefully you can contain it hope you have a good week see you next week then keep your head up dude I know that's easy for me to say I'm not the one that' it is happening too you will get it
Keep going mate, I’m sure you’ll get in top of the rot.
This young man has alot of soul, guts and determination which I admire greatly.
One year into a refit myself in a big boatyard and I have seen so many plywood or balsa cored yachts with owners ripping into rot month after month. For anyone out there looking to buy a boat I would strongly recommend only looking at solid fibreglass hulls.
Using plywood sandwich çore construction is excellent for home build but appears to have a shelf life depending the quality of the initial build. Once rot gets in there its like cancer and spreads and never seems to leave.
Mark is committed and the depth of his sheer grit and perseverance will see him through. Either way it is character building and so impressive for a young man.
Mark has a bright future ahead of him and more than likely this will not be his last boat project.
Keep on going Mark💪
This is SO lovely & SO supportive 🤗⛵️🤗
Vivaldi s 4 seasons, great driving and working music
Sorry to hear about the dry rot, bummer!. Re masking tape I’ve found that it’s not the cost or necessarily the quality it’s the time it’s left on the substrate. I do a lot of antifoul painting and I’ll paint the whole hull up to the waterline then mask and paint so it’s only on for less than an hour. The warmer the temperature the more it sticks. Looking forward to the next episode
Hang on in there Mark. Yes you have a problem, but you also have plywood boat which means you can chop bits out and replace them as you wish.
I have followed you from the beginning. I am not a knowledgeable sailboat owner. In fact I am am old man, a USMC , Vietnam Veterw. Which should mean nothing to you. But, I you seem to posses similar attributes. Improvise, adapt and overcome.
..I believe . Just do it. I and many others, are rooting for you.
Get'er done Son! 😍
Thank you for your service sir - RESPECT!
From the internet :
Wood rot fungi require 4 things:
The right temperatures. Generally wood fungi have optimal growth temperature range of 65 to 95°F. Near freezing or above 100°F decay activity stops
Adequate - but not too much! - moisture. Moisture is the most critical requirement for fungi to colonize wood. Fungi will not attack dry wood (i.e., with a moisture content of 19 percent or less). Decay fungi require a wood moisture content of 35 to 50%. Wood that is over-saturated won’t rot because all that moisture deprives the fungi of:
Adequate oxygen. Most fungi require oxygen for growth.
Food such as wood or cellulose.
It was actually too wet before to grow the fungi so it is drying , you need to get it below 35% = 19% is better . Maybe by removing the fiberglass trapping in the moisture and a fan and dehumidifier but you need to determine the extent so you need to beg and borrow a moisture meter .
That approach won't work unfortunately if the wood rot is already there. Complete replacement of infected areas is the only sure fired way of solving it. But where replacement is impractical/too expensive injecting very thinned epoxy was a method I used successfully to get rid of it on my boat. This can be problematic because treated areas have no strength and it's difficult to know if you've reached all the infected areas
Yeah. I ended up doing what you did. And added a chlorine solution to the paint of affected joints n ply around it after sanding the general area back. From memory lt worked ok. Several years later l tore that area up and replaced it
It had spread. So took the hard road.
Getting your boat to warmer climates may be the answer - I read they grow best at 23c and start to die off above that....ideal heat treatment is 15 minutes at 40c....can you heat treat from the inside? Hairdryer etc??
knowledge is power.. i think the main thing is to locate all the affected areas.. that's what will give you confidence.. knowing that information is everything.. it's the truth.. and maybe locating the affected areas might involve locating the unaffected areas so there's much less area to examine closely..
inspect, cut out and replace if needed.. maybe you'll never be 100% sure.. so the question is can you be sure enough.. and how does it compare to all the other things you can't be sure about .. after all you're floating on a tiny ship in a huge ocean..
things can go wrong is so many ways.. perhaps the most important thing is having an epirb and a life raft.. flares.. emergency water and food for 8 weeks even.. Sven, a super experienced sailor, only drinks 1 liter a day.. so have 56 liters of water in multiple bottles.. 28x 2L... have 20 packs of jerky and peanuts. protein and vitamins.. have a sat phone.. have blankets and clothing and a 2nd life boat on the first life boat! a few gps devices to get information to people looking for you.. epi pen.. antibiotics.. first aid kits.. maybe a watch with vitals monitor that calls for help..
plan for the worst.. even expect it to happen.. practice.. make a game out of it.. but hope for the best and don't dwell on it once the work is done.. of course it may always be in the back of your mind.. but it probably should be.. anyways.. just my thoughts.. i know nothing
Mark. It is looking great. I understand the dry rot is giving you a headache. But keep your head up. Your doing fucking great. I believe you will get back on the water sooner then you think sir.
Keep your head up Mark. It will get better. The music was great and the boat looks fantastic.