Wooden Boat Restoration Repair - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

2 Inspecting and Evaluating
To evaluate the condition of your boat you need to begin by answering the first two
questions listed in Section 1:
What type of construction is the boat?
What condition is the boat in?
Understanding how your boat was built can help you assess the damage that has
occurred. A knowledge of the structure will make you alert to less obvious damage and
aid you in determining whether the damage has compromised the integrity of the boat.
To assess the condition of your boat you will need to inspect it thoroughly. This
probably will involve some dismantling.
2.1 Understanding the Structure
2.1.1 The structural framework
Inspecting and Evaluating 8
Evaluating the soundness of your boat involves recognizing how well the individual
and combined structural components are still doing their job. Most wooden boats are
characterized by a structural framework covered with a protective skin.
While they may vary in size, shape and function, most wooden boats have common
structural elements (Figure 2-1). The elements form the overall framework and work
together with the planking to carry loads. The heavier framework of conventionally
planked boats is designed to provide most of the structure’s stiffness. During the
building, after the boat is launched or when she is hauled for service, the various
structural members carry and distribute the concentrated and heavy loads of the boat.
More contemporary boats with plywood skins may have less or lighter framework.
Look at each of the elements of your boat’s structure to see whether it still has the
strength to carry the load it was designed to carry.
The keel is the backbone of most boats. Traditionally the heaviest, most rigid element
in the structure, it provides a foundation for the rest of the structure. Like all
components, the keel should not only be strong enough to resist bending but also solid
enough to hold the fasteners that transfer loads from adjoining parts.
Frames and floor timbers run athwartships at regular intervals along the keel. The
symmetrical frames give the hull shape while the floors distribute the loads from the
ballast keel or engine stringers out over even more of the planking.
2