If you have a wooden boat that needs restoring, the basic steps are the same regardless of its size. Whether it's a 40 ft. sailboat or a 7 ft. drift boat, here are some tips to get you back out on the water.
If you peeked into the back yard of a home situated in a coastal area, it wouldn't be surprising to find an old, forlorn-looking antique wooden boat, its hull faded and chewed with holes, partially hidden by overgrown foliage. In areas with long seafaring traditions like New England and the Pacific Northwest, boats are so much a part of history that they're ingrained in the culture. Even though it might look like nothing more than junk to some people, a true boat enthusiast will hang on to an antique wooden boat with the intention of eventually getting around to restoring it. They know that with the right know-how, an old vintage boat can be brought back to life to provide many more years of service.
It's becoming rare to see an antique wooden boat in service, but not because they're any less seaworthy than the fiberglass boats made today. The fact is they require more maintenance than modern boats, but the rewards can be many. If you're thinking of restoring a wooden boat of your own, here's a description of the process.
If this will be your first boat restoration project, you don't want to start with anything larger than a 7' or 8' foot pram. Restoring a boat of any size requires a significant investment of time and effort, so start small. The tools you'll need to begin with are an ice pick and a rubber hammer. You'll use the ice pick to test the condition of the wood in the planks on the outside and inside of the hull, and inside on the boat's ribs. The old timber in an antique vessel is likely to have soft areas where the wood has begun to rot, which will have to be replaced.
The wood should be too hard for an ice pick to go into it, but because of its vintage you should count on finding at least some rot. Use the ice pick to check the wood all over the boat and along the seams between each plank in the hull. If there's an area that you can't get to well but can at least place the tip of the ice pick on, use the rubber hammer to gently tap the end of the ice pick and listen for the sound you hear. Spongy wood will have a dull thud sound when tapped this way, but if the wood is healthy it'll have a sharper sound. Walk around the boat looking for all the places where water might have pooled, either while it was in service or later after it arrived in your back yard. If the boat has been stored outside, even in an upside down position, especially look for areas where rainwater might have collected since freshwater can be very hard on wooden boats. Areas where water pooled are more likely to contain rot.
Once you've determined where all the rotting wood is on the hull, that timber will have to be replaced using something like cedar or fir for the planks and a harder wood like oak for any ribs that need replacing. If the seams on your boat are conventional (as opposed to lapstrake) you'll also need to use a bevel planer on the edges of the new planks, to get a tight seam between them when they go on your boat.
If your boat has a soft chine, more of a rounded hull, then you'll need to steam the new planks to bend them into shape before nailing them on. You'll definitely need to have an extra set of hands for this step. Steaming these planks is similar to the process used in restoring certain types of vintage furniture, only on a bigger scale. To get enough steam you can use something like a steel drum full of water mounted above a wood or propane fire to get the water boiling and hold the new plank over the steam to soften it. You'll need to work quickly, and may need to repeat the process a few times before you've gotten the hang of how to nail the planks on before the wood has cooled and hardened.
At this point the hardest work is behind you, and the main task left is to caulk all of the seams around the boat. Use a cotton caulking or some other caulking made for marine use, making sure you don't rush this step to avoid any unpleasant surprises when you finally take your boat out onto the water.
Finally, coat your newly restored antique wooden boat's hull with a good marine sealant, maybe add a fresh coat of paint up top to brighten it up, and take her straight to the nearest body of water. Bon voyage!
