1. AmelYachtOwners | Main
  2. Messages

Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Re: Anchor Locker

James Alton
 

James,

   There are a lot of different kinds of mold, some are just superficial and some indicate that the wood is being consumed.  You can try poking the wood in areas with an ice pick to see if there is any unusual softness which would indicate dry rot..which is actually misnomer since some moisture is required for rot to progress.

   If the wood is dry, it will certainly absorb epoxy regardless of the orientation of the application.   Epoxy can do a great job protecting wood from absorbing moisture but if the wood is already wet (wood can appear dry on the surface but there still be a lot of moisture deeper into the wood) you will be sealing the moisture in which can in some cases accelerate the deterioration.   Think of the way the wood core in a deck with fibreglass on both sides of it will rot if the core gets wet.  The moisture can enter through a small hole but due to the fibreglass it cannot easily dry back out.   Keep in mind that with plywood, any moisture has to cross multiple glue lines to get out so the drying from the bottom could take a long time to complete if you want to go that route.  

  Another option would be to treat the wood with a water borne fungicide which actually works best if the wood is already wet.  The borate products work pretty well in preventing or slowing rot and are used for instance in the cellulose insulation used in attics to keep the paper from rotting or bugs eating it, while still being pretty safe for humans living in the house.  One such product that I have some experience with is called Timbor, which is a white powder that is mixed with water and can then be applied via brush or spray.  The product is essentially odourless and cleans up with water.  It will leave a white residue if allowed to dry on a surface but can be removed with soap and water.  Given time and enough applications the borate can completely penetrate the plywood and should slow  deterioration of the wood.  The anchor locker is a pretty harsh environment for wood due to the continual dampness so if I ever have to rebuild my own locker, I will consider my options to eliminate the wood panels.

   The cleaning that you are doing is certainly going to help.  I try to pull my anchor chain out each time I am in a marina, rinse and dry the locker.   I just lay a couple square rubber pads on the deck and pile it up close to the hawse pipe, I don’t bother stretching it out.  I also keep the chain door open to vent as much as I can so that things can dry inside the locker.  Good ventilation will help more than anything to reduce mildew and rot of the wood.

Best,

James

SV Sueño
Maramu #220

On Feb 21, 2018, at 2:39 PM, James Studdart james.studdart@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Out of curiosity, does penetrating epoxy work on the underside of the plywood (working against gravity). The plywood will draw in some I expect, but is it enough?

Cheers,
James.
SeaBean SM344
Tahiti, FP

On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 05:56 Vladimir Sonsev sonsev52@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
 

Moldy pywood can be saved. Just clean it, dry well and apply penetrating epoxy. Follow instructions. Your can add a layer of fiberglass on top if needed. 

Vladimir 
SM 345 "LIFE IS GOOD"



On Feb 21, 2018 05:01, "greatketch@... [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
 

Gerhard,


This has been a popular topic recently.  It seems that this year many Super Maramus (mine included) have reached the age where the plywood in the chain locker reached the end of its useful life.  The only reason I can see for not fully encapsulating the plywood in the chain locker is just manufacturing expedience. There are very few places where Amel took shortcuts, so I guess I can forgive them this one.  Where our wood was coated, it was coated with glass and resin, not simply paint.

If the plywood is "moldy" it is almost certainly past the point where it can be saved, although others with more wooden boat experience than I might have some useful suggestions.

We replaced the horizontal plywood in our boat completely, and ground off a layer or two from the vertical bulkhead down to hard, dry wood before covering it with fiberglass and resin.  If you dig back a few months in the forum archives you'll find a lot of discussion about the various approaches to this project.

Bill Kinney
SM160, Harmonie
Freeport, Bahamas



---In amelyachtowners@..., <no_reply@...> wrote :


I take all the chain out every year to clean the anchor locker and as has been noted on previous posts, the plywood ceiling is always mouldy.  Does anybody know why the anchor locker is painted halfway up with white paint and the rest of the fiberglass is left bare and the plywood ceiling is left unpainted?  Has anybody painted the sides and especially the plywood ceiling?  If so, what paint was used?  Does anybody know what the existing white paint is?


Gerhard Hoffmann

Pepino SM381

Greece

 






On Feb 21, 2018 05:01, "greatketch@yahoo..com [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
 

Gerhard,


This has been a popular topic recently.  It seems that this year many Super Maramus (mine included) have reached the age where the plywood in the chain locker reached the end of its useful life.  The only reason I can see for not fully encapsulating the plywood in the chain locker is just manufacturing expedience. There are very few places where Amel took shortcuts, so I guess I can forgive them this one.  Where our wood was coated, it was coated with glass and resin, not simply paint.

If the plywood is "moldy" it is almost certainly past the point where it can be saved, although others with more wooden boat experience than I might have some useful suggestions.

We replaced the horizontal plywood in our boat completely, and ground off a layer or two from the vertical bulkhead down to hard, dry wood before covering it with fiberglass and resin.  If you dig back a few months in the forum archives you'll find a lot of discussion about the various approaches to this project.

Bill Kinney
SM160, Harmonie
Freeport, Bahamas



---In amelyachtowners@..., <no_reply@...> wrote :


I take all the chain out every year to clean the anchor locker and as has been noted on previous posts, the plywood ceiling is always mouldy.  Does anybody know why the anchor locker is painted halfway up with white paint and the rest of the fiberglass is left bare and the plywood ceiling is left unpainted?  Has anybody painted the sides and especially the plywood ceiling?  If so, what paint was used?  Does anybody know what the existing white paint is?


Gerhard Hoffmann

Pepino SM381

Greece

 
Join {main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io to automatically receive all group messages.