How you restore the boat depends on the customer’s goals with the final product. If he/she wants to preserve the boats value as an antique, don’t go near it with fiberglass. If the customer simply wants restore the functionality of the boat, then fiberglassing is an option.

Even with the approval to use fiberglass be careful. Fiberglass changes the nature of the boat. As is pointed out by in post earlier the boat probably used caulking to seal the boat. This type of construction depends on the wood expanding and contracting. Boats of this nature where also allowed to flex with in use. The epoxy filler you put between the seams does not compress, and doesn’t like a lot of flex. If the wood is allowed to expand after the epoxy filler is added the boat will slowly destroy itself. Therefore, if you epoxy fill the seams, I recommend you seal the whole thing in epoxy and fiberglass the outside to reduce flex.

: A customer recently brought an old gunning boat to me for repair.

: It was strip built perhaps 1930 vintage, needless to say no epoxy was used
: just nails. It has steam bent oak ribs and cedar strip planking.

: The customer wants me to epoxy-fiberglass the hull to make it watertight.
: there are large cracks between the very dry planks and some gouges and
: rot. I will need to fill (with thickened epoxy) the cracks etc before
: glassing.

: The question is, should I seal the entire boat-hull with epoxy inside and out
: or is varnish inside sufficient to keep the wood from absorbing water?

: Any other sudgestions?

: I plan to measure the boat to produce plans for the home builders. It is from
: the Merrymeeting Bay area of Maine, built for two hunters, powered by oars
: during transit and single scull out the transom for hunting. a rare and
: unusual boat.

: --eric