1) Why is it advisable to eliminate moisture from wood and glass fibre?

The master craftsman or the boatyard which constructed the boat seasoned the wood for years. Modern chemistry is providing ever improving products, and for this reason eliminating moisture and protecting the entire structure with C-systems' 10 10 CFS means having a boat in better structural condition than when it left the boatyard, because these conditions will last over time.
In GRP (glass reinforced plastic) moisture is synonymous with osmosis or latent osmosis. As soon as moisture finds substances which can be dissolved this moisture decomposes them creating a viscous substance. Further water infiltration through a permeable gelcoat, or through splits, cracks, deep scratches, dents, due to this osmosis principle, will thin down these substances to reduce their concentration, so causing an increase in the their volume which will cause a marked change in hull configuration.

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2) What is the moisture content foreseen for wood and GRP, according to the Classification Registers?

LLOYD’S Register foresees wood moisture content equal to or less than 12%, and R.I.N.A. equal to or less than 15%.
But for glass fibre this moisture content has to be almost ZERO, and in order to keep it at this level a protective treatment can be carried out, applying C-Systems' 10 10 CFS uniformly, to at least 400/500 microns. The highest water concentration in glass fibre to fix osmosis is 1%, we look for 0,8%.

3) Do wooden and glass fibre boats have advantages if built or repaired with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS or with other epoxy products of the same range?

Certainly, and we can say that all boats can make use of these advantage by using C-Systems’ resins, therefore avoiding unscheduled maintenance in the future, which would have to be carried out on boats with conventional products. To make it short, we’re talking here about C-Systems' 10 10 CFS which covers on its own in the best way possible 85% of the work, whilst the remaining 15% is covered by other products of the same range which meet those needs more precisely.
On GRP C-Systems' 10 10 CFS repairs the underwater hull and, assuming the hull was dried properly, it eliminates all problems resulting from osmosis, it repairs all cracks and crazing, it is especially recommended to laminate, and to fill, as an underground to any painting process, it is used for castings and to re-build structural parts, to bond glass fibre and wood to glass fibre, and to refurbish decks, etc.
On wood it doesn't only prevent new moisture penetrating, which would mean loss of resistance, it also bonds the spaces between the single boards building a continuous structure without splits and gaps. When used with additives it is the best protection ever for screw heads, for all rivets, nuts and bolts, and it is able to eliminate galvanic corrosion on these metal parts ensuring a perfect bond over time with high cost savings.

4) In case of plywood defects is it possible to use C-Systems' 10 10 CFS epoxy resin?

C-Systems' 10 10 CFS epoxy resin is ideal for repairing, and for bonding plywood. Mainly, plywood constructions which have been worked for years and stripped back to new (that is to say free of paint and dehumidified, dry), and then protected with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS, will not only recover all their past splendour like new plywood, but they will not have any of those lamented inconveniences any more, as C-Systems' 10 10 CFS even bonds over the resorcinol glues perfectly (they just need sanding) that are used to manufacture plywood.

5) Is C-systems' 10 10 cfs rigid or elastic?

In physics there are no rigid body, only more or less elastic ones. If applied on wood C-Systems' 10 10 CFS usually makes it more robust as it has a higher resistance than wood fibres. If applied on glass cloth or on glass fibre it gives it a higher resistance because it possesses a higher modular elasticity, and it doesn’t tend to crack (the annoying surface crazing).
Practically, C-Systems' 10 10 CFS strengthens the wood or glass fibre surface on which it is applied and, being stronger than wood fibres or than the polyester binder, which binds glass fibres, it gives more resistance and security to the parts treated.

6) How does the wooden or GRP hull which was treated with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS behave after an accidental impact which damages the protective layer?

If properly applied, C-Systems' 10 10 CFS with its additives integrates with its base and becomes part of it. Just to make an example it is like an iron gate which is galvanized. If the galvanization is scratched down to the iron the corrosion will be limited to the damaged part or little more, and will be easily repaired at the first opportunity.

7) Can the water condition at moorings effect osmosis and rot the wooden hull?

