hello fellow c-dory fans. I really need some answerers before I start looking @ Dorys.Ive had an Arima and like the no wood construction but not all that weight in the stern and big motors just didn't feel right . So a c-dory with Alaskan bulkhead, cudy for naps ( I'm old and need my nap ha-ha ) but my concern is balsa wood , wood in the transom. What should I be looking for and telltale signs of rot problems on a used boat ? Thanks for your help
need advice please
- Thread starter hotdogbob
- Start date
Any cored wood structure will rot if water intrudes into it. The Transom on the C Dory is less likely to rot than many other boats. If all depends on how well sealed the transom is.
Ideally all holes in the fiberglass outer cover (or inner cover) would be sealed with epoxy.
I have heard of more issues with balsa wood bottom than the transom, but there have been a few ransoms which are had to be rebult--
In small boat construction, there is the hull molding and then the deck molding. In the C Dory the hull to deck are jointed to gather by the deck sitting on top and then glassed over inside the boat. On the transom the gas wraps over the top of the transom (the splah well is part of the deck mold. If this glass lapped over the transom remains intact and not penetrated with screws, then delimitation and moister intrusion rarely starts there. For example many boats screw an aluminum extrusion over the top of the transom--and the holes for the screws go into the wooden core--moisture gets in and then rot occurs.
Also boats which are subject to multiple cycles of freeze thaw--especialy left out of doors in the northern climes are far more likely to have core issues.
You buy a boat because the hull does what you want it to do--not necessarily because of the construction. The only issue I have had in the C Dory's I have owned, was the cockpit deck of a 2003 C Dory 25. It never had the core sealed on the cockpit deck. Water got into the core, it sat out in at least two New Jersey winters, and then someone jumped into the floor from the gunnel--and the floor broke. In this boat there was no damage to the transom (we looked hard) or the hull. The new cockpit floor used some epoxy to seal and unprotected edges, plus Nadicore honey Comb core construction.[/I]
Foam cores can delaminate--and there have been some relatively new boats, which were very expensive where the foam core delaminated. Even now there are a few resin infused boats where there has been some core or structure delaminates. So it is not just wood which can be a problem. A delaminated foam core is just as much of a problem.
Ideally all holes in the fiberglass outer cover (or inner cover) would be sealed with epoxy.
I have heard of more issues with balsa wood bottom than the transom, but there have been a few ransoms which are had to be rebult--
In small boat construction, there is the hull molding and then the deck molding. In the C Dory the hull to deck are jointed to gather by the deck sitting on top and then glassed over inside the boat. On the transom the gas wraps over the top of the transom (the splah well is part of the deck mold. If this glass lapped over the transom remains intact and not penetrated with screws, then delimitation and moister intrusion rarely starts there. For example many boats screw an aluminum extrusion over the top of the transom--and the holes for the screws go into the wooden core--moisture gets in and then rot occurs.
Also boats which are subject to multiple cycles of freeze thaw--especialy left out of doors in the northern climes are far more likely to have core issues.
You buy a boat because the hull does what you want it to do--not necessarily because of the construction. The only issue I have had in the C Dory's I have owned, was the cockpit deck of a 2003 C Dory 25. It never had the core sealed on the cockpit deck. Water got into the core, it sat out in at least two New Jersey winters, and then someone jumped into the floor from the gunnel--and the floor broke. In this boat there was no damage to the transom (we looked hard) or the hull. The new cockpit floor used some epoxy to seal and unprotected edges, plus Nadicore honey Comb core construction.[/I]
Foam cores can delaminate--and there have been some relatively new boats, which were very expensive where the foam core delaminated. Even now there are a few resin infused boats where there has been some core or structure delaminates. So it is not just wood which can be a problem. A delaminated foam core is just as much of a problem.
thanks Bob.I have had alot of boats mostly sail that had balsa and its probably my least favorite material to use on a boat.Maybe I should stick to Arimas ? even my old one sold for big bucks cause the surveyor told the buyer not to worry with an Arima as far as rot .Thanks for your reply, hotdogbob on Vancouver Island bc
Actually Balsa has a lot of very good properties--better than foam in many ways. As long as it is sealed, it remains good.
I have gone offshore many thousands of miles in a boat which was primary balsa for the entire hull. (Balsa Planks). That boat hit a container at 8 knots (we were trashing to windward and because of noise pounding etc, don't know exactly when the strike occurred.). However, the end of the container punctured the outer 1/2" fiberglass skin. It impacted the balsa, delaminating from t he interior 1/4" glass over an area of 25 sq feet. No water intrusion. If that had been a conventional hull, it is very likely that the boat would have been holed, taken on water, and potentially sank.
The shear strength of balsa is excellent--and one of its major pluses, as is the rigidity, and relatively lack of compressibility. That is the reason that balsa is still used in many new boats today.
I have gone offshore many thousands of miles in a boat which was primary balsa for the entire hull. (Balsa Planks). That boat hit a container at 8 knots (we were trashing to windward and because of noise pounding etc, don't know exactly when the strike occurred.). However, the end of the container punctured the outer 1/2" fiberglass skin. It impacted the balsa, delaminating from t he interior 1/4" glass over an area of 25 sq feet. No water intrusion. If that had been a conventional hull, it is very likely that the boat would have been holed, taken on water, and potentially sank.
The shear strength of balsa is excellent--and one of its major pluses, as is the rigidity, and relatively lack of compressibility. That is the reason that balsa is still used in many new boats today.
journey on
New member
Bob makes very good points about the advantages of balsa and one ought to listen. We've had Journey On for 15 years and even though a lot of my fiberglass holes are not sealed I've found no water intrusion after 15 years. And as a note to Bob, I seal my holes (when I pull or install fasteners) with 5200 or 4000, not epoxy..
Also you seem to be particularly concerned about balsa in the transom. If I remember correctly we had a discussion on this a number of years ago. C-Dory at that time used structural foam in the transom and balsa in the hull. The image gives some representation of this circa 2005.
Boris
.
Also you seem to be particularly concerned about balsa in the transom. If I remember correctly we had a discussion on this a number of years ago. C-Dory at that time used structural foam in the transom and balsa in the hull. The image gives some representation of this circa 2005.
Boris
.
T.R. Bauer
New member
hotdogbob":1zajkplg said:
There is no perfect boat - Arima is a good boat choice in my opinion. If you found the right one for the right price, I'd pull the trigger on one without any hesitation. No boat with wood is immune to rot. And boats with other cores are just as prone to delamination, so there really is no escape.....Much of this though, is completely preventable.