Sailing Into Wellness "pitching a ship-deck" on A.K. ILEN, 1926 traditional wooden sailing ship.

The traditional heritage skills of how to make a ship's wooden deck planking watertight are shared by Sailing Into Wellness, the Irish sailing charity and proud custodians of the 1926 traditionally-built A.K. ILEN ship. It involves driving fibre (cotton or oakum) into the seams, sealing them with pitch and sanding the deck smooth thereafter. 1. Preparing the deck seams: Clean the seams by removing old pitch, rotten oakum, etc. using a reefing hook or a hot knife. Planks should be clean, dry and free of old sealer, varnish or oil to maximise adhesion. 2. Caulking: Cotton is used for smaller gaps and oakum, a hemp fibre soaked in pine tar, for larger seams. Use a caulking iron to feed the fibre into the seams and a mallet to drive it home. It should be packed tightly enough to form a hard layer at the base of the seam. 3. Pouring pitch: Traditional pitch is melted in a specialised pot, poured into a vessel with a spout and then poured into the seam, filling the groove completely, adhering to the oakum and the sides of the planks. A 'hot rod' can be used to remelt the surface of the pitch, smoothing out bubbles and ensuring a smooth finish. 4: Fairing and finishing: Once the pitch has cooled, use a sharp 'putty knife' or specialised chisel to remove excess 'proud' pitch, which 'stands' above the deck-board. Sand the deck, in the direction of the wood grain, to ensure a smooth, level and 'fair' surface. TIP: Ensure the sealant/pitch does not stick to the bottom of the seam, to avoid moisture entrapment, which leads to rot, the whole reason we carry out the above process. Sailing Into Wellness is proud to pass on traditional heritage skills. This workshop was kindly funded by The Heritage Council, Ireland.