The temperature of the water at the mooring, a greater or lesser exchange of water, can have a decisive effect.
A higher water temperature favours greater fouling, and also decay of both glass fibre and wood.

8) Why in glass fibre is osmosis only on the underwater hull?

The underwater hull is built with the same materials but generally osmosis shows on the bottom because the boat is continuously in contact with water. Also the external parts are often in contact with water, for example when it rains, but even during the longest rain periods there are several sunny days and small infiltrations are dried by the sun. In few cases can osmosis be detected in other parts of the boat.

9) How is to be interpreted when a moisture detector indicates high moisture content in a glass fibre hull without showing osmosis bubbles?

A GRP hull with high moisture signals that not everything is right, because the gelcoat protective layer that should prevent any water passage did not work properly.
Water has penetrated, but is has not caused any damage yet, it has not caused the so-called “magnesium effect”, which means osmosis. This boat, even being a healthy craft now, might trouble in this way sooner or later. It is obvious that a hull with high moisture, even without osmosis, is always less resistant than the same hull without high moisture.
If we compare it with a wooden boat, the so-called marine timbers absorb a certain amount of moisture, even though this is not able to cause such substantial damage, because it can live together with the wood without causing any damage other than a percentage loss in resistance and a weight increase.

10) If it is not possible to take the boat immediately out of the water, in order to repair the protective layer, is water not making the once dehumidified hull wet again?

If applied on glass fibre C-Systems' 10 10 CFS it unifies with it, and even with a gelcoat rupture the size of a hazelnut which could be the size of a mandarin after one year, but it will still be perfectly local to the impact point, only slightly larger.
The same breakage on wood does not allow the wood fibres to absorb moisture because the fibres were impregnated during the protection phase and they do not have the same absorption capability they presented beforehand.
In order to repair the impact damage it will be necessary to enlarge the area to be repaired to two or three times the size of the original damage, take the surface back to zero, chamfer the edges, dry with a moderate hair-dryer or thermo-ventilator by passing the heat back and forth. After having ascertained that all moisture has been eliminated carry on with the total protection work. In case of plank or glass cloth damage it is obvious that this intervention is also targeted to recreate a perfect degree of structural integrity.

11) After removing the gelcoat why is it necessary to wash the hull before drying, and also 1 or 2 days before and during treatment?

Acids and degraded substances created by the osmosis can only be diluted in water. During drying, the water evaporates while unwanted solids, as when salted water evaporates from a cooking pan, remain stuck to the hull. Washing during the drying process washes away and eliminates acids and leave the glass fibre pores open.

12) But isn't this washing going to wet the hull we worked hard to dry out?

Water took years to create osmosis and our boat has sailed for a very long time. The moisture received by washing will disappear again within a few hours if well ventilated. Testing it before and after washing with SKINDER will speak for itself. It will show that the rate measured before washing will be same two hours after.

13) If a boat with osmosis remains out of water for a long time, will the situation improve or get worse?

To start with osmosis bubbles usually swell up at temperatures higher than those in the water. Afterwards, in the way the water entered it also usually dries out because of evaporation, and even if the hull is still marked, the bubbles are less noticeable. Water which evaporates is almost like distilled water.....that is to say the acidity and solutions which were created remain inside, even though anhydrous (like freeze-dried coffee).
After a very long time even the measuring instrument would be deceived because there is no moisture to measure. Principally, it is possible to say that the situation is as before, and is ready to get started again as soon as it touches water.

14) In summary, what are the steps and work necessary to treat and repair osmosis?

To act properly against osmosis and in order to prevent its coming back we have to:
- take the boat out of water and thoroughly clean the bilges
- remove the gelcoat completely, and open out all holes
- abundantly wash the hull with fresh, if possible warm, pressurized water, and dry out the entire hull, several times.
- take moisture measurements with the SKINDER instrument making sure that this gives the same values as the superstructure, and that in scale no. 3 it doesn't go out of the green area.
- one or two days before the treatment, wash the hull again with possibly warm fresh water.... and we wish you good work!

15) ...And the product application sequence?

- Wet all holes with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS impregnating it well into the glass cloth fibres for the first general coat
- apply another coat of C-Systems' 10 10 CFS as soon as the first coat has taken
- let it dry for some hours and when the resin is still sticky (like an adhesive tape) repair any small craters with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS with thickener no. 2 or with Microfiller Powder, for larger craters use Mineral Micro-fibres (see the section about filling)
- lightly sand down the roughness and apply a third coat
- coat the entire hull with NAUTILUS Light Filler applied with a toothed spatula and pass over it again with a smooth spatula
- apply one C-Systems' 10 10 CFS coat without additives
- apply three C-Systems' 10 10 CFS coats with additive A 20
- apply two coats of NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer Two (including metal parts like propellers, mounts, flaps etc.) and the first anti-fouling coat within 12 and 36 hours. For the second coat you can wait until a couple of days before putting the boat back in the water.
The number of coats depends on their thickness. As a reference, it is important that the quantity of C-Systems' 10 10 CFS has to be at least 6 kg. per 10 square metres of hull. After the last coat of NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer Two the launch must not take place within 7 to 10 days, depending on the seasonal temperature.

16) Thanks to C-Systems' 10 10 CFS is it possible to reduce wooden and glass fibre boat maintenance and to carry out all repairs?

It is advisable to use C-Systems' 10 10 CFS with the relevant additives to sort out all maintenance problems and mainly to improve the reliability of wooden and glass fibre boats.
Protection in the bilge, caboose, under the engines and in lockers in general leaves much to be desired. All these jobs on glass fibre are perfectly satisfied by C-Systems' 10 10 CFS and NAUTILUS Epoxy H.B., representing he best you can do.
Problems with wood come out mainly on mounts and joints, sharp edges, nail and screw points.
After stripping the part right back, and after proper drying out, treating these surfaces with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS, gives exceptional security and reliability, and mainly the certainty that once painted or varnished, with SPINNAKER or with the special NAUTILUS paint, it will stay in the best condition for years and years. When the next maintenance is due, it will simply be sanding, then painting or varnishing.

17) If the wooden boat is not completely dried out is it possible to carry out the treatment with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS?

Wood has to be dry and in order to properly evaluate its condition, the use of SKINDER (or another suitable instrument) is necessary, even indispensable, because it gives surety about the real moisture conditions, without an evaluation which only sometimes can be substituted by experience.
Only then, if there are some isolated points which differ slightly, it is possible to decide whether the work can be started, and whether it is possible to expect a perfect result over time or whether it is better to wait a few more days. Consider also that a wooden boat built longitudinally will present different problems compared to one built with double or triple crossed planking, and completely different again from one in marineply.
For boats with longitudinal planking, after having put the hull back into good shape, it is appropriate to evaluate whether to use a layer of biaxial glass cloth ± 45° of about 300 grams per square metre, to balance the longitudinal resistance of the wood fibre by strengthening the transversal one.
For marineply hulls it is advisable to protect them with a biaxial or balanced glass cloth tape along the hull joints as well as along all edges in order to increase rubbing protection and prevent moisture penetration.

18) How is it possible to speed up drying out wooden or glass fibre boats?

The period from Spring to the end of September is certainly right, and dry and windy days are very welcome. Nevertheless, thanks to our dehumidifier AIRDRYER and to hot air blowers it is possible accelerate or create also in the winter time the right conditions as long as the boat is at least under good cover. A remarkable help, which brings results in a short time, are quartz infrared lamps (available in our price list). These directional lamps release a light beam for a surface up to 6 square metres which does not heat the air but the objects (and people).
The lamps concentrate all their power in depth and facilitate drying out wood and glass fibre in an effective way.
Also in this case the AIRDRYER eliminates the moisture accumulated in the environment, so favouring a good work progress.

19) Sometimes sanding “perforates” glass fibre. Isn’t it better to go about it in a different way?

If sanding is carried out by a good worker it is done in an even and precise way. Nevertheless the force applied sometimes finds “soft” parts, and in some cases it cuts in until it perforates the hull.
Anyway, take into consideration that the drying out period would have been much longer if those parts had not been “perforated” and those parts would have hidden acidity, which is now no longer there, and so would have been without any mechanical strength. The polyester resin which previously compacted the glass fibre now has no structure. In fact, proper sanding makes the hull wrinkly and slightly irregular by taking away the gel coat and in some cases immediately removes from the boat at least 50% of the moisture.
After working with a plane or with the scraper you always need at least a light sanding to give a more marked surface for drying, and for the next application.

20) Are all wooden boats the same?

A wooden boat built with longitudinal planking presents different problems to those built with double or triple crossed planking, and different again to one in marineply.
Nevertheless realizing a good project and integrating new techniques and materials sorts out the "common" timber problems.
Given the same weight, wood is three times more resistant than steel. In order though to maintain that quality it has to remain dry and free of parasites. Furthermore wood does not have any memory, that is to say that, if correctly dimensioned, it will endlessly carry out the job to which it was put..

21) Which are the main differences between solid wood and plywood?

In solid wood, later we will have to differentiate amongst the different types normally used, there is inequality (anisotropy) between resistance along the grain and across the same grain. The resistance in the direction of the grain is about 10 times more than that across it. Plywood takes advantage of thin layers of wood, each layer is oriented in different directions in order to “compensate” the stress applied in each direction. Therefore a good plywood with 5, 7, 9 etc. layers has the a fibre composition which compensates for the natural anisotropy of the wood fibre.

22) Is it possible to use plywood in place of solid wood?

In the hull construction plywood allows only hulls with corners or with simple shapes conceived in the design stage because it is difficult to bend, whilst solid wood allows rounded constructions. Plywood is used in all bulkheads, ceilings and bottom boards, dividing walls, decks before laying teakwood, in cabins etc. In GRP boats plywood gives structure and warmth to bulkheads, ceilings and bottom boards, and often it is used layered with glass fibre for high loadings, like a post to increase rigidity and resistance, retaining heavy weights.

23) Does using glass cloth on the hull as well as the new solid wood or plywood (re-planking) for planking mean a reliable job over time?

Covering the hull with glass cloth or remaking the re-planking (overlay) with wooden or plywood diagonals is accepted by Naval Register, and is a normal procedure in many boatyards.
It is necessary to strip down the hull, dry it out, clean its seams, and if necessary caulk it with cotton wadding or hemp, plus C-Systems' 10 10 CFS and only then, applying the cloth or a further planking will give outstanding and reliable long-term results. Several regatta boats, built like this 30 years ago, even having passed through several hands and been in many places, are todayin perfect condition without ever showing the typical problems of “traditional” constructions.

24) How do you treat planked boats with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS?

As we have already seen, C-Systems' 10 10 CFS is highly suitable for marineply boats because it bonds all the "sheets" joints where water would first start to penetrate. Solid wood means a much higher number of joins, and also here is where the moisture enters which deteriorates the wood.
All these joints and seams are to be thoroughly cleaned, then treated and sealed with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS.

25) What is the plank seam size that can be perfectly bonded by C-Systems' 10 10 CFS?

With C-Systems' 10 10 CFS it is possible to glue wood together up to a distance over 2 cm, and the seam realized by using C-Systems' 10 10 CFS together with the additives is much stronger than the longitudinal wood fibre. This means that in case of twisting the wood will break and not the glue, but it is not acceptable to conceive a boat with such maintenance defects.
C-Systems' 10 10 CFS and the threads are much stronger than hot press bonded plywood. Nevertheless, it is good job to bring the planking to a correct moisture content, and seams larger than a couple of millimetres may be “filled” effectively with C-Systems' 10 10 CFS and cotton wadding or closed with wood. (The VHS video tape about longitudinal planking is very illustrative about this way of working).

26) Can the work described above be started and then continued the weekend after?

It is possible, but it is preferable, if feasible, that works are carried out in a certain time sequence because a fully-cured coat of epoxy resin reduces perfect integration with the following coat of any product (though it remains higher than with conventional paints) and in order to get it to adhere properly it is necessary to wet sand the entire surface.
Instead if all coats are applied in sequence it is almost never necessary to sand between two coats. When glass cloth and peel ply are applied, as you can see in the VHS tape, even if some time goes by, when the peel ply is removed, it ensures a perfect base for the following coat.