Having been a wooden boat owner for over 40 years, I’ve seen the wood deterioration that you have in the floor timbers and elsewhere before. In my experience, this deterioration (often called “wood electrolysis”) is not the result of fungi or organic organism attack, but rather an electro chemical process. The process is caused by electrons flowing through the salt water saturated wood between an anode and a cathode somewhere, you can often see the results of this by a white fuzz that appears around the head of bolts. This white fuzz is sodium hydroxide (lye) a chemical that was pointed out to me to be one that was used in paper mills to turn wood in the pulp which it does quite readily. The lignin in the wood gets dissolved, leaving only the unbound cellulose fibers. Spraying vinegar on the deposits will neutralize the sodium hydroxide on the surface, but the process continues deep within the timber near metal fittings. This is a problem in boats with dissimilar metals below the waterline. Be very careful using zinc to protect underwater metal. One possible solution is to electrically insulate, the underwater metal fittings from the adjacent wood, but this is not very practical in an old boat. I used to put salt in my bilge also like you were doing, but mainly prevents freshwater from building up and the organic organism it might harbor, however it probably makes the electrolysis process even worse. Enjoyed your films on the LAMI Haven 12 1/2. We are building a Haven too. Started about 2 years ago, and now have about a third of the planking done.
I spied the Six Metre Sprig on your walk down the docks at the boat show. I have been told that Borax is a good way to go to kill and prevent rot in wooden boats. Worth inquiring about
If you're noticing a bubbling in the wood around thru hull metals when you spray them with vinegar you could be over protecting the hull with anodes. Yet another way wood damage can occur.
Having been a wooden boat owner for over 40 years, I’ve seen the wood deterioration that you have in the floor timbers and elsewhere before. In my experience, this deterioration (often called “wood electrolysis”) is not the result of fungi or organic organism attack, but rather an electro chemical process. The process is caused by electrons flowing through the salt water saturated wood between an anode and a cathode somewhere, you can often see the results of this by a white fuzz that appears around the head of bolts. This white fuzz is sodium hydroxide (lye) a chemical that was pointed out to me to be one that was used in paper mills to turn wood in the pulp which it does quite readily. The lignin in the wood gets dissolved, leaving only the unbound cellulose fibers. Spraying vinegar on the deposits will neutralize the sodium hydroxide on the surface, but the process continues deep within the timber near metal fittings. This is a problem in boats with dissimilar metals below the waterline. Be very careful using zinc to protect underwater metal. One possible solution is to electrically insulate, the underwater metal fittings from the adjacent wood, but this is not very practical in an old boat. I used to put salt in my bilge also like you were doing, but mainly prevents freshwater from building up and the organic organism it might harbor, however it probably makes the electrolysis process even worse.
Enjoyed your films on the LAMI Haven 12 1/2. We are building a Haven too. Started about 2 years ago, and now have about a third of the planking done.
Thank you for your insights! These boats take a LOT of work to keep up and it seems to be a never ending battle.
I spied the Six Metre Sprig on your walk down the docks at the boat show.
I have been told that Borax is a good way to go to kill and prevent rot in wooden boats. Worth inquiring about
The boat shows are fun. It's so great getting to see what other people have done and talk with the owners. I'll look into the Borax! Thank you!
I've used borax and it's been great. Kept the boat mold free during a PNW winter under a boat cover.
If you're noticing a bubbling in the wood around thru hull metals when you spray them with vinegar you could be over protecting the hull with anodes. Yet another way wood damage can occur.
@@ATARI_1962 amazing! Thank you for this!
@@ATARI_1962 thank you!