Boat Repairs Past Projects: Satin Doll and Waterwitch
Satin Doll is a 78-year-old International One Design that developed leaks through the plank seems that would not stop even by the end of the season after the boat was fully swelled. The IODs were built without cotton caulking in the seams and were never meant to be caulked, so cutting into the seam and gluing in a spline is the best way to fix the leaks. To do as many as we did, eight or so on each side, we had to work quickly, starting as soon as the boat came out of the water this fall with fully swelled seams. Attempting this in the spring, after the hull had dried out, would risk the planks swelling too much and breaking frames.
The same repair was done to Waterwitch, a 30' Winter Harbor Knockabout. Waterwitch, however, needed this repair only for cosmetic reasons. The topside seams had opened and the owner wanted the hull to have a smoother finish.
