Preparations for valdeck repairs
As the season is coming to end I’m preparing myself for coming repairs.
One of the more important thing is to glue the valdeck planks. This is the rounded top-side of the freeboard, characteristic to Laurinkosters and giving them additional strength compared to traditional, flat-decked boats.
When built the boat was glued, additionally to copper-riveting, for additional strength and water tightness. Cascofen glue after around 60 years is loosing strength and the first place to notice it is on valdeck on our boats. The standard way is to saw through the planking’s connection and glue-in a thin stripe of mahogany. Sawing should be no less than 75% of the plank thickness.
To measure the thickness I tried sticking in a metall ruller between the planks. Nope - it was too thick to get there. Instead I took a scrap piece of 250um steel plate - and that did the trick.
Scribing the plate enabled me exact measurement of plank thickness - and to my (positive) surprise the amount of wood is substantial!
17-18 mm in this spot. I will then assume 15mm as a safety factor which gives me width of glue around 10 - 11mm. Now it’s time to look for mahogany!