Sap Problem

Galway_guy_33

I bought a 19ft lakeboat which i'm told is only six months old never used. It was under a cover outdoors all this time. There is a lot of sap coming out of the timber so much so i'm destroyed it ever time i use it. The timber is treated with Sikkens Cetol Filter 7.

Last week i decided to remove the sap and lightly sand back the timber till it was all gone. I left the boat to sit for a few days under a cover and was hoping to give a fresh coat of Sikkens but the sap has appeared again all over the timber i sanded back. Its like droplets every where.

What should i do now? Is there any thing i can treat the timber with to stop the sap coming out?

slowburner

Has it been out in the sun? It sounds a bit strange - I haven't heard of Larch doing this before - I presume it's Larch.
It's a long time since I looked after lakeboats, but we used to sink them for a day or more before the start of the season. This might help.

Galway_guy_33

Not sure to be honest what timber it is could be iroko. It was been outside under a cover all the time.

Its a fiberglass boat, timber seats are all fine its only the timber around the top of the boat which is curved slightly thats leaking the sap

slowburner

Not much point in sinking the boat then!
It could be that the finish is unsuitable for the timber. Iroko is a naturally oily timber which might make it unsuitable for Sikkens Cetol filter 7 (tell me more about this). Iroko certainly doesn't produce sap, but it can have a slightly oily feel - not enough to make a mess though.
The fact that it's only a problem on the gunwales is interesting. What timber are the thwarts (seats) made from?

Galway_guy_33

Thanks for the prompt reply slowburner.... I have to come clean now i know nothing about boats this is my 1st boat. I didnt know what the gunwale was till i google it after you mentioned it.

Yes its only the outer gunwale board that seeping the sap all the other timer is fine. I'll take a few pics of it this evening and post it here tomorrow maybe that will help.

As for sikkens heres a link: http://www.duluxtrade.ie/products/info/sikkens_cetol_filter_7.jsp

Thanks again for taking an interest in my problem.... i know its not a big deal but i've only took it out on the lake four times and each time my hands and clothes are destroyed in sap, takes two days to wear off very annoying especially when im told its a new boat

fergal.b

They may have been replaced with a soft wood at some stage I use iroko a lot and never had a problem. What does it smell like, you could clean it up with turpentine sand it and coat it in epoxy and then varnish or there is a solution called knotting that might work.

slowburner

Galway_guy_33 wrote: »

Thanks for the prompt reply slowburner.... I have to come clean now i know nothing about boats this is my 1st boat. I didnt know what the gunwale was till i google it after you mentioned it.

Yes its only the outer gunwale board that seeping the sap all the other timer is fine. I'll take a few pics of it this evening and post it here tomorrow maybe that will help.

As for sikkens heres a link: http://www.duluxtrade.ie/products/info/sikkens_cetol_filter_7.jsp

Thanks again for taking an interest in my problem.... i know its not a big deal but i've only took it out on the lake four times and each time my hands and clothes are destroyed in sap, takes two days to wear off very annoying especially when im told its a new boat

I like to keep strange nautical terms alive - thole pins, another nice one
That'd be great if you could post a pic or two - and the more close up to the wood the better!
The only problem I've ever had with Iroko is when using polyurethane glue. It works much better if you clean the wood with acetone beforehand. I couldn't tell from the link what Sikkens is based in - oil/water/polyurethane?
It'll be interesting to see the pics.

Galway_guy_33

Heres a few photos:


This side was never sanded back as it is before i sand it:




This is a section i sanded back and 5 days later this appears:


From this photo you can see the inside board is fine but the outside one is covered in sap:

slowburner

It's not easy to tell what kind of wood that is - nothing to do with the pics btw). It looks to me as if you might have a woodworm problem in the outer board, (2nd pic).
I have never known Iroko to be susceptible to insect attack but the figuring on the inner board is like Iroko alright.
It is possible though that the piece which has the worm holes might have been a piece of sapwood and less resistant.
My guess is that something is going on in the worm holes - whether it is water, residue from the finish or a by-product of the insects' boring - I just don't know.
Hopefully, someone will have and idea of what's going on and can give advice on what to do - it's beyond me, I'm afraid.:(

fergal.b

I was thinking it looked like some type of bug alright maybe fireblight or something, not your standard resin or sap. This will be interesting

slowburner

Interesting diagnosis FB. Although fireblight seems to mainly affect fruit trees? Those beads of sap look very similar to the OP's problem.

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Galway_guy_33

Sorry about the delay in getting back been busy with other stuff.... now you are getting me worried lads.

I dont think its woodworm (I hope not!!!) Photo 2 shows the outter board is rough just where it meets the inner board.... theres no holes as such, some of the dropplets look like tiny holes but they arent.

the dropplets are really sticky when i get it on my hands very hard to remove... how can i be sure its sap??? I must say that fireblight pic looks very similar.

I'm thinking i'll sand a section again and leave it open to the elements for a week and see what happens

slowburner

What do you think might be the cause of the roughness where the outer board meets the inner one? If you run your thumbnail along the rough bit, does it feel soft or crumbly?

Galway_guy_33

Nope its hard just think it wasnt finished too well.... to be honest its only like that in one or two spots. I think it could be time to get on to the guy that actually made the boat or am i being too picky do you think its only a lake boat after all????

Guy that actually sold it to me didnt make it.... when i 1st looked at it he said its a new boat look the sap is still coming out of the wood i assumed this was to be expected... but to be honest its a pain now as any time i use it im covered in the crap!!!

slowburner

I still can't shake the notion that it might be something to do with insects. The fact that it is only in a few spots and that it appears to be on the inside of the outer board would support this impression. It is very unlikely that the boards were finished that unevenly by the boatbuilder - that would be more difficult to do than achieving a uniform finish.
If you know the maker, or can get in contact - why not ask his opinion? If you can find out what kind of wood it is and if it is a resinous wood, so much the better.
I'm sure it would be worthwhile getting the problem sorted. I wouldn't fancy having valuable fishing time/tackle spoiled by getting sticky.