Removing dry rot

[fender22]

HI all, just bought a new boat and noticed a bit of dry rot in the timber roof canopy. Not too advanced yet but looks like it;s in between the roof sheeting and the support spar that it's joined too. Is there anyway of telling if it's still active or not? It seems like a funny place for rot as it is all in the open air, and I thought rot only thrived where there was little air circulation?

What's the best way of killing it? If I apply something I need to somehow get it into the join. Thanks in advance

[finga]

The best cure that I know of is a saw.
There are chemicals and resins people use but IMO in the long run your better off cutting it out (before it spreads like a cancer) and starting again.

[fender22]

Its in a really open and airy spot, albeit it's between the joints of the timber? It wouldn't be an easy task to remove and replace it either? Could it be non active anymore? Is there anyway of telling?

In the area it is if something gould be injected into the joint somehow would be a practical way of sorting it?

[finga]

The question I would be asking myself is why did it start to rot??
If you fix that reason then the repair, which ever way, will not be lost due to rot starting again.
The is some stuff guys put into transoms that fix rot but I don't know much about it.

[oldboot]

I know this seems a bit rough :o but If you arent into a joinery exercise it might be worth a try.:-/ ;D

a preasure cleaner ( water blaster) will rip dry rot out of the sound timber, it will just blow it away leaving behind sound timber and a hairy finish.

now what do you do to kill any spores orstuff that might be arround.

the old favorite used to be bleach, but aparantly it isn't as effective as acid like citric or vinegar.
there are probaly commercial products too.

now you've blown the stuff away you will be able to see the extent of your problem....... I mean you've lost nothing.... the stuff you blew away was just infected pulp anyway.

so you can see and make a choice about your solution.

you might just seal it up and paint it over once it has dried PROPERLY.

you might bog it up

or:o :o :o
you might have a joinery project.

cheers

[Roughasguts]

Neat radiator coolant is a deadly poison for the spores, soak that in there.
Then you could probably seal it over with resin.

But hell yeah why not just replace the timbers, going to have to sooner or later.

[cormorant]

FGI Fibreglass industries have a product that is a thinner than water (like metho) 2 part expoy that has a anti fungal in it. Can't remember name off top of head and comes in 2* 250ml tins and you need very little- like an eggcup full. Don't buy the west system one as it doesn't have a antifungal in it any more. Remove the surface coating and clean out all the soft rot , allow to dry out as it will be absorbed better if the wood it dryer. Apply as much as you can continiously as it will suck it up like a smoker on his last breath. It kills off the fungal attack, hardens the wood and gives you a solid base to bog and surface coat etc tec. If the bit you are looking to fix is structural i any way and you can resupport it after repair you should do the full repair and use this stuff on all fresh wood. I've seen it injested by large bore syringe into tight areas or overhead areas by drilling small 1/8th holes. It is not a structural product but it pnetrats and seals things like plywood and cures to keep moisture and fungal attach out forever. I have done all my ply floors i boats with it and even with cheap construction ply it has lasted beyond it's lifetime in wet areas.

There is another product CPRES or CRPES that I see advertised in afloat but I know nothing about it.

As others have said there is a cause that has to be fixed for any long term solution and rot only happens with fresh water not salt. Salt water will kill all fungal attacks.

C