1968 42' Trojan Sea Voyager Motor Yacht HELP !!!

[scwillett]

I just purchased a 1968 42' Trojan Motor Yacht, wood planked hull I believe its Mahogony? I know the stearn is.
Above the water line is fine , Ive checked the inside hull and it seems to be fine for the most part the stringers are all in good shape.

The planking on the outside of the hull has some issues though. A small amount of dry rott on the stearn above the water line ( a hole about 6" square. ) I beleive I can replace the plank . I few rough planks along the keil towards the bow.

My question is this .
#1 Can I go over the hull with something , Epoxy coat , fiberglass or some other surface coating that would reduce the amount of maintence that needs to be done every year before putting here back into the water? Or would I be better off just recorking the planks and repainting below the water line?

The boat has been out of the water since last fall. It comes out every fall due to the winter months and has for the last 17 years been in the same slip.

I would like to have her back in the water by July.

#2 Should I fill the hull with water prior to putting her back in so she swells up and seals again or just put her back in and baby sit her for a few days?

Its been a long time since I worked on a wood hull boat, I just can't seem to let this one go. she's a beautiful boat with great lines and a lot of character.

The boat is in St. Paul, Mn. If there is anyone who lives close enough to contact me maybe I could get someone to look at her and tell me just what I need to do.


Although any help on this would be greatly appreciated

[scwillett]

What type of Hull construction did Trojan use on this type of boat?

Carvel or Double planked?

What type of wood was used? I am pretty sure it is Mohogany but it would be nice to know for sure before I order it .

[RWS]

Perhaps a small investment in a complete survey before putting lives at risk would be the prudent thing o do.

RWS

[Safari]

On a boat this old, I would recommend taking a very close look at the hull fasteners. A failure in 40 yr old screws will sink the boat faster than anything. Take a good look at http://www.rotdoctor.com to start putting together a concept of dealing with the hull and bottom. Talk to the guys at Boatlife for info on caulking your boat - they developed some serious technology back in the day. Don't screw around with cheap tools: get yourself a Makita dual action sander (rotary +orbital), a Master Appliance heat gun, and a Milwaukee battery operated caulk gun. Wood boat advice is cheap and plentiful - be very careful of which direction you choose: I have seen many of my own projects take lengthy, expensive turns...

[scwillett]

I really appriecaite all the info, I spoke to the people @ Rotdoctor , They told me what to do and how to do it. There is a epoxy coat that can be applied over the hull which will seal it permanantly . the cost is roughly $5700.00 for a boat of this size to get a 1/8 inch thick permanant sealed hull which is not bad.

I also check with the Rhino liner people , they have a spray on coating that will seal the hull for life for roughly 13.00 @ square ft. which comes out to the same with out all the labor I would have to put into it.
I have to fix a few stringers and ribs. repair some rot but this is not as bad a job as I though it was going to be.
Unfortunately the people who had the boat previously just did a half ass job to fixing it every year which has lead to extensive repairs now . but the boat should be worth $30,000 or more when shes done.

I will keep you all posted.

[mr elevman]

i had a 72 with a wood hull it is mahogany planking over plywood thaires a product called ceps i belive http://www.rotdoctor.com/ this will help slow down the water absorbshion recalk primer and paint acordingly and check the very front of the bow this is whare mine held water when she was in the slip when she dose go back in the water thay will let her hank in the sling so the hull can swell and recalk all you seacocks mine were prone to leaking good luck

[jimbo36]

the worst thing you could do to a wooden hull is encapsulete it in the wrong coating. Wood boats like to move and flex underway. That's why they ride so nice through the water. The wood needs to breath. when sealed with the wrong product the moisture in the wood can't escape. The wood rots. CPES is the product of choice as it is a natural resin base as apposed to petrolium products. Problem is, the boat needs to be completely stripped as CPES has to penatrate into the wood to work properly. BIG JOB. Once done it will hold finishes better than bare wood. Good luck. I know what you are facing. been there, done that (a couple of times) No t-shirt though.

[1967 seavoyager]

first of all, the boat needs to breathe & flex. it's 7/8" phillipine mahogany planks with 1/4 " plywood all the way to the gunwales. use "slick seam "on the bottom & paint over with bottom paint. screws were silicon bronze. planks are not hard to replace, i'm doing it to my 36 sea voyager. i get my wood from m.l. condon co. in white plains,ny. wooden boat magazine might have a wood dealer in your area.

[scwillett]

I was wondering .. is there any other wood that could be used ? I know the hull is Mahogany . replacement planks need to be air dried not Kiln , Can a guy use another species say like air dried Bur Oak which is what we use up here for fence post .
Just curious ...... I have access to 1000's of board feet of it CHEAP !!!
But I am not sure that the expansion would be the same .

Any Ideas

[scwillett]

almost a month into it . She's going into the water next Wednesday. Thanks to the ROTDOCTOR and their products. Still have a ways to go on the interior , but shes coming together.
Putting pictures on a website.

follow the link :

http://www.unusualexpressions.com/trojan.html

[scwillett]

I plan to convert her to a closed cooling system so she will handle salt water . any ideas how to ? I was told by a very reliable Boat mechanic today its nothing to do , just fogot to ask about the cost.

[scwillett]

Well , an update .... after a lot of work I was devistated this last sumer when working on the hull I found the previous owners horrible doings .

Three years previous he ground out the rott in multiple places above the waterline and filled them with bondo... not killing the dryrott . Cancer has set in enough that I am unable to keep up with it with out moving her into a barn and drying her out for a while, or completely redoing the hull planking.
Keep in mind this is after rebuilding the 425 olds engines , ( new heads, Valves , Ect. ) and spending many hours trying to remove and modify the boat to stablize the existing problems.

I am now considering parting her out since the engines , steering , transmissions, AC, and the rest of the machincal parts including the helm and kitchen , and tiolets are propbly worth more than the whole boat ...

Any sugjestions or interests please contact me . This is killing me but I see no other way , she needs to g to a good home , someone who will love her .

Steve mnmason2010@gmail.com

[aweimer]

Sorry to hear, woodies can be a bear to keep up. Super sad to hear the previous owner didn't stop the rot. Thats just too bad. Sometimes quick patch work doesn't do very much good.

[LandVF36]

Tough story. Nothing like a wood boat. Here in MN, if you have a heated garage, you have 7 months to work on them. If you don't have that sort of time, it makes glass boats seem pretty reasonable. Keep us posted.

[rooferdave]

sorry to hear about your troubles, chin up pal...everything happens for a reason... and when the world gets me down I repeat to myself "what does'nt kill me, makes me stronger