This was as a response
to the idea that one should chuck a handful of salt into interior areas
of a boat to prevent rot.
Not a good
idea.
The problem is that salt sucks moisture. So it will remain
almost perpetually moist.
Then on a warm day the moisture will evaporate. At night the
air cools
and the moisture will condense over all the internal surfaces of the
tank. So you end up with pure distilled water droplets gradually
removing salt from the upper areas of the tank and rinsing the salt
down to the bottom.
So in the end you end up with a permanent supply of fresh
water for the
upper reaches of the tank - so you may end up with rot around the deck
structure.
Seal the Timberwork
Don't leave the timber raw - coat it preferably with epoxy - an
excellent moisture barrier. Not coating the
interior of the boat prevents you from doing an effective job of
mopping out the interior - the raw wood will absorb any water that goes
in the tank and then you can't get rid of it through either a bunghole
or by mopping out. So you end up with lots of water vapour in the hull
when it gets warm again.
Rot: the Ultimate Solution
The only thing that prevents rot is preventing one (or both) of
moisture or air.
Epoxy is one way of doing both. I have seen so many
boats built in the last 25 years using epoxy that are in excellent
condition compared to my own boats of similar age which were only
sealed with varnish or everdure over the same time frame. In the end
the epoxy is worth the expense.
It is easy to apply while building the boat.
However with a boat that is already finished it is sometimes
not worth
it in terms of LABOUR - ie you cannot do a good enough job once the
decks are on and there is often heaps of paint to be removed.
The relevant question to ask someone who is about
to
undertake this process is ... "How much do you love the boat"
The
Value of Ventilation
Another way from tradition is to provide good ventilation for
the
interior of the hull. Larger boats need to have it designed in - read
some of Francis Herreshoff so hear someone banging that drum!
Or for smaller boats...
Inspection ports at opposite ends of the tanks left open when
the boat
is not in use - of course with the boat under cover to stop rain going
in
If not in use and if you dont have a garage - store the boat
upside
down on the trailer or some bricks to keep it off the ground with all
the inspection ports off. A tarp over the top, but clear of the ground
so air can blow under. If the boat is too big to turn over or
has
ballast that makes it difficult then build a wooden structure over the
deck to hold the tarp off so air can circulate up the sides and along
the length of the boat. If the boat has a drain hole the plug
should be removed and the boat propped up so any water WILL
drain. Check that the hole isn't blocked from time to time.
That's very best way to long term store a boat if you don't
can't swing it up under a carport or put it in a shed..