Heat damage to old marine ply?

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witchcraft
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 9:23 am
Location: Suffolk

Heat damage to old marine ply?

Post by witchcraft »

My Hornet (a very early Revolution kit/design K1798) which I have just finished and am learning to sail has started getting a few (three) hairline de-laminations in the foredeck ply. It has been down to the wood then varnished with wood impreg and then polyurethane traditional varnish. These cracks only appeared over the last week, I'm going to run wood impreg into them and then varnish on top and look at a redeck over the winter potentially. The boat is 1972/3 and the decks are original (and have a rather ugly repair in the rear starboard quarter). I'm just slightly surprised if this is heat causing it to come apart.

Any ideas?

Mark
Hornet K1798 Vermiscious Knid

(And RS Vareo 572 )
Stephen Hawkins
Posts: 534
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:41 am
Location: The much maligned Swindon Town

Re: Heat damage to old marine ply?

Post by Stephen Hawkins »

I had a similar thing with my N12 sparkle. Unfortunately I was forced to re-deck the for-deck, which also mean new gunnels, etc.

The comes a point when I could not bear to look at it. I think the wood finally calls time on being bent and twisted. mine was the original deck from 1967.

Steve
Steve Hawkins

1967 National 12 2383 "Sparkle"
Michael4
Posts: 504
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:25 pm
Location: West Sussex

Re: Heat damage to old marine ply?

Post by Michael4 »

Stephen may remember the foredeck of Desperation. Although beautiful at the beginning of the season small fine cracks in the top of the ply would appear in the heat of the summer. Come winter varnish time they could be made to disappear. Same sort of thing happens with the foredeck of our Tideway. Both are original and '50s/'60s.

One could surmise that I am an idiot for a keeping an old wooden boat in full sun under a well fitted dark coloured cover. The heat that hits you when you lift the cover after a few days is something. I also try to leave a few inches of seawater in there which makes it akin to a Turkish bath. I wonder how much difference a light coloured cover would make?

So long as it is sealed in some way I wouldn't spend too much time on it. Come winter you can either re-varnish or re-deck, whichever appeals at the time.
Tideway 206
11+
Sold the 'Something bigger and plastic', it never got used.
witchcraft
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 9:23 am
Location: Suffolk

Re: Heat damage to old marine ply?

Post by witchcraft »

Thanks both, I'm breathing again.
Hornet K1798 Vermiscious Knid

(And RS Vareo 572 )
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