How can I seal my clinker boat?

Hi! There seem to be two trains of thought here... some say to caulk and others say not to. My clinker boat was caulked with mastic by the previous owner but due to circumstances the boat has been out of the water for nigh on a year. I bought her six months ago but I've been waiting for the time to re-caulk her, thinking that this was the best thing. There are a few dribbles that have appeared especially around the stem and keel but are you guys saying just to float her (and keep bailing..)? She will be going into fresh water but I intend to keep her bilge well salted.. Any advice here? Shall I re-do the mastic? Shall I trust her to take up? I'm nervous and don't want to do the wrong thing.

Jessica7
March 2016

Hi.

I used to build clinker dinghies inthe 1960's. D Noonan is right, dont try caulking! you will crack the planking when you try driving caulking into a clinker hull, this is for carvel built boats.

Sea water is the only quick solution, best applied by sinking in a mud berth for a couple of weeks. Once she has taken up, keep her wet, but with sea water, not fresh. Fresh water will rot her planking fast. Once she has taken up, leave a little salt water in the bilges, say up to the floor boards, not too full, especially if you take her out of the water as the water load will try to spread her hull, possibly with disastrous consequences. Keep the sun off her with a cover - sun does even more damage to wooden boats than water ever can, especially if they're varnished.

If she doesn't take up after 2 weeks awash in sea water, the only solution is to dismantle her and rebuild her, replacing any rotten or broken frames and planks and fastening her with copper nails riveted onto copper roves inside - that's a job for a shipwright.

Hope this helps, and don't pay attention to people who don't understand wooden boats and tell you to caulk or sheath with fibreglass. As others have pointed out, this will kill a clinker boat!

Peter Wright
October 2010

hi, best way is to sink it for a week, if u put buoyoncy bags under the seats and tie them in place the boat will not sink to far, also once she is tight leave some water in the bilges, put plenty of salt in , then it wont rot, dont put too much water in as that can strain, water weighs 10lb per gallon. if the boat has a drain plug, take it out and put garden hose in boat on a spray mode, make sure water comes out as fast as it goes in .

a wilding
July 2009

sink your boat a month or so before you need to use it, this is a common practice here. if it still doesnt seal up, its probably buggered as its 53 years old its doing well floating at all.

highland mannie
November 2008

your boat leaks because of corking has come out of the joints,,see try to get some corking and learn how to cork once you have done that then anti fouling paint will paint your boat up good and proper ,,when you have your boat out of water try and put some water in the boat to keep it from drying out and cover the boat so the sun will not dry it out

barry
May 2008

Don't sheath it, it will rot underneath. Clinker boats tend to leak if they dry out (ie kept on a trailor). Check wether the leaks are between the 'lands' (where the planks overlap) or through loose fastenings (usually copper nails with rooves (like rivets). If the leaks are through the 'lands' and the boat is kept on a trailor a good method is to gently scrape a 2mm/3mm vee where the planks overlap on the outside of the hull (it is easiest if you can turn it iver!) then use a sealant gun to inject a bead of sikaflex - keep it even and smooth over with plastic knife. Repeat fo all seams then sand smooth and paint over when set with a single pack marine paint - suggest blakes. Loose fastenings can be tightened (takes practice) or drilled out and replaced, this is more of a restoration job but can be learnt.

dan
April 2008

You could use sticky tape or blue tac if this dosnt work get a bigger bucket

Mr Tit
February 2008

Ian i hope you haven't tried caulking your dinghy you'll probably go right through! caulking is for carvel built boats where the planks are butted together and not overlapped like your dinghy. If you can not leave your boat in the water or it is inconvenient to fill it with water every time you want touse it the best and most permanent answer is to clean out the seams as much as possible and sael them with a good quality marine sealant like SIKAFLEX. Hope this helps.

D Noonan
October 2007

coating with fibreglass is almost certain to accelerate dry rot & decay - especially with fresh or rain water. Best way to get her to take up is to sink her in sea water for a few days!

S Kean
September 2007

Hi Iain is it possible to put your boat in the water a few days before you use it ???
If not I allways remove my boat from the trailer and keep it turned turtle then soak it down every few days.
caulking will help but water is realy whats best.

or can you fill it with water to just over the water line with water for a couple of days before you use

sawdust is allso a lifesaver when you are out in the water for sealing leaks

:) mind if a clinker boat dont leak its time to worry :)

iain
August 2007

Hi Ian you should try to cover your boat boat with a tarpolin and also keep it damp, they rely should be kept in the water, if you can put it in shallow water for about a week or so before you use it this would swell the wood and seal most of the leaks,
to seal it use corking knocked into the gaps which you can get at ship chandelers, where you can also get paint which is very expensive! some people use exterior/out door paint i.e door paint from d.i.y. shops which also has better opaque qualities.

Graeme
March 2007