The interior of the bottom should be carefully examined, in order to ascertain the soundness of the planking and timbers. Dry rot is likely to find its way into the inner sides of the stem and stern posts. If possible remove some of the saloon panels, for the space between a vessel’s skins is a favourite nest for dry rot.
If a vessel is coppered and she is hauled up, the sheathing will be wrinkled in a horizontal direction if she has been in any way strained. These wrinkles beneath the channels show infallibly that her sides have been strained by the rigging. Vertical or irregular wrinkles on other portions of her copper may merely indicate that she has rubbed against some hard substance.
Look to the nails and bolts and see if they are corroded, or if copper nails have worked loose in consequence of the vessel’s straining.
If spars are cracked in the direction of their length, this is of little consequence, unless the cracks are very deep. Such cracks should be stopped with putty when the wood is quite dry, so as to keep the wet out. When a spar is sprung the cracks will be transverse as well as lengthways.
A mast is liable to decay where it passes through the deck, also under the hounds.
Look with suspicion on a vessel that has cement in her bottom; for this prevents a proper examination of her interior. To fill up the spaces between the lower timbers with Portland cement is, as we shall show further on, an admirable plan; but it is often resorted to in order to conceal serious defects. The bottom of many an old craft is practically held together by cement.
Before describing the various forms of boats suitable for pleasure sailing, it will be well to give to the reader a general idea of the rigging and other parts of a small craft, so that certain terms which we shall have to use constantly may be understood by him.
[Fig. 1] represents a small cutter rigged as simply as possible.